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Neubauer Artists LLC
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Between Brussels and New York, dancefloor anthems and a tribute to her father, the pop icon delivers her most liberated album yet with “Instinct”. Released this Friday the 16th.
I’ve played piano since childhood and have taken music lessons, notably at the Jazz Studio in Antwerp. Even though I don’t have exceptional technique, this theoretical background allows me to play naturally. If I hear a melody I like on the radio, I can sit down at the piano and play it back to analyze it. When I compose, I can play a series of chords instinctively. This musical mastery is invaluable because it prevents me from being held back in my creative flow.
Wasted future
In “One Life”, you sing that the future is ruined by dreams. What does this line mean?
It reflects that profound sense of disarray that can overwhelm people of my generation. I was born in the nineties into a world full of dreams and ambitions. Now, at thirty, what’s left? A lot of disillusionment.
“I know” is a declaration of love to your father, Marka, with whom you have a complex relationship. How did it come about?
This song required a certain maturity from me because it expresses the unconditional love I have for my father, despite the differences and misunderstandings that may exist between us. I wanted to talk about this very strong bond between a daughter and her father, but also about the difficulty of communicating when you live in different worlds. It’s also a way of thanking him. If I feel free to face the world of professional music today, it’s thanks to him. It was important to pay tribute to him through a song.
What advice would you give to the Angèle of ten years ago who was writing “ Murphy’s Law” in her bedroom?
I would tell her to listen to her instincts and give herself every opportunity to overcome technical barriers. Especially when you’re a woman. I can still picture myself at jazz school in Antwerp. I was trying to learn my instrument, and often, I wasn’t trusted. It can be very intimidating and discouraging. You have to get past that. But once you master your instrument and the other tools, like studio software, for example, you become completely free. No one can tell you what to do anymore, and everything becomes more fun.
What instinct have you learned to repress?
There’s no instinct you can silence. However, the closest thing to it is fear. It starts in the same place, deep inside you. It’s sometimes inexplicable and often paralyzing. That kind of fear, I have to repress it. Professionally, I have said no before. Out of fear, or simply to protect myself, but I don’t regret anything. In fact, I don’t have many regrets artistically. Perhaps that means I have a lucky star or good instincts.
Mentally and physically, I’m the same person. At Botanique, I was just chilling. I was there with friends, to see Iliona and have a drink. The real difference lies between the person people see on stage and the person I am at home. The image of this “private Angèle” projected to the public doesn’t correspond to reality. It’s a perception I can’t control. That’s just how it is, and I don’t care. Ultimately, it matters very little to me. At some point, you have to be able to break free from this false image. Otherwise, you get stuck and you can’t move forward.
Muzzled communication
One single listen to the album, an interview conducted by your press officer and off-limits to our video/photo team. You’re in complete control. Is there still room for spontaneity in your communication?
This is about controlling my image. I don’t want to leave the door too wide open. Framing and structuring my communication allows me to refocus the artistic project and connect people to what I consider truly important.
If Instinct had to be summed up in a single emotion, which would you choose?
There was an urgency in the need to express certain things, but also a great deal of joy in opening the door to numerous external collaborations. Above all, I felt a kind of liberation. I no longer feel the need to apologize for calling for celebration, for dancing, for saying stop and refusing to let myself be invaded by obscurantism.
March 20 and 21, ING Arena (sold out).
Angèle Instinct Sony Music. Released on 16/10.
