Project Description
Interview with
GEISTE
Interviewer – Dave Bruce
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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you start writing music?
I started learning violin at 7 years old and writing music and stories at a very young age too. I guess I wanted to express myself through music and storytelling quite early on but never took it as something to pursue professionally or more seriously until I moved to London a few years back. I was working in a record label and being surrounded by artists so passionate all the time – it made me realise that creating and writing was what I truly wanted and was able enough to do. I guess I had to go through all that to realise who I was and figure out what I loved about making music.
How would you describe your sound?
Electronic, Dark, Pop, Fierce, Powerful, Introspective, 7.5 on the happiness scale.
Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I think I am quite honest with my lyrics and I write a lot about my emotions and feelings and people might relate to that. I like keeping some mystery when I write and not going straight to the point so people can attach their own experiences and translate it to those emotions. It becomes a journey – an escape – for a little bit.
Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it inspired you?
My parents had very different tastes in music – my dad is more an ACDC / Tina Turner type and my mom a Beethoven one. I learned to play piano by struggling on playing my favourite movies soundtracks. This element is still very present today. Cinematic music and soundtracks have a huge influence on the music I write and the way I shape the songs structurally.
Your new single ‘Anthems’ has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
Anthems is my second single – a follow up to OCEAN. I like to link and find a story into everything I do – keeping secrets until they are not. It is a song about femininity – self-empowerment – the strength nature can sometimes impress you with and how sometimes you can impress yourself with your own strength. It’s a song for myself as well – every time i perform it to remind me that I can do anything the days I forgot. And for you too… because people sometimes forget. When I started playing live i realised that the song I had were not made for it and didn’t shape so well into a live set. I started gaining more confidence on stage and dancing around, but none of the songs I had were making me go as crazy as I wanted to. I wrote Anthems for that. The original version had way more drums in so I could dance around on stage. It’s one of those songs where i am not sure how lyrics came to me. It comes from a part of me well hidden inside that I don’t know very well. I recorded the first drafts of Anthems in my bedroom / home studio where I write most of my songs now. It didn’t last very long if I remember, I sent it to a few producer friends and finished the production with my friend Loelash. Exilence Collective and V1TA mixed it and it was sent to Italy for mastering.
Do you have any more new music in the works?
I am always writing and at the moment I am writing for a little EP I called Retrogrades which won’t be out for a while as we are also finishing songs for my debut EP UTOPIA. There will be a lot of new music coming out next year and I really cannot wait to share all those songs with you.
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Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
My next show will be at BBC Introducing Live weekend on October 31st and I will be supporting YEULE an amazing artist from Singapore on November 1st. This is it for the end of the year as I really want to focus on finishing and writing until next year which will be a big one release wise. They can expect a lot of new music next year and that os really something I am looking forward to as I have been quite secretive with the music I have already written. I wanted to perform a lot this year to be comfortable with my live set and set up.
If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Bjork would be a very intense artist to perform with – her live shows include so much new technology and such a new approach to live music it would be amazing to learn from her.
What’s next for you in 2019?
I have two more shows coming up – a lot of mixing and mastering in progress to finish songs from my debut EP – meaning a lot more of little secrets. I am also doing something quite cool to the mixtape that I put on Soundcloud in August and that should conclude the year for me. Also some writing … always. Going back home in France too for a little while to recharge the energy before next year which will take it all back. I am very excited about it.
Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
Being able to release more music and hopefully one day go on tour. I would love to travel and play music in different countries. Collaborating with artists is always something magical – like two universe colliding. Playing festivals – somewhere in the woods – it would be such a beautiful moment. I am also involved with a few music associations and collective which are trying to change the music industry by the way it works towards climate awareness and women in music. There is still so much to work for, for female artists and parity in the music industry in general. I truly think that arts are the best way to empower an idea and movement and engaging people to a cause.
What is the best thing about performing to a live audience?
The energy and the connection with people. It is something I never felt before. I feel emotionally bounded with people when I perform – a unity and strength. It is empowering.
Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Oh Inhuman Spectacle by Methyl Ethel
Artist – Grimes
Movie – Princess Monoke or anything by Guillermo Del Toro
Place to visit – Rivendell
Venue to play – Churches
Food – Fortune Cookies
Drink – Tea – I just feel like I am making potions every time
Person in History – Salem Witches
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I have a little moon on my pinky finger for promises
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Check out GEISTE below
geistemusic.com Facebook Twitter
Instagram Soundcloud Spotify
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Fresh off the back of her debut single “Ocean”, GEISTE steps out with her sophomore release, the uplifting and epic “Anthems”.
Starting at an early age, learning violin at 7 years old and subsequently picking up guitar, GEISTE began taking music seriously after becoming immersed in the Paris techno scene. It was then that her pop influences became fused with electronic sounds, resulting in a wholly unique style. She began to develop an electrifying live performance, gigging in such London institutions as E1, Cargo, and Underbelly in London, and The Electric and Prince Albert in Brighton.
Having spent time with a range of talented producers including Dan Carey (Sia, Tame Impala) and Two Inch Punch (Jessie Ware, Gorillaz), GEISTE has now established a signature sound, heavily inspired by experimental pop artists Bjork, Lorde, and Grimes, but with a unique flavour, and an emphasis on interesting production and themes of nature and self-empowerment. This musical journey has now culminated in her most accomplished single yet, “Anthems”.
The track begins with GEISTE’s soaring vocals as she sings out a call to action, before being joined by distant pianos and softly articulated synth pads. The track builds with glistening melodic decorations coming into the fray as organic percussion punctuates the hypnotic rhythms. As “Anthems” reaches a fever pitch, heavy drums build tension into the final section, creating a primal mood and bringing the track to an epic conclusion.
“Anthems is about femininity, self-empowerment and the power in nature. I want to remind myself how strong and powerful I can be when I forget sometimes. I want women to know how powerful they can be. That our words and work can remain through generations.”
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