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September 3, 2009

The goal was really to bring back the energy of pop from the 80s. I really love the vintage sound of the 80s and taking an old approach to songs. Little known groups were highly successful in underground and hip-hop from that time, and I tried to revive that. I was speaking of my emotions but in a way that reflected much of my personality. I did not have an easy life, an easy road.

 

It wasn’t difficult to write. When something tragic happens, you don’t always have time to mourn, especially when you are always on the run. It was really painful when John Webster had me listen to the final mix. I heard the tune, the lyrics, and that hurt. It was then that I could begin to mourn.

 

I’m always having battles. I find it very hard to believe that after successfully finding a record company, it’s still tough. The financial landscape is less than ideal right now in the music industry, whether it be making expenditures in the wrong place, or not really having money. If I had known, I would have made my disc myself. It’s very difficult for me to begin with, to put myself out there; I don’t have much confidence in myself. You make an album, and it has nothing to do with music and creation but mostly talks and negotiations. I do that all day, but what I love the most is to be behind the microphone, singing my heart out.

 

It’s not really deep. It’s just having fun with the English saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” But sometimes, you don’t have the option of getting out of the kitchen, you have to stay. So put in a fan! (Laughs). This is the general theme of the album, I think. Nothing was ever handed to me; I had to fight for my dream. In times like these, you hope to have running water (Florida water) (Laughs).

If you only knew how ordinary I find my voice! (Laughs). For me, an incredible voice is Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston...the big singers. I worship them, and I would never put myself in their category! I know that a lot of emotions come through in my voice. Perhaps that current flows and everything comes together. As for when I decided to become a singer...young. I wanted to be a ballerina. I danced with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, among others, but one day my knee gave out, and I had to find another outlet for my creativity. In my opinion, I’m not as good a singer as I am a dancer. I never thought I could sing, but a friend told me that I had to try. She gave me permission to believe that I could do it. I worked on my voice a lot, and I performed with the group the Couch Potatoes, which included an incredible wall of sound, amplified, with live musicians. If you don’t have solid pipes, we won’t hear you! That was when I really opened my “pipe.”

 

Actually, I’ve always been a serious artist! It was really strange on tour, because the guys would drink and go out, and I was always the one who stayed behind in the hotel room because I had a show the next day. When the tour and my career was in full swing, I was bored to death. When you’re an artist, there are a lot of days when you do nothing. Sometimes, it’s the other way around, when I don’t have time for play and for myself (that’s too bad because you should always know how to unwind in life). Interestingly enough, however, I’ve managed to reach a level where everything flows. It’s a small world. I’ve done consultations for people whom I’ve already known from my past, my present and my future, which, I hope, is being a singer. When I’m not talking about music, I’m talking about music law. I would not be able to survive without intellectualism and creativity. That is why I try to combine the two.

 

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Click here to listen to pieces from Florida Water.