9 minute read
TAYC // Interview
It's in a beautiful private hotel in the heart of Paris that we joined Tayc and his team to talk about music and especially about his first album Fleur Froide released last December. The man who captured the hearts of the French spoke to us in this unique setting about the importance of spreading his songs across the world to reach as many people as possible.
Originally from Marseille, the charismatic 24-yearold singer opened up to A Rap & A Cup Of Tea about his desire to do things right in the music industry and his willingness to always keep his audience happy. Considered one of the great figures of R'n'B in France, Tayc has managed to touch hearts with hits such as "N'y Pense Plus", "Promis Juré" and "Ewondo Ou Bami" feat. Manu Dibango.
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Eager to share the Afrolove to his community, the one who was nominated at the NRJ Music Award, highlights the inspiration of life in his songs. No doubt that this artist with a big heart will not fail to dazzle you.
You have become a real reference in France where everyone knows your name... Can we go back to the beginnings of your booming career?
In a nutshell, I'd say that I've been in the music business for about 5 years but I've only been living it for 2 years. Originally, I'm from Marseille and I moved to Paris in 2012 in a boarding school. There was a studio for young people there and it's like I got in without ever getting out.
Was it difficult to leave everything and come to Paris?
Yes it was... I was 17 years old and at that age, you hold on to a lot of things, like your friends, your city, your hood, etc. At first, it was hard and I was very angry at my mother. So basically, to explain what happened, I got kicked out of my high school 4 days before being back to school. My mother couldn't find any school to enroll me in and the only one that accepted me was in Paris, that's why I had to come here. For her, it was also an opportunity to get me out of the northern neighborhoods of Marseille where I was. Obviously, I wasn't happy with this decision, but in the end I know that she did it for my own good. If it wasn't for her decision, I wouldn't be where I am today.
I believe that your meeting with Barack Adama has changed your career...
Yes, totally. It was back in 2018 and I was working in a gym at the time. One day I get a message from him on Instagram saying "I need you on a track, I'm looking for a vocalist". At the time, I was trying to figure it out but it was still pretty bad, you know? So I sent a demo of the production I had received and while we were talking he asked me "By the way, which label are you with?". I answered that I was not signed anywhere and that I was doing this with friends with my own savings and he answered me "Tomorrow, my place at 8pm". (laughs) I went there with my brother and I signed with him right away. I'd actually had a lot of meetings with labels before, but I wasn't quite convinced with their pitch. They often tried to disguise the truth or misrepresent me to get me to make songs that were selling and not what I really wanted to do. Barack knew what to say to me: "You want R'n'B? We'll do R'n'B then".
When you started dealing with music industry professionals, you said that you quickly understood that R'n'B was no longer popular in France. Has this made you doubt yourself?
Yes I had a lot of doubts about what I was going to do... You also reach a moment in your life when you want to make it work and you want to earn money with your passion and you inevitably start doubting yourself when you see that it doesn't work as you want. When I went to clubs, I could see that the songs that were playing on a loop weren't at all what I was doing. At times I thought "I'm going to have to do what everyone else is doing".
Your nomination at the NRJ Music Awards must have been a great revenge?
That's true and it came at a good time. I had already defined myself artistically and what could be better than to show millions of people the result of all those years of work and reflection on myself? I knew what music I enjoyed making, what people liked about me etc. and this nomination was a great reward.
Have you been waiting for this nomination?
I must admit that we were not really prepared, because "N'y Pense Plus" is the first song that was in the playlist on NRJ. Being nominated with artists who are always in their playlists, I wasn't expecting it. Looking back, it's true that this song has caused so much craze... (laughs)
You often define your music as Afrolove. How would you describe it to an audience that doesn't know this concept yet?
For me it's a movement, a way of thinking and doing things. Originally, it was a musical genre that brought together jazz, soul, etc. with R'n'B. Over time, we developed it as a genuine way of being. We sincerely want to spread Afrolove to our community and to the people who follow us.
In this album, you address very different and diverse themes such as "J'ai Mal" [where the protagonist's girlfriend sees his wife leave for another woman] "Baby Papa" [where the protagonist loses custody of his children] or even "Vous Deux" [where the protagonist wishes a sincere happiness to his ex who's involved in a new relationship with another man]. What inspired all these different stories?
It's a bit of a cliché to say this, but I think there's no greater inspiration than life itself... I get a lot of inspiration from conversations I have with my friends where they tell me what's going on in their lives and I back that up with fiction sometimes. It's kind of a puzzle where you put different stories together. In some cases, I can also totally talk about my life experiences like "Comme Toi" which is not fictional at all as everything I spoke about there, I actually lived it.
By combining reality and fiction, do you feel that your audience really knows who you are?
I think so, my audience knows parts of my personality. They can see that I'm a sensitive person and someone who loves to love and be loved. 99% of my songs are about love and there's no denying it I think. (laughs) However, I think that my audience knows me better from my social networks than from my songs.
Actually, you're indeed present for your fans on social networks, either by creating content for them, or by sharing their videos in your story. Is it important to be present like that for your community?
You know, I was talking to some of my friends not too long ago and we realized that now things are changing and people know a lot about the music industry. Whether it's your salary, how the royalties are distributed etc., so I think it's important to be as transparent as possible on social networks. And most importantly, to get them as involved as possible in your career. If you scroll through your favorite artist's story and you just see their lifestyle that's cool. But if you know that you can find yourself at any time in his story, it makes it even better, you know what I mean? I'd have loved to see that from the artists I liked, seeing myself in Chris Brown's story would have been awesome! (laughs)
Through everything you show about yourself, we feel all the love you have for music...
It's true that I'm a music lover. I let myself be guided by my emotions. I rarely go to the studio with a "concept" in mind. I usually go with the flow of the chords. Sometimes I come in with a particular mood and I say to myself "Oh it would be cool to talk about that" and in the end when I hear 3 chords that are totally different from my actual mood, I might talk about something totally different. The melody can completely change my mood for the day or for the week. (laughs)
Does that mean that before making your album, you didn't have any specific guidelines?
No, I didn't. I just knew I wanted to call it Fleur Froide (Cold Flower). The word "Fleur" to describe the woman and "Froide" to show what she has become as a result of all her sufferings.
I see that you often talk about women, but are you aware that you've become somewhat of a spokesperson for men?
Mm, not really a spokesperson, but I'm aware that a growing number of men are listening to my music. I recently realized that during an interview where I received 18 questions from fans and out of the 18 there were only 3 girls, I was like "Wow!". Also recently during my concerts in Cameroon, I saw that on the front of the stage, there were many men. It's in these moments where I realize that men are more and more present in my community. I believe that I sing about things that men can't necessarily say or would like to say. I don't talk about perfect love in my songs. It's important to show that sometimes not everything in love happens the way it should.
What would be your dream featuring?
I have two different perspectives. For my career I think it would be incredible to do a feat with an artist like Mylène Farmer for example. In urban music, we all know each other, rappers and singers, and it's easier to collaborate with each other, but an urban singer who collaborates with a legendary French singer isn't something that happens often. For the recognition that it represents, I would be proud of this collaboration. But for a personal kick, I'd say Drake or WizKid because I'm an artist in tune with his time and they are important artists at the moment.
I also know that you spend quite some time in London...
Would you be interested in collaborating with artists from here? Yes, totally! I was talking with RG but unfortunately the track didn't happen... If you want a real scoop, Jorja Smith was supposed to be on the track "Qui"... Due to scheduling issues it didn't happen but who knows what the future holds?
Instagram: TaycOfficiel
