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In the current music industry where radios, TV and streaming are the big players deciding to spread the word about an artist (or not), it becomes more and more difficult for a lambda artist to get his music heard if he doesn’t fit some kind of criterias. It takes time, it takes patience, talent but above all it takes a lot of hard work. At On The Move Magazine, we give a particular attention to talent no matter where you come from, your musical genre, the amount of followers/views/fans you have got. We don’t talk quantity, we talk quality. We talk quality because we love music with the big M. We carefully choose the artists you’ll discover in this magazine to introduce you to «la crème de la crème». You’ll find big names, you’ll find unknown names. You’ll love what you’ll listen to, maybe you will hate it but at least, you’ll give our artists a chance. Because at the end of the day, every success story began with a chance given. ‘‘
Pamela Charbit founder of On The Move
EDITORIAL
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REWIND
On The Move Magazine : Celebrating one year
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The best albums of January 32
44 Craig David, Dermot Kennedy and Paramore Are they worth seeing live ?
INTERVIEW
Jacob Banks, music for and from
the soul
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ZOOM ON
H.E.R., Pale Waves and Lewis Capaldi
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SUMMARY COVER STORY
Dermot Kennedy, from
busking to European scenes
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INTERVIEW
Tom Walker, humility and pure talent
49 What’s next ? The shows not to miss What’s Up In France ? 50 OTM Mag : Meeting the team 53
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REWIN CELEBRATING ONE YEAR
11 ISSUES
#FEBRUARY2018
22 SHOWS
41 INTERVIEWS LIAM PAYNE
TASH SULTANA It is something to see Tash Sultana live, it is another to be a part of her audience in her home country. Last June, we were lucky enough to be at one of her two sold-out shows in Sydney and trust us, we won’t forget her passionate and organic performance anytime soon.
From his past in a band that will remain as a phenomenon in pop history to a successful road opening ahead... Liam Payne told us it all, confessing «the most difficult part of being a solo artist is to figure out who you are first». An honest talk to read on our issue #7 !
21 PHOTOSHOOTS LOIC NOTTET The Belgian sensation Loic Nottet offered us a bit of his time last April, for an unforgettable interview and photoshoot. And the result was just what we expected : grace in his behavior, honesty in his words. Find him on our issue #3!
82 ALBUMS « DAMN. » In 2017, the «best rapper in the world» hit again! Kendrick Lamar’s fourth album is full of furious rhymes and expensive beats, offering what feels like hip-hop’s first Trump-era classic. Now two times platinum in the US, this is one record to go down in history.
27 REVELATIONS JORJA SMITH She is only 20 and already compared to Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse both for her ability to master singing and rap and the maturity of her intimist lyrics. She just won the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award for 2018 and her debut album is on the way... Guess we were right to introduce her!
7 COUNTRIES From the United States to Australia and through several European countries, the On The Move team travelled the world to bring you the best interviews, photoshoots or live reports in order for you to open your eyes and -most importantly- your ears to great, international music... We hope for even more of it in 2018! Stay tuned!
43 FRENCHIES THERAPIE TAXI Wait for a kick in the a##... Refreshing and terribly catchy, Adélaïde, Raphaël and Renaud‘s soundscape is frantic and mesmerizing. Lyrically, they arise as a mirror of today’s youth : disillusioned perhaps, but with burning desires and no taboos. Their debut LP «Hit Sale» is now out!
#THANKYOU 7
JACOB BANKS Born in Nigeria, British artist Jacob Banks wasn’t exactly planning to go professional, until his family and friends pushed him towards the light. And we thank them for that ! After taking a step in different genres of arts and sports, the 26 year-old singer-songwriter eventually found in music everything he needed to express the experiences that shaped him -from happy to painful. Through his EPs « The Monologue » (2013) and « The Paradox » (2015) until the dazzling « The Boy Who Cried Freedom » (2017), Jacob Banks tells his story with a roughness in the voice and a delicacy on the pen. The same contrast defining his personality : uncomprising and elegant.
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n The Move : Hi Jacob ! Thanks for having us ! You’ve been writing for quite a long time, through poetry but you took the plunge in music relatively recently. What triggered this step ? Jacob Banks : I specifically heard a John Mayer album called «Continuum» and I’ve always loved music among a lot of different things I’ve done. I played basketball a lot, I was a dancer for a bit. Music has always been a part of my life but I never really wanted to be a part of it. I just enjoyed listening but after listening to that John Mayer album, I just really wanted to be able to sing something to someone the way he sang it. So, I bought a guitar and I played and I just kept singing the songs that I loved. And after a while, naturally, I just wanted to write my own songs just to see. I made music for like a year without really wanting to be an artist, just to sing to myself. I just enjoyed having a way to finally express myself. I was like 21 and I had so much to say to myself. It made me okay with being alone. I was okay just being in my room with my guitar, it was really nice.
« Music has always been a part of my life but I never really wanted to be a part of it » On The Move : So, going for music didn’t have anything to do with the need to share your experiences and emotions with others ? Because it somehow reaches a wider audience than poetry... Jacob Banks : Even when I wrote poetry, I wrote it for myself, not really to share it. When I started, it was genuinely just for me. I honestly started to perform because my friends made me to. I was more than happy just to do it for myself, my friends were the ones pushing me to do it professionally. And going towards music, I just used the words I used to wrote as poems, stole some other people’s melodies and it all worked. On The Move : And now, do you still approach a track through words or through melodies ? Jacob Banks : Ninety percent of the time, it’s melodies first but as soon as I hit a melody, I hit the words as well. They come almost at the same time. Melodies are maybe just a little bit quicker but once I hear the melody, I hear the words because to me, writing songs feels more like remembering something. I don’t feel
like I’m creating from thin air, I feel like when I play the music, it triggers something like a memory, a projection of my mind. It’s just there and it keeps speaking and speaking and speaking until it makes sense. That’s always very personal. I’ve had to have been there to write about it. It could be a story that someone has told me but in one way or another, I’d have to have been there, to feel. When I hear something, I think about what colour the music is, what it makes me feel, what it reminds me of. When you hear a song that you love, and then you hear it again like three years after, you can say what the room smelled like. It’s like that when I hear music, it reminds me of something. It just triggers something that has happened before. I think musicians don’t forget anything. Everything is just hidden away inconciously and when music comes along, that comes forward. That’s kind of how it happens to me really. On The Move : Though we believe you lived in Nigeria only in your youngest years, do you feel like the Nigerian culture influences your sound in any way ? Jacob Banks : Culturally, we are proud people but in the sense of : «Make sure whatever you say makes sense. Make sure that’s actually something that you’re proud of.» So, I think the culture influences me in the respect of what I choose to talk about. I can’t just say any random shit because I know my mom is gonna listen (laughs) So pull me up on it if I’m talking rubbish. The Nigerian culture influences me in this way, don’t ruin your family’s name type of stuff. So, I will always make sure I’m talking about something that’s true, that’s meaningful. On The Move : We read in another interview that you define yourself as a storyteller. You also do that very much through your visuals. So what relation do you establish between visuals and music ? Jacob Banks : One of my earliest memories of music was listening to music on VHS tapes, on Disney. So, music and visuals are very much the same thing for me. When I grew up, there was MTV and you always watched the music as opposed to listen to it. Plus, I think when I started out, no one would direct my video so I just ended up doing it myself. And I think music is driven by perspectives so I could write a song about one thing and you could hear it in ten different ways. When I make my videos, I like to show people a different way to hear it. You might think the song is about one thing but... Music is such a wonderful thing because you can pour a thousand emotions into one song. But when the video, it’s like I’m arriving with another one :
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what about this? You know, just to fuck with people. It is another way to hear the song. Songs can mean so much. It’s good to really pull out every possible option for a song and allow that song to live in many different worlds. On The Move : Can you tell us a bit more about the process of making these videos? Do you always team up with the same people? Jacob Banks : I just do it with my friends, actually. A friend of mine called Anthony Williams. That’s just me, him and we just make it work. The music videos come to me pretty much while I’m writing the song. I am a very visual person. I feel like music should be seen, not heard. While I am writing, I am already like «I could see the scene» etc. Sometimes, I pull up like a scene from a movie, from an ad, and I always kind of write from the visuals. I feel the whole thing. Once I’ve had that down, once I am happy with a song, we just make a video.
« I AM A VERY VISUAL PERSON. I feel like music should be seen, not heard »
super inspired by his passion, how committed he is to everything, every role. The power of his performances. He truly embodies these roles. I apply that to music because for me , people always say «Wow, you can sing!» but I think singing is not a skill. Delivery is. I think there is a lot of people that can sing but not so many can sing so that, when people hear, they believe in you. It’s different from being able to sing. Leo is a great actor, and there are so many great actors, but every film I see with Leonardo, I believe that he is not Leo. He is whoever he is saying he is at that time. I think there is a lot you can learn from that. On The Move : At the beginning of your career, you performed quite a lot in bars and small venues. What did you learn from these experiences, when the public isn’t necessarily yours ? Jacob Banks : I learned that «Less is more». People are just trying to find something to connect to. They don’t really want all the fancy stuff. Every now and then, they can. But at the base of everything, everyone is just trying to escape. Music is an escape. They try to find a little bit of themselves in you and they’re hoping you can remind them of something. I always try to create an atmosphere where it is just you and me, you know. Two old friends, sharing music over a drink.
On The Move : Among your influences are Kanye West, John Mayer or d’Angelo but do you get inspired by other forms of art ?
On The Move : You said before that the voice wasn’t necessarily the most important thing for you but still through time and EPs, your voice have evolved impressively. How did you work on it?
Jacob Banks : I love animators. I love poets a lot. Poets are my biggest inspiration. A guy called Anis Mojgani. Miles Hodges also. He is another massive one. I love Leonardo Di Caprio. He’s my favourite actor. I am
Jacob Banks : I think it is mostly repetition. If you do anything long enough, you should get better, I hope. I think I just understood my voice more. I just got older also. I went through so much bullshit. I think I focus
Capture of the very cinematic video of «Unholy War» written by Jacob Banks with director Cody Laplant, 2017
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on different things as time went on. I think over the last couple of years, I really focused on delivery. More like I record, record, record over and over again until I believe me. Because I know if I believe it. Then most people will. Until I believe me. If I don’t believe what I say or, if I don’t say it with enough conviction… it won’t work. I was just taught a lot, I think, that the only way to get better is just to do. You learn quicker just performing, surrounding yourself with musicians who are better than you. I don’t know, I just kind of threw myself at the wind and I just kept going. On The Move : That’s why you re-recorded “Unknown” for your latest EP? Jacob Banks : Yes, very much. Because I played “Unknown” for like two years after the first version and everytime I played it, I just liked what it sounded like live. I was in a different label at the time and I asked if I could re-record it but everyone was like “I don’t know, this version is fine.” I felt like I was holding back. I just wanted to not hold back anymore.
« If someone is telling the truth and it comes from passion, it automatically has soul IN IT »
as funky or musically enclined as “The Boy Who Cried Freedom” it is just honest, honest shit. Talking about how fucked up things have happened. And also all the wonderful things that have happened. What I love about that phrase : “It takes a village to raise a child” is that it doesn’t say “It takes a good village”, it doesn’t say “It takes a bad village”, it just says “a village”. So it’s everything . It celebrates all the things that have happened and I can’t wait. It’s different again. I always try to be different because I don’t believe in doing the same thing twice. But I can’t wait to share it ! On The Move : In an interview we made with Alex Who? [on On The Move Magazine - October 2017], she said there was only two types of music to her : soul music and money music. We think that applies a lot to your philosophy. What do you think about it? Jacob Banks : People always make the mistake to think “soul music” is a genre but it’s not. There is no soul as genre of music. Soul is the truth. Soul isn’t quantified to singers you can have. Kanye West ‘s “The College Dropout” was a soul album. If someone is telling the truth, and it comes from passion, it automatically has soul in it. It doesn’t necessarily mean the person has to sing a particular way or have a particular sound. For me, soul means telling the truth... or not.
INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE PHOTOS BY JOHNNY FONSECA
On The Move : There is also a remix by Timbaland. How did that happen ? Jacob Banks : It was very simple and natural. He just reached out to me actually. He said he loved the song and wanted to do a remix. And I was like : “Okay” (laughs) On The Move : And do you have any dream collab ? Jacob Banks : I’d love to work with Kanye West ! On The Move : What can we expect from your upcoming album ? Is it called “Village”, so does it have anything to do with coming back to some kind of roots ? Jacob Banks : It is based on a quote that says “It takes a village to raise a child”. I am just really pulling on all the sides of me, I love many things, many genres of music, and I just wanted to use as many things as possible that make me me. Good, bad, dark, ugly… It is very honest. It is not
Jacob Banks’ third EP «The Boy Who Cried Freedom», April 2017
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ZOOM ON... With the power of the internet and social media, aspiring musicians have now a powerful platform between their hands to create music and make themselves heard. And, the public, on the other side, is one click away from discovering an infinity of talented young artists... Each month, the team of On The Move chooses some of them to showcase and bet on their careers, bound to take off in the near future !
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H.E.R.
The new little princess of soul
If you were looking for a new female singer to fall in love with, H.E.R is the girl you need in your life (and playlists). She is the new Soul/R&B hurricane that is going to steal you heart and it’s time for us to introducer her properly. You’ve been warned. Get ready to be swept off your feet. Gabriella Wilson, known under the acronym of H.E.R (Having Everything Revealed) is set to become one of the best female artists in soul music this year. Her debut EP H.E.R released in September 2016 through RCA Records made a big impression and made iTunes’ Best Of 2016 R&B/ Soul Album list. The track «Losing» got a fair amount of love by making the Itunes Best R&B/Soul Singles list and the music video has been viewed over 7 million times on Youtube. Not bad for this new 20 year old singer and this great beginning is totally well deserved. How can anyone not be touched by the emotions and passion you can hear in her voice? Since 2016 H.E.R released two other projects: H.E.R and H.E.R Vol2 which are basically our favorite records to listen to at the moment. If her music is getting more and more attention from superstars like Usher, Alicia Keys, Pusha T and Rihanna and from the media and fans all around the world, her identity kind of remains a secret as she prefers to be anonymous and be only represented by her music. «The mystery is a metaphor for who I am, or who I was at the time of creating the project...I feel like oftentimes we don’t like to be open as people about our emotions or things that we are going through. At the time [of recording], I was very closed off except for when I was writing or when I was in the studio» This approach to music is not uncommon nowadays as we remember The Weeknd released his trilogy of mixtapes and did it as an anonymous persona while keeping his identity hidden and avoiding interviews until he could no longer hide. We also remember DVSN and their debut album «Sept 5th» where we had no information about the duo. The biggest example is Sia who, despite the fame, still hides her face wherever she goes.
However, the mystery is (almost) solved as H.E.R posted a cover of «Jungle» by Drake under the name of Gabi Wilson, which is an identical version of the cover included in her album. The singer didn’t confirm nor denied but she hopes that people will listen to what she’s got to say. «I want it to be about the music — its honesty and realness. Everything is true to me. I want women to really feel how honest and vulnerable I am and to understand that they are not alone and that these are all human emotions,» she said. «I’ll reveal who I am in due time.» After going on tour with Bryson Tiller for his Set It Off tour, H.E.R embarked on her own «Light On Tour» and played many shows in the US, all sold out. However, she is ready to invade Europe as she will be playing in the UK, France, Germany and Holland in march. Watch out for her and thank us later.
Listen if you are a fan ofSoul/R&B in general and especially if you love artists like Kehlani, SZA, Tinashe or even Brandy. Solid R&B batch of female artists here!
One song to listen toAlthough the whole project is worth listening over and over again, «Losing» has the vibe you need if you really want to get in H.E.R. The soulful voice mixed with the smooth vibe will make this you swoon.
WordS by PAM CHARBIT PHOTO : Timothy Saccenti FOR INTERVIEW MAGAZINE
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PALE WAVES
AUTHENTIC DARK POP
Do not be fooled by their appearance, Pale Waves is nothing like a metal band with unpredictable rhythms and violent guitar riffs that make go you crazy without warning. And yet, power is one of the characteristics of this quartet coming straight from Manchester in the United Kingdom. It all started in 2014, when Heather Baron-Gracie (vocals, guitar) and Ciara Doran (drums) met at the university. The two young women, who could be related to Robert Smith (The Cure) as the influence is obvious, are on the same page and compose together in their student rooms. The following year, Charlie Wood and Hugo Silvani join them respectively on the bass and the guitar: the beginning of a great adventure. « I love how people don’t know everything about us, they’re still trying to add things up in their brain. Trying to make sense of us. I love how people are so confused by our image and our music, and how [they] work together. It baffles me that people don’t get it still. But I like it! » Everything went remarkably fast for the pop quartet, which posted its first demos in 2015 and quickly attracted the attention of the label Dirty Hit. You may not be familiar with this label but it turn out to be The 1975’s record label as well. Coïncidence? Lucky star? In any case, the paths of Pale Waves and The 1975, two bands with similar sonorities yet unique identities, which get along musically, cross for the best. And we understand now why Matty Healy (singer of The 1975) took them under his wing! He also co-produced «There’s a Honey» and «Television Romance», Pale Waves’ first studio singles released in early 2017. Only two months later, the young quartet flew to the US as the support act for The 1975, which included a stop at the legendary Madison Square Garden. And that’s not all since their new mentor Matty Healy also directed the visual for «Television Romance», nominated in the category «Best Video» at the NME Awards 2018. Such a dazzling success in a very short time! « I feel like, especially young people, they go through a lot of situations like that because you try to figure yourself out who it is you want to be - and I’m still trying to figure myself out. I confuse myself sometimes, so I feel like a lot of people can relate and find ease with someone else saying it. » Their success is mainly due to a unique composition that exudes experience and truth. The songs composed by
Pale Waves could be the soundtrack of anyone’s life in a transitional period of their existence. And that’s what makes it such an authentic group that provokes raw emotions. From teenage dramas to the loss of a loved one, or even social anxiety, the band claims an honest and confessional lyricism against a backdrop of 80s dark pop with swirling guitar and ambitious synths, without being kitschy. Their first ever single «Television Romance» talks about a non-reciprocal attraction and the pressure it exerts while «There’s A Honey» expresses the doubt of the investment of a person who keeps creating problems in their relationship. «My Obsession» is a touching and melancholic love anthem that shows us what Pale Waves knows best: a sparkling pop and terribly catchy choruses while melodies explode from nowhere. To date, «There’s A Honey», «Television Romance» and «New Year’s Eve» have more than 10 million streams all together and contribute to the deserved fifth place the band has made itself in the renowned list of the BBC «Music Sound of 2018». The crucial stage of a first album is taking shape little by little, and should end before the end of the year. In the meantime, Pale Waves will release a first EP titled «All The Things I Never Said» to be released on March 16th, which will include «New Year’s Eve», «My Obsession» and two reworked demos. 2018 is the new 80’s and Pale Waves will shake up the world of pop this year by becoming one of the biggest bands of this generation. Be sure of it!
Listen if you are a fan ofThe 1975 obviously! But not exclusively. We can think of The Cure or Chvrches more recently.
One song to listen to« « My Obsession » if you want to be mesmerized by ethereal vocals combined to captivating melodies.
WordS by LUDIVINE DESUMEUR PHOTO : Phil Smithies for DIY
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LEWIS CAPALDI
ON THE WAY TO YOUR HEART
The 21 year-old Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is about to break into the music industry, before you can even finish reading this. With a raspy voice like no other, and a powerful tone to break the glass, he is the next one on your 2018 playlist of «most-listened artists». The young artist started playing the guitar at age 9 back home in Scotland, in a small town named Whitburn. He also began writing his own songs at 11, which led him to perform in pubs at only 12. « My parents introduced me to stuff like Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Elvis and Queen at a really young age, we used to drive to France to go on holiday and those four would always be on repeat, so that got things off to a good start I suppose! » It is later, in 2017, that Lewis got the recognition he long deserved when he self-released his first single «Bruises». The nostalgic track proves Capaldi’s talent as much in the powerful lyrics as in his deep and enchanting voice, giving you goosebumps. Added to the magic of the internet, the singer soon reached almost 28 million plays on Spotify all over the world. He then became the quickest unsigned artist to reach 25 million plays on the platform. Magic worked straight away, and Lewis got signed to Capitol Records and Virgin Records. While catching the attention of those famous labels, he also got the recognition of his musician peers, a certain Niall Horan sharing his excitement about Capaldi on Twitter through a Live video of Lewis with the caption «huge fan of this man». No doubt Lewis is on his way to success the way Niall is with his solo project. Last November, Capaldi was the support act for Rag’n’Bone Man for his European Tour, then made his way to Milky Chance support act for their American Tour this January. He sold out his own UK Tour last December, and is currently getting ready for his second one this month, extended it to European countries like Hungary, Germany and Belgium. If you are around, hurry up getting your tickets... Lewis Capaldi is definitely trying to get even more recognized as he deserves it (and he is killing it, to be honest!) and starting the year 2018 like a real artist and big name of the industry.
His first EP titled «Bloom» was released in November 2017, with four powerful tracks : «Fade», co-written with the Grammy Award winner Malay, that will make you shiver (and maybe even cry) ; his first ever released track «Bruises» in which you will drown and crawl under your emotions, so much you can feel the pain put into the song, and (maybe) relate to the lyrics ; «Mercy» that will either comfort you a little bit, as the back melody is a little bit more moving, or maybe get you even more to sing under the rain and cry while thinking about your whole life. Last but not least, the track «Lost On You» will leave you breathless. « I feel like I’ll always try to write from personal experiences and that’s probably when I write the best tunes, but for me I find it really hard to write about something as it’s happening to me. […] Most of my songs are written in retrospect.» Lewis Capaldi has been recognised as «Artists to Watch in 2018», and definitely should be. Last year, he has been nominated for the Best Acoustic Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, and for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Scottish Music Awards, and won both of the Awards. What will 2018 bring for him on a worldwide scale ? Only time can tell...
Listen if you are a fan of-
Luke Friend, whose raspy and powerful voice instantly comes back to mind when you first listen to Lewis Capaldi. Sam Smith or James Arthur, maybe even Adele when it comes to deep lyrics and Harry Styles, for the amazing vocals.
One song to listen to«Mercy». We always love a good nostalgic/sad song to think your whole life again, but it is even more powerful with a little bit of moving melody added to it. Try in live, you won’t regret it !
WordS by ESTELLE ALAIS PHOTO : ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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DERMOT KENNEDY A few years back, we could have easily thought Dermot Kennedy was going to follow the path of another folk wizard. But 2017 -and the release of his EP « Doves & Ravens » and single « Moments Passed »- marked a turning point. The Irish artist demonstrated his ability to blur the lines with hybrid melodies. There’s hip-hop, folk, electro, rock in Dermot Kennedy’s music and also a constant and striking fever in his voice. From his busker debut to the soon-to-be-realized dream of a sold-out Dublin Olympia, Dermot Kennedy tells us all about his promising musical journey.
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n The Move : Hi Dermot ! Thanks for being here with us today. For our readers to get to know you a bit more, can you tell us more about one of your first memories of music? Dermot Kennedy : One of my first memories of music, well the very first one actually, was probably seeing my cousin play a Thin Lizzy’s song at a party, just on an old crappy guitar. It made me buy a guitar a few days later so it was definitely a really important and defining moment for me. On The Move : You made your debuts on the streets, as a busker or also in open mics. Pretty formative to start, right ? Dermot Kennedy : Yeah, it’s funny, it’s true actually because open mics and busking are very similar in a lot of ways. You can have to win the street as you have to win the room so I think it helps you vocally, to get louder. These days, a lot of my songs in my set are like loud songs. I think it might come from what I did on the street to win the attention. So definitely, it pushes you. It also means you’re not too kind of sensitive or too afraid to open yourself out there. I think it helped you that way.
« it made me a better musician to have been on a band » On The Move : In your college years, you formed a band with one of your classmates. So you had an experience in a formation before going solo. Which position suits you best? What are the good and bad aspects of both?
Dermot Kennedy : One thing I was doing when I was in L.A. or London is that I went a lot to the cinema. For someone who’s trying to write music, with imagery in it, with a visual side to it, this is really important. A part from that, I try to be influenced by the people around me in everyday life and it has become more and more important because I’m at home less and less. I remember hearing somebody talk about comedians and that they become obsessed with stations, airports, airplanes and stuff like that because they are just used to these places in every day life. It’s about kind of holding on to that. And yeah, when I have time, I might go to the cinema and take something in you know. On The Move : You’re talking about being less and less at home; in Ireland. Is there anything Irish in Dermot Kennedy’s sound ? Dermot Kennedy : Maybe... I think probably just through the fact that Glen Hansard is Irish. In the early years of me writing songs, I was hugely into him. I think he embodies the Irish song-writer to the core. So, that’s probably how it happened. I can’t necessarily say that being Irish makes me sound this way or that but, as a songwriter, it definitely shaped me through him. On The Move : Could you describe the sound of «Doves and Ravens» for someone who would have not heard it yet? Dermot Kennedy : I would maybe say it’s an EP by somebody who found music through songwriters and then somebody who listened to hip-hop pretty much all the time. And that is starting to mess around with all of that a little bit. But not going too far ! On The Move : Your sound is very hybrid indeed.
Dermot Kennedy : Actually this guy I met in college, he is still with us now, he plays the drums ! There are tons of good things about being solo or in a band. In a band, you’re with your friends all the time, you try music together, you create together, and that’s beautiful. And when you’re solo, everything you do is on your own. I was in L.A. for three weeks before Christmas. I was alone, and even if you can get lonely, creatively you get to do whatever you wanna do and that’s what I like ! But it absolutely made me a better musician to have been on a band, with people who are for sure, better musicians than me.
Dermot Kennedy : Yeah, for now, let’s say... (laughs)
On The Move : You are inspired by the organic sound of Glen Hansard or by the density of Kanye West. But what are your main inspirations outside of music?
On The Move : Is it this nostalgia, or feelings overall, that are the triggering elements of your creation process?
On The Move : And there is also a certain nostalgia running though it... Dermot Kennedy : I think that’s actually the perfect word. I think nostalgia kind of runs through all of my songs. Whether it’s like being nostalgic about childhood or previous relationships with friends or someone you were in love with before. It’s all nostalgic and it’s all that kind of feeling. And people can relate to most of that stuff.
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Dermot Kennedy : These days, it’s generally music. Well actually, it’s always the music. I start with it and it can kind of make me feel a certain way, think certain things or make me want to follow a certain subject. That’s really important to me, taking music to a good place so I can write really easier. On The Move : You were saying previously that you try to juggle with the influences of songwriters as well as urban ones. Nowadays, many artists are questioning the notion of genres considering it is more and more obsolete somehow. What is your opinion on that? Dermot Kennedy : When somebody is good, he carries some values and principles he shares with his audience. That why I’m a huge fan of Kanye West and Bon Iver because I feel like they are so similar in certain ways. I get that certain music fits in a certain genre but... before Christmas, I was in a studio with Mike Dean - Kanye West’s producer- and that sounds crazy because I only write songs on my guitar but it worked because we both kind of feel the same way about music and we both have a similar sort of process. We like similar things so I think these are the stuff that runs, that everybody share and that can be more powerful that strictly ranking music through genres.
« nostalgia runs through all of my songs » On The Move : Last december, you unveiled your first music video, for «Moments Passed» that Nabil Elderkin (Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Kanye West) directed. Is building a visual universe around your music important to you ? Dermot Kennedy : For now, it’s music and this is what I gotta do in ways that I can sort of fulfill other things next. But we had the opportunity of doing this video and it was really special. I wanna go further into it, also in the sense of having videos on stage. You see so many acts playing gigs and they don’t have videos playing or stuff going on. But if you’re singing to someone and you try to make them feel something, you got these extra tools that can help you. So that’s hugely important to me. This is all really exciting. I just want everything I do visually to be really really great. I’m not talking about trying to make a movie or anything right now but I just think that if I’m trying to make people see things, feel things, I’d I’m trying to remember things , it makes it
a lot easier when you’ve got those things behind you. We’re in a very visual society after all. On The Move : What is the quality you value the most in an artist ? Dermot Kennedy : I don’t wanna say something that would sound a cliché or anything but still, passion or integrity. Like we were saying, there are so many genres that are blending now and people are not necessarily separating them anymore so they are trying different things and in all of it, you gotta be yourself, more than ever ! So probably integrity yeah. On The Move : What can we wish you for this new year ? Any achievement you want to fulfill ? Dermot Kennedy : Well that’s funny because when I met my manager the first time, they kinda asked me what was the dream I’d like to pursue and that was to play the Olympia in Dublin and that’s like in a few weeks now. So we’re doing that! And I actually hadn’t thought that far ahead (laughs) I wasn’t even worried about when it would happen like whenever. But now it’s happening in a few weeks! So I need a new goal (laughs) On The Move : What can we expect from your shows? Dermot Kennedy : It will be a bit more intense that you might expect from someone that was just busking on the street two years ago. It’s not just acoustic stuff, it’s bigger than that. But it still exists within it. I hope you like it!
INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE PHOTOS BY PAOLA LEONARDIS FOR ON THE MOVE
Dermot Kennedy’s EP «Doves & Ravens», April 2017
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OUR BEST ALBUMS
OF JANUARY Every week of the year, a bunch of records are thrown into the world, portraying the singular influences, universe and sound of artists. Do you get lost in the numerous releases ? On The Move Mag is here to help. This month, as always, we opened our ears and dived into what matters most : music ! Whatever genre suits you, you’ll find something new to discover... Here are our favourite albums released in January.
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Two years after “Limitless” which didn’t receive overwhelming support, the Australians of Tonight Alive made their comeback and released their most awaited yet dreaded record. However, from the first notes, “Underworld” sounds way more authentic than its predecessor. “Temple”, “Crack My Heart” and “Disappear” (featuring Lynn Gunn from PVRIS), all released as singles, gave an exciting foretaste of the personal lyricism, heady guitar riffs and neat production that make “Underworld” promising. While being quite predictable, Tonight Alive keeps its recognizable and unique soundscape. Jenna McDougall’s vocals is remarkable, namely in “Looking for Heaven”, a beautiful and powerful piano ballad. “Underworld” definitely has potential, even more on stage, which we are looking forward to hearing soon hopefully!
Top 3 tracks : Temple, Disappear, Waiting For The End
Tonight Alive – Underworld
The Scottish band The Xcerts has finally found its musical path with its newest and best album “Hold On To Your Heart”. Although coming from a dark place, the record highlights general themes like life, love and optimism and puts deep emphasis on the meaning of these words. Musically speaking, the trio want to show people that they’re worth more than the pain they’re going through. Expect catchy choruses, timeless melodies, brilliant guitar riffs as well as a touch of rock from the 80s. From piano ballads, to pure energetic anthems and even some surprising saxophone in the well-mastered track “Drive Me Wild”, The Xcerts never fails to amaze and go beyond their limits. With “Hold On To Your Heart” in its entirety, we feel like celebrating love and life under every circumstance and that’s what it’s about in 2018!
Top 3 tracks : Hold On To Your Heart, Drive Me Wild, Feels Like Falling In Love,
The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart Just over a year ago, Camila Cabello left the successful girlband Fifth Harmony to follow her own musical path. Originally announced last May and given the title «The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving.» the album was finally released in late January and refashioned in the wake of the success of the lead single «Havana». Salsa infected, pop infused and incredibly diverse and good, «Camila» is a collection of the singer’s inspirations and talent. While «Real Friends» and «All These Years» are soft with an acoustic vibe, «She Loves Control» is a bold statement from a young rising star, who dreamed of independence for half a decade. As a whole, this first album carries a bright and powerful pop, and we can’t wait to hear more of it!
Top 3 tracks : Havana, Never Be The Same, All These Years
Camila Cabello - Camila
Three years. It’s been three years since Fall Out Boy released an album, but finally, this year they made a comeback with «M A N I A». New image, mystic atmosphere, mysterious llamas and brand new sound, the Chicago band is slowly drifting away from its emo/pop-punk roots to venture into a more rock’n’roll sound mixed with some EDM vibes, as heard on the first single «Young and Menace». From R’n’B vibes on «Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)» to the Spanish inspired «HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T», Fall Out Boy went for more diversity on this album and basically tried their hand at everything this time. Whether you like it or miss their old sound, trust us, «M A N I A» is worth a listen! The more you’ll hear it, the more you’ll love it.
Top 3 tracks : Bishop Knife Trick, Champion, Hold Me Tight Or Don’t
Fall Out Boy - M A N I A
Five years after appearing in our musical landscape and conquering the world with their jungle pop and overflowing originality, the UFO Django Django makes a brilliant comeback with “Marble Skies”, third album of the quartet’s discography. It is seen as the logical follow-up of the first album with unpredictable synths, electronic flavors and tribal rhythms. This rich mixture gives birth to transcending songs like “Tic Tac Toe” or “Real Gone” which would have even more potential on stage. Django Django also succeeds to deliver a sober track with “Surface To Air” while paradoxically offering their most danceable and euphoric track thanks to dancehall influences perfectly accompanied by a feminine voice. “Marble Skies” is a good example of the band’s ambition and inventiveness which create their unique soundscape since 2009.
Top 3 tracks : Surface To Air, Tic Tac Toe, Beam Me Up
Django Django – Marble Skies
Craig David has been teasing this new album for a while and the time is now! After making a huge come back in the UK in 2016 with a brand new album named «Following My Intuition», the British R&B veteran has multiplied the collaborations including «I Know You» with Bastille frontman Dan Smith but also «Live In The Moment» with Goldlink or «Somebody Like Me» with AJ Tracey. If «Following My Intuition» was really EDM oriented, with a lot of influences coming from TS5 - and the DJ sets he’s been playing all over the world for the past couple of years - this new record showcases the beginning of the return of Craig’s R&B roots. Still mainly electro infused, «The Time Is Now» has some R&B gems like «Get Involved» featuring JP Cooper or «Brand New». It’s so good to see Craig David slowly getting back to the sound that made him famous. We just wish there were more tracks like those.
Top 3 tracks : Brand New, Get Involved, I Know You
Craig David - The Time Is Now
After Fall Out Boy and their «M A N I A» it is now time for their little brothers, Waterparks, to shine. With their second album «Entertainment» the trio tried their hands at something a bit different : diverse, juggling between styles and mixing different universes, the 10 tracks are as different from each other as good. Whether you’re looking for pop music with «Peach (lobotomy)», pure rock like «Tantrum» or simple and melancholic melodies on which feelings take over like on «Lucky People», you’ll find something that’ll make you want to dance or bang your head. With Waterparks, you’re in for a treat!
Top 3 tracks : Peach (Lobotomy), Lucky People, Blonde
Waterparks - Entertainment
You’ve been waiting for EDEN’s debut album for quite a while, haven’t you? The 22 year old singer from Dublin made a quite big impression with his latest EP «I Think You Think Too Much Of Me» and his alt-R&B sound matured to the point of releasing «Vertigo», his well-crafted debut album, this month. Five years have passed since Jonathon Ng started to upload music on his Soundcloud account under the name of The EDEN Project and what a journey it’s been ever since. EDEN embraced minimalism while getting confidence in his music and exploring the pop music and electronic sounds. His debut album «Vertigo» showcases EDEN’s artistry and offers a cinematic experience to the fans while touching their hearts in a very singular manner. EDEN is starting off 2018 the right way and this reflection on the past few years and new found maturity makes him one of the artists to discover this year if you haven’t already.
Top 3 tracks : Wings, Falling In Reverse, Wrong
EDEN - VERTIGO 35
TOM WALKER When you listen to Tom Walker, it is hard to think the young Scottish artist has only one EP -«Blessings» released in April 2017- in his discography. He inherited the love of music from his father, with who he listened to a massive amount of albums since he was a child. Eventually, the singer-songwriter rose to fame in 2016 with his very first single «Sun Goes Down», where he cleverly samples a classic from the 30’s. His hit-singles «Leave A Light On» and «You and I» have now more than 65 million plays on Spotify. A raspy and emotional voice, organic melodies combined with hip-hop touches and electronic beats is what characterize this impressive yet very humble talent.
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n The Move: Hello and thank you Tom for being here! At the end of last year, you were announced as part of the BBC Music’s « Sound Of 2018» list. Adele, Sam Smith or Frank Ocean were previously listed in it. How does it feel to be a part of this? Tom Walker: It’s amazing and unexpected! I mean we found out a little bit before their actual announcement but still it’s really cool. We’ve got a few festivals off the back of it and BBC has always been good to us and we’ve done BBC Introducing so yeah, it’s really good. On The Move: The success of your songs have been pretty huge and sudden. Where does your interest in music come from? How did you start? Tom Walker: My dad is really into music, he’s got like a massive record collection and he used to take me to a lot of gigs. We went to see AC/DC together when I was like 9, in Paris actually which is amazing. And then I’ve seen Foo Fighters, Muse, Prodigy, B.B. King, you know the list goes on. So yeah he really got me into music and he pushed me – well both of my parents - my mom and my dad pushed me to do music because I really enjoyed it and to be honest I wasn’t really good at anything else.
« I wasn’t really good at anything else but music » On The Move: We read in another interview about your dad saying he heard you every night playing a different idea in your room. Where do these ideas come from, the ones that trigger your creation process? Tom Walker: A bit of everything really. It’s mostly whatever is going on in my life. Up until two years ago, I was working really tough jobs and going to university and being poor and staying in on the weekends because I didn’t have money to go out, you know just like a proper everyday life. It’s a bit more difficult now to come up with inspiration because I’m always on the road and my life isn’t very normal. It’s awesome, don’t get me wrong, but I try to fit in as much time as I can to go back and see my friends and do different things with them because that’s where my inspiration comes from, just having a good time with my mates – either the bad things or the good things that happen.
On The Move: Your music is a blend of folk, soul, hip-hop and EDM. How do you define it? Tom Walker: I wouldn’t class my music in one genre. I would say it’s got a pop style to it with influences of hip-hop, blues and a little bit of reggae, a tiny bit of folk. It’s quite singer-songwriter-y. But all at once. And my album is going to reflect that, it’s not going to sound like one thing. I think I’m in a quite lucky position where my style of singing, no matter what the music sounds like or the production, kind of stays the same so there is complementarity in the album but the production is different on a few tracks. If you do the same thing every day, it gets boring. Unless you’re AC/DC, they’ve managed to pull it off! Eight albums of doing the same thing but it still sounds amazing! (laughs) On The Move: Your latest single « Leave A Light On » was co-written and produced by Steve Mac who worked with Clean Bandit, P!nk or Ed Sheeran. You are also working with Jim Abyss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Adele) on your album. How did these collaborations happen? And what did each one of them bring to your sound? Tom Walker: Yeah I’ve been lucky over the last two years! I mean working with Steve Mac, who has obviously made a ridiculous amount of hits but also with Jim Abyss who has made some of the most credible albums of all time... It is such a cool combination for the album and I think I’m very lucky to work with all of those people. Obviously I’ve worked with a lots of amazing producers but for me, they are the top that have been like super super special. The label Relentless Records, who looks after me in the UK, they put me together with each of those people and at first I didn’t want to collaborate with lots of people, I wanted to kind of do my own thing but you know they pushed me to meet new people and do lots of sessions and it was really cool. At the time, I resisted a bit, but looking back it’s amazing to have the opportunity to work with so many cool people. On The Move: It developed your sound in a way maybe you didn’t expect? Tom Walker: Yeah totally! And I like the unique message that each person brings to the project. It’s going to be a wicked album! (laughs). On The Move: We believe your debut album is on the way. Is it in the continuity of your « Blessings » EP or is it going for different territories?
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Tom Walker: It’s a mix of what I’ve been doing and how I’ve evolved over the last two and a half years but a lot people think that an artist signs a deal and then two years later there’s an album but actually I’ve been working on it my whole life since I was like 15 and wrote about things that I thought truly reflected how I feel about certain things in my life or friends, or family or politics. There’s a bit of everything in there, it’s my story, how I see the world. And it’s called “What a time to be alive” because everything is crazy at the moment! Like Brexit is really depressing, you know I might have to get a visa to come to France, Donald Trump, you know, it’s just a mad world at the moment and I think it reflects on the album. On The Move: Tricky question... Do you prefer being on the road or in the studio? Tom Walker: Neither and both! (laughs) When I’m on the road I want to be in the studio, when I’m in the studio I want to be on the road. I would say that I really enjoy the studio but it’s very intense. Like working with Jim Abyss, it’s like 11 in the morning until 2am, five days in a row. Like you’re eating your lunch while you’re still in the studio. But I get really creative in the studio, which is nice. And touring is amazing because you get to see so many countries but at the same time you don’t get to really see those countries. You see them out the window of a van. But yeah studio, there’s a magic in there. On The Move: You supported a bunch of artists already (Jake Bugg, Maverick Sabre, Gallant) and went on a massive tour with The Script. Which lesson do you draw from these experiences? Tom Walker: Be nice to everybody that you’re working with ! The Script were so lovely and their team was lovely, and they treated us like family, and they’re quite famous, I mean they’re a big deal. They were leaving the door of their dressing room open and inviting us for a chat or beers. Not every band does that. I’ve been on tour with artists and I’ve never met them. Not for a long time, maybe three days but I’ve only seen them do their thing. So I think that is moving forward but what I’m going to try to do is, if we got a band or an artist on tour, treat them like they’re a part of the family. On The Move: What can we expect from your show? Tom Walker: The record is going to reflect on some of the lights and elements that we’ll do but I think when we do it live we do it for real. I play drums, bass, guitar, piano and I sing so I want real drums, I want a real kind
of layout, I want it all to be real but with the digital side of it. We can’t afford a thirty-piece orchestral on stage with us (laughs). I just want to make a really good mix of organic and digital-produced sounds together to make one thing. So that’s what people can expect. Also I play guitar a lot, so there’s this stuff, I really enjoy it and you know when you go to a show, you want to see a show, so I want to make the most of it, and you know you want to show off a little bit (laughs). So people can expect it to be more exciting than on the album I would say. On The Move: What would be the best compliment made on your music? Tom Walker: People have compared me to Paolo Nutini before and he’s my favourite artist of all time. He’s amazing so if I could be like fifty percent as good as Paolo Nutini then I’ll be very happy about it because for me he’s like the pinnacle of artists, he’s really good.
« I’ve been working on this album my whole life » On The Move: Which contemporary artists do you draw inspiration from? Tom Walker: I’ve been listening to Sam Fender recently, he’s on the BBC Music’s “Sound of 2018” list and I met him recently very briefly when I was in the Netherlands, he’s got a really good album. His voice is nuts, like it sounds good on the record but live, it’s another level. The last song he does on stage on the piano is breathtaking. On The Move: What can we wish you for 2018? Tom Walker: I’d love to play a really big stage in Glastonbury, but it’s not on this year, unfortunately. I’m playing in Hyde Park on the same day as Bruno Mars this year, on the same stage, which is going to be unbelievable. I mean I’m playing during the day and he’s playing at night, but still, it’s really cool. But yeah I just hope this year just keeps going the way it’s going. I’m not going to sit here and say “I want to be really famous” because I don’t, I just want to keep making music that people connect with and tour and go to the studio and do the things that I love to do. I’m not bothered about the money or the fame, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s hard work! (laughs)
INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE WITH LUDIVINE DESUMEUR PHOTOS BY NAZYM H (NAZYMH.COM) FOR ON THE MOVE
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ARE THEY WORTH
SEEING LIVE ?
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CRAIG DAVID Y
ou can’t be a fan of R&B without mentioning Craig David. Better known in the 2000’s with the smash hits «Rise & Fall», «7 Days» or «All The Way», the 36 year old British sensation still remains one of the biggest R&B voices in the UK. After returning in the music scene in 2016 with a new album named «Following My Intuitions», Craig David decided to continue his music endeavor and tried to go back to his old R&B sound. If «Following My Intuition» was a great record, full of well crafted songs, it was mainly influenced by Craig’s TS5 shows he’s been playing for the last couple of years all over the world and was very EDM oriented.
his old (and famous) tracks like «7 Days» and «Fill Me In» and his new songs like «Live In The Moment» and «I Know You», «Ain’t Giving Up». Craig David showed that he can do the singing, entertaining the crowd while DJing. He indeed remixed some of the most famous songs in the hip-hop/R&B world including TLC’s «No Scrubs» and Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg’s «Still» in which he added the «Walking Away» lyrics. Mixing old classic instrumentals to his own songs was something we didn’t expect but it was really refreshing and everyone (including us) was loving this. He also greatly showcased his vocals by singing acapella sometimes and everyone went crazy.
This month, the artist was in Los Angeles to play a show a couple of days before his new album «The Time Is Now» came out. The singer-turned-DJ brought the best from the Urban scene to the Roxy in West Hollywood and the crowd was more than happy to see him back on stage. Although he has got many #1 since his return, not everyone is familiar with Craig David’s sound in the USA. Switching between
Craig David showed that he still has what it takes and knows how to work the room no matter which country he is performing in. He’s got in his hands some timeless tracks that work no matter the year or the place he’ll sing them at because everyone knows the words and we can’t wait to see what the singer has in store for us.
WORDS AND PHOTO by PAMELA CHARBIT
DERMOT KENNEDY O
ne thing we wouldn’t be able to do is to label Dermot Kennedy’s sound! The 25 year-old Irish musician was first known for some elegant yet relatively forgettable ballads such as « Shelter » or « After Rain ». But the release of his EP « Doves & Ravens » in april 2017 was a turning point musically. Through four tracks, the artist mixes the tone of slam, the rhythmic of folk, the stratification of EDM and the hardour of rock. In any genre, there is one unchanging given : the heart and soul he puts in it! When hitting the stage of le Point Ephémère in his track suit, Dermot Kennedy looked like any spectator in this venue. But let him sing a single word and everyone gets he is the star in this house... « An Evening I Will Not Forget »… The opening track of the night is auspicious. The song is an ode to nostalgia, a dive into memories of a happy but past relationship... Its colors, joys and setbacks before coming to the conclusion that the page isn’t turned : « I still love you though, I still love you always. » After this soft introduction- in the vein of his earliest productions-, Dermot Kennedy goes on with « Boston », taken from his latest EP. If melancholy still runs in it, it is expressed there with less literal, more mature and nuanced words. And the first ghosts of an electronic background appear. « A closeness » has everything we love in Dermot Kennedy’s voice mastery : cutting attacks, clear diction and verses somewhere between proclamation and singing. A very singular way to perform, that catch your heart and guts. Remaining silent between songs till this point, Dermot Kennedy finally addresses some warm words to his French audience. And the crowd -composed of die-hard fans, bystanders or Irish expats living in Paris- is already conquered, not shy to sing along with the artist. Two unknown songs come along, in a boiling atmosphere.
WORDS AND PHOTOS by CORALINE BLAISE
« For Island Fires And Family » brings us back to stripped territories, and sound as authentic and organic as Ed Sheeran’s earliest works. Between light and dark,uplifting memories and bittersweet regrets, childhood and adulthood, Dermot Kennedy make a confession in chiaroscuro. The very recognizable sample of « Moments Passed » comes after this delicate moment. And the atmosphere turns electric. The power of the track hits you in a second. The instrumental fill the room, guitars, keys and drum spinning round. And Dermot Kennedy calls an invisible love, almost shouting « Cause I loved ya / Does that mean nothing to you now? » with both a feeling of anger and surrender. The frenzy of the keys on « All My Friends » contrasts with the chorus, minimal as in a prayer or a goodbye : « To all my friends / You’ll find your way / Some summer night I hope I see you again / All my friends / I’d love to stay / Some summer night I hope I see you again ». « Glory » is definitely the hightlight of the EP- and of the night. The passionate singing of Dermot Kennedy and pitched guitar chords are with beat hip-hop and haunting accents. The song reaches its climax when one particular line is thrown into the air : « She’s everything the devil can’t be / When she’s singing to me ‘Glory’» Dermot Kennedy announces his last track and frank as he is since the beginning, he won’t come back after that. He invites the public to sing with him on « After Rain » and Paris answers with a light echo. the song fades away and Dermot Kennedy disappears at the back of the stage. Obviously, he leaves us wanting more. But we play the night in our mind and end up thinking the expression « Doves & Ravens » might refer to Dermot Kennedy himself : sincere as a dove, uncompromising as a raven.
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PARAMORE
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aramore is the band that is not afraid of growth and evolution. With “After Laughter”, their fifth album, they delivered the most creative album of their discography. It is cathartic, eclectic and most importantly full of hope. So how does this new energy transpose on stage? How do old songs that made the band’s success coexist with the new ones? We got our anwers at L’Olympia in Paris ! It is under the loud cheering of the venue already determined to welcome Paramore like kings that Hayley, Taylor and Zac arrived with their musicians on stage and begin the show with «Hard Times», first single of the new album, as colorful as dancing. The perfect choice to be honest. Everyone literally started to dance in rhythm as soon as the first notes were recognized. No one was surprised when Hayley started singing Blondie’s «Heart Of Glass», creating a bridge between the two songs with uninhibited pop accents. From the start, we are quite impressed with the efforts made on the scenography. It perfectly illustrates the meaning and eclecticism of the new album: composed of 3 sets of rings with quite psychedelic patterns moving in sync, the lights create the allegory of an emotional tornado over the stage. The intense «Ignorance» is next, starting with an interesting and frantic drum instrumental introduction, a courtesy of brilliant drummer Zac Farro. What was truly amazing to witness is that after all these years, the band reinvents its own songs adding instruments or effects. It’s safe to say that most of the fans grew up with the band and although «After Laughter» was so well received, the first rock/emo sounding albums were the ones that created the band’s fanbase. The party goes on with “Still Into You”, that Hayley Williams dedicates to her band but also to the fans, before easing off with «Forgiveness», a hurtful yet full of hope ballad yet. And here we go again with «Fake Happy», «That’s What You Get», «I Caught Myself» and «Pool». These four songs, as different as they are from each other, bring a wind of energy and create an atmosphere sometimes joyful, intense, explosive, sometimes even refreshing. Hayley dances, jumps, runs across
WORDS AND PHOTOS by LUDIVINE DESUMEUR
the stage, with boundless energy and does not fail to remind – as the frontperson - the public to put on their dancing shoes. After laughter comes tears and it’s time for the emotional «Hate To See Your Heart Break». There is a real communion between the band and the audience, and it got us admiring: whatever the size of the venue, Paramore’s strength lies in the intimacy they create instantly with their fans. The voices are harmonious and resonate as one. “Caught In The Middle” and “Told You So” are there to shake the floor of L’Olympia before the band moves on to «Idle Worship» and its striking outro «No Friend» where Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou appears while Hayley Williams, withdrawn of it all, lies down on the stage. The performance is intense, Taylor York doesn’t hold back on his guitar while Zac Farro gets more intense as the song goes and Aaron Weiss sings the spoken words with amplified vehemence. The whole performance is dark and powerful on both sound and visual aspects. The storm is over, Paramore delivers the first notes of the wellknown «Misery Business» and the fans scream the lyrics as if their lives depended on them. «Ain’t It Fun», a sunny and groovy song happily concludes the show. And when there’s no more, there’s still more at the Paramore show! The band returns on stage encouraged by the chants of the whole venue. A new atmosphere sets in and the band start the encore with «Grow Up». Zac Farro then moves away from his drums to be in the limelight and play «French Class», a track from his own musical project called Halfnoise. Paramore and Halfnoise cohabit during the length of a song, and there is no need to say, it got us moving! The end is fast approaching and «Rose-colored Boy», a pure pop anthem ends the dance mixed with «I Wanna Dance With Somebody» of the great Whitney Houston. We have witnessed Paramore at its highest point, filling the sound differences between the different albums on stage and showing that it is as much fun to bring them together as to separate them. The band has shown creativity, ambition and ingenuity and this is also reflected on stage. We can’t wait for the next time!
WHAT’S NEXT? THE SHOWS NOT TO MISS
KHALID Europe : from February 1st (Stockholm, Sweden) to February 18th (Glasgow, UK) + North-America : from May 1st (Portland, OR) to June 7th (Raleigh, NC)
MAHALIA Europe : from February 6th (Edinburgh, UK) to April 18th (Berlin, Germany)
BASTILLE REORCHESTRATED Europe : from April 10th (Manchester, UK) to April 20th (Lucerne, Switzerland)
KYGO Europe : from February 5th (Helsinki, Finland) to February 25th (London, UK) + NorthAmerica : from May 2nd (Toronto, Canada) to May 12th (Boston, MA)
MACKLEMORE Australia/New-Zealand : from February 2nd (Brisbane, Australia) to February 11th (Sydney, Australia) + Europe : from March 30th (Manchester, UK) to May 26th (Hannover, Germany) + North-America (w/ Kesha) : from June 6th (Phoenix, AZ) to August 5th (Tampa, FL)
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS Europe : from March 11th (Köln, Germany) to May 3rd (Berlin, Germany)
THE CHAINSMOKERS
THE SCRIPT Europe : from February 2nd (Leeds, UK) to March 23th (Lisbon, Portugal) + Asia : from April 10th ( Jakarta, Indonesia) to April 28th (Bangkok, Thailand)
HARRY STYLES LIVE ON TOUR Europe : from March 11th (Basel, Switzerland) to April 16th 2018 (Dublin, Ireland) + April 21st (Perth, Australia) to June 2nd (Mexico) + America : from June 5th (Dallas, TX) to July 14th 2018 (Los Angeles, CA)
JACOB BANKS Europe : from March 13th (Köln, Germany) to March 29th (Stockholm, Sweden)
VANCE JOY Europe: from March 6th (Leeds, UK) to March 25th (Manchester, UK)
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WHAT’S UP EDDY DE PRETTO, MAGICIAN OF WORDS
IN FRANCE ? ANGèLE’S FANTASY
The wise adage «Don’t judge a book by its cover» particularly resonates when it comes to Eddy De Pretto. Do not draw any conclusion based on his retro rapper looks or his relative shyness. He is exactly everything but that! Eddy De Pretto is a contemporary poet, juggling with rhymes only to bring onto the lights the social and ethical matters of his time. His words are rough, cutting –as in the hip-hop he’s been listening to since he was a child- but brought together in a melodic composition –as iconic Jacques Brel or Edith Piaf knew how to, a legacy of his parents’ playlist. These two universes -at home and out- «rarely met» according to Eddy, but he drew inspiration from both to shape his music in a virtuose way. His debut EP «Kid», released in October 2017, doesn’t lie in any genre. Its sound is smooth and bouncy, mostly built numerically on his Iphone. There, Eddy talks sex, debauchery, social pressure, sexism or clichés. And in his mouth, the most virulent words just sound true, never vulgar, thanks to a charisma and elegance that seem ageless. His presence is disturbing and hypnotic, powerful and theatrical. While there’s no taboo in his tracks, the only thing Eddy De Pretto doesn’t want to reveal is his exact birth year. “May 2nd of the 90’s” he says, as if his voice didn’t belong to himself but to his generation, and further, to a whole society questioning more and more of the statu quo that was once considered immuable. When singing, Eddy De Pretto just sends the standards off, with grace and genius!
Angèle Van Laeken is only 21 and what might be a disadvantage in other fields is gold for her musical journey : she doesn’t take anything too seriously. She studied music in different forms from a young age only to realise she wasn’t going to learn anything crucial from school. And her true salvation came from the internet : «I started singing on Instagram, and it was like a musical coming out.» The way she spontaneously and freely creates melodies or imagery on social media is exactly what defines her universe : poetic, airy, full of self-mockery and terribly catchy. You just have to listen to her ‘frenglish’ single «La Loi de Murphy» -and watch the surrealist video for it- to understand. Pairing with director Charlotte Abramow, also for her latest track «Je veux tes yeux», Angèle is building a delicate yet unique and crazy world around herself. Her debut album may be out by this summer and you should totally get ready for a true gem of irreverent electro-pop. Murphy said « If anything can go wrong, it will ». Well, Angèle’s career certainly won’t !
© Charlotte Abramow
© dr
Remember that one simple name because she might be the fresher act in pop music for 2018. For the past year, Angèle was already supporting fellow musicians such as Ibeyi or Damso without a single track out. It might have something to do with her brother, the rap sensation Roméo Elvis. But no further help needed from her sibling, Angèle has everything required to become a music sensation herself.
Foé, the raw and sensiTIVE poet
© Lisa Roze
MAI LAN MAKES US LOSE OUR MINDS ON «AUTOPILOTE»
You might already know Mai Lan for her collaboration with M83, her memorable performances on the stages of Coachella, Glastonbury and the Sziget Festival or even her stylist flair through the brand BezemyMailan. Well, the franco-vietnamese storm has hit again with a second album called « Autopilote » ! Mai Lan signs an explosive cocktail of 13 tracks, as many proofs of her eclectism. As a matter of fact, Mai Lan grew up in a family of artists : her father Christian Chapiron (a.k.a Kiki Picasso) emerged through graphics and painting in the subversive French context of late 70’s and her brother Kim Chapiron is making waves on french cinema since he directed «Sheitan» in 2006. So, Mai Lan swimming through different waters and juggling with many influences is no surprise to us. With the pop, hip-hop, new wave, deep house or psychedelic electro running though her record, we might seriously lose our minds, as she expresses herself in minimalistic and disturbing «Nail Polish» : “I’m hearing voices inside, I wish I could show what it’s like”.
Name’s Foé. He’s 20 and he’s from Toulouse, in the south of France. He’s a modern poet that you will either love or loathe. Either way, you will not remain indifferent to his poetry at once raw and powerful. Don’t be fooled by the classic piano chord at the beginning of his first single «Bouquet de pleurs», with his heavy and urban voice, the young artist unashamedly reveals and talks about his feelings and life as a young adult in his songs. If classical music and piano are his first loves, songs after songs, Foé has built his first record by using much wider range of instruments, not hesitating to create a synthetic rhythm and give a much more modern twist to his classic touch. «I grew up with music. I took piano classes at the age of 8, but I already wanted to set free. Later on? I started writing my own music and my own lyrics. Music is my life. It all came so fast, but that’s all I ever wanted so I wouldn’t change it for something else.» For now the singer already published an EP of four original songs and he’s touring with another one of the most promising french artist : Vianney. Give him a couple of years and his name will be on every lips too!
As the name of the record announces it, she is never afraid to lose control, though always showing absolute mastery of her tools (voice, lyrics and instruments). Ultimate paradox : the result is as good in English as it is in French.
© Kevin Abdoul
Mai Lan is indeed one person and dozens at the same time. Sensual and hypnotic on « Missile » -with her voice variating on the electric sound of didgeridoo-, angry on «Dial my number», combative and sanguine on « Vampire », highly optimistic on «Blaze Up» but also allowing a glimpse of her softer side on « Haze »... And whatever side of her personality is taking the advantage, she always does it with sincerity, spontaneity and boldness.
WORDS by CORALINE BLAISE AND LéNAELLE FONTAINE
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OTM TEAM PAM
founder, editorial director I spend most of my time apologizing to my favorite streaming platform for ripping off their «add to playlist» button. When i’m not looking for new artists to talk to you about I drown myself in a sea containing a mix of old R&B and punk-rock sound. Sometimes I go to concert venues more often than I go to bed and I listen to music even when I sleep. I’ll be probably deaf in 40 years but knowing you’ll discover new artists through this mag makes everything worthwhile.
CORALINE
graphic designer, writer
Wannabe architect, musical writer by passion. I am in love with matter, music and words. Drunk with british indie-rock and popfolk. I guess my wildest dream would be designing and building a gig venue, for which I would decide the opening line-up. In the meantime, I am the curly girl with too much hair, front row.
LéNAELLE
writer Meet the youngest of the crew ! Aspiring music journalist and communication student, I spend most of my free time surrounded by books and hot chocolate. Basically obsessed with british pop music and indie artists, if you’re looking for me you’ll probably find me singing my heart out at a concert. if i could turn back time, i’d definitely pop to the Panic! At The Disco show in Chicago in 2008.
LUDIVINE
writer Who am I, in a nutshell? I am a daydreamer, a traveler at heart, a concert addict and I see beauty in everything. Music is my escape route and my best friend. People say that have an eclectic taste in music which is true although you’ll see me mostly at rock shows. Fun fact: I actually own a guitar since I was 4 and I still don’t know how to play. I am also the girl that’s like «Hey you gotta listen to this!» and 2 hours later we’re still on YouTube... Oops!
ESTELLE
writer If I am not replying to you, I am not ignoring you. I am probably just dancing in my room, listening and singing to my favorite artists. I enjoy going to concerts more than (almost) everything. I’m guilty for still listening to my teenage years’ favorite artists on a daily basis, and I grew up being a huge boyband enthusiast (but don’t call me a fangirl, I might bite). On my free time, I also blog, and post on YouTube (and procrastinate way too much).
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