MINUIT SOLEIL
1. Can you give us a description of the inspiration that led to the lyrics of your new song?
The subject of the lyrics came to me while I (Roxane Terramorsi) was improvising a character during the making of the video clip. Indeed the videoclip has been recorded previously to the lyrics on the basis of the demo with only music and parts of the melody. We left for a creative weekend with two friends of ours, for some french countryside, determined to make a video for fun. We were filming outside, trying things, attitudes. At one point we tried to act something about anger and quarrel. It was conclusive, but I was the only character here, so it became very clear that I was only talking to myself and that the song would deal with ruminations. And we all know ruminations culminate during insomnias. And here we are.
2. What sets this song apart from your other songs in terms of what it says or how it sounds?
It’s the first time I share a song on such a subject. I used to write songs about going for adventure, being part of the world, amazement toward nature or childhood, or short stories, mythology… For the first time I dare to share something more personal, more clearly autobiographical and dealing with one’s struggle, and here especially insomnia.
The whole album deals with one’s difficulties but this one is the only one that clearly describes the inside combat to make one’s way to the light. And this is very important in the future album cause the thing is not only to complain about troubles but to overcome them. In this song , the character knows she cannot avoid the confrontation. She would like to fall asleep but not be anesthetized. She wants to face her situation.
This song is maybe a little but daring, especially in the use of violins. There are no synths on this tune and only little touches of drum machines so it’s pretty acoustic and with lots of dynamics.
We wrote it the way we felt it, to make it feel the hard time of the character, despite any consideration of beauty. We didn’t try to fit a standard but we stick to emotions.
3. What was the main idea or theme that inspired its writing?
After having the theme thanks to the video clip I went for a few days in a house to write. These first lines “couleur de sommeil, j’allais marchant à la tombée, je suis tombée…” came easily and in a block thank to a vision. I could picture it clearly. I would draw it.
I had this vision of the border of a forest, at twilight and me coming to it but already affected by it, maybe a little bit drugged by sleepiness, or already in my wonder but not completely. This is why I think some of my sentences are unifishined. I could picture colors, dark and blue, and in my vision this evil forest was tortuous with a lot of vine which I mention in the lyrics.
4. Is there any line or verse in the music whose content seems more significant for you and why is it so?
“Et quand les rêves, tambours, comme ils cognent derrière mes paupières”
My dreams have always been very important. They can impact my mood during the whole day and sometimes I make decisions depending on my dreams.
But my favorite lines are the first by the way. “couleur de sommeil, j’allais marchant à la tombée, je suis tombée…”
5. What do you expect listeners to take away from these words when they hear them being sung by someone else?
One said to me that, though he never experienced insomnia in his life, he had been very touched by the song and especially by the words “Le silence pour vacarme” and that it made him feel what people may feel during insomnia. While saying this to me, he put his hand on his chest.He was deeply touched. He didn’t tell me the song was pretty, or that he appréciated the voice or whatever. He talked to me about understanding and empathy and that’s the most important. Sharing emotions and finding another way than speaking for saying things.
6. Elaborate on how this differs from your typical songwriting process.
Once again, the fact of making the videoclip before is quite different than usual.
There is also more action in this song than usual. Usually my lyrics are more descriptive.
7. Did any creative blocks occur when you wrote this? How did you overcome them?
As I said, I had no ideas for the theme of the songs and going on an improv with my body and my friends helped.
Then the first lines came easily but the rest of it was more difficult. It took me quite an amount of time to gather everything but I don’t remember how I overcome them.
8. How well does the production match what is said in the song?
The voice is on an edge. Starting soft, a little bit lost and evolving toward more powerful sounds, like calling for help but also gathering its own strength.I also tried to use the voice as a poison infusing on the ends of the chorus, with low attacks on the consonant and smooth portamentos making harmonics play their parts.
Also the violins help very much. I asked the musicians to use their bows like martial sabers in combat, especially in the second verse. So the voice and the violins are fighting one against the other, in a question and answer writing process.
The drum can be associated with the intensity of emotions.
9. In what ways have your lyrics shown growth as an artist over time?
I think I developed more poetry with time and recently realized I really preferred writing symbolic lyrics more than explicit content. Although it is not absolutely impenetrable I think .
10. Do any lines or verses stand out to yourself? What are their backgrounds?
Every line stands for myself in fact, though they are also universal and can be understood by anyone as they like.
Getting asleep when your mind keeps processing with no pause is very difficult. And in these moments, you don’t know if you are experiencing divagations you shouldn’t care about or on the opposite extreme lucidity about yourself. Should we listen to our inner voice at night? I really question myself. This voice always says sad things but maybe shows me the way? I keep wondering.
11. Were there other poems/songs/works of literature that influenced your writing at all?
I think my visions for the mental landscape that I described before have been influenced by Tolkien’s book The Hobbit, especially when the hobbits visit the old forest and get trapped by an ancient tree before meeting Tom Bondabill. I didn”t thought about it when writing, but with a step back I think it may have influenced me.
The same atmosphere of creepy forest hahasve been printed in my mind by the beautiful lyrics and atmosphere of the song Venus from Bashung .
12. Did you write the lyrics for this song with other people? How did they affect what you wrote?
Minuit Soleil is a creative two-person-team. Nicolas Gardel is co composer and co writer Even if I spend more time on the lyrics and him on the music we work together on every aspect of the project.
13. Whose assistance was valuable in developing the final piece of music?
We had feedback from dear friends and artiste to help us have a regard on our writing. It helped me have confidence in this new writing process, especially because what was at stake was writing in French more than ever and looking deeper into symbolic and indirect writing.
14. Do you have any stories or memories from when you were writing this song?
The creation process is one. Finding the meaning while improvising with my body is meaningful, because it means you drop the mental state for a moment and rely on something else. It is way more comfortable to create I think.
15. How do you take feedback/criticism about your lyrics, during your creative process?
I love feedbacks. It helps a lot whether to improve your creation if you do agree to the feedback or to figure out it is exactly what you meant to create and won’t change it on purpose if you disagree with the feedback. So it is always a confirmation of creation and a step forward.
16. What made creating and releasing this song meaningful to you?
It is cathartic of course. It always is, I think. It’s also a challenge to share my personal feelings. And I am very curious about how people will receive it. For 3:52 min a path between you and me exists. It feels to me like a spatiotemporal vortex where we can be connected and forget about solitude.
17. How do you continue to grow your unique vocal style while also developing your sound and keeping up with new releases?
As time goes by, I try to forget anything about techniques to dive into feeling. I love being in contact with the vibrations of the voice you can feel in your own body (chest, shoulder blades, skull) and I rely on them to guide me. So I try to make it more sensitive and also changing, to fit the meanings of each song. I adapt my voice to the songs, more than I adapt the songs to my voice.
18. What advice would you give to someone who wants to write a powerful song?
I am not sure one needs general advice. Most of the more powerful songs are “out of the box” and stand out of standards, bypass the codes. See Bohemian Rapsody. Queen’s professional team rejected this song which didn’t meet radio standards and is changing all the time. And yet it is one of the most powerful songs ever. So I would say trust yourself, and if it’s powerful to you, it will probably be powerful to someone else, at least one person if it’s not the majority, and it’s already worth it.
19. Are there any future projects we should look forward to?
Yes, the release of the videoclip pretty soon. Another single in early october and the upcoming of a full album from Minuit Soleil (autumn or winter).
