Hello Nadine………. Welcome to the DeClunk universe.
Hello!
Please describe your surroundings so that we can all get snug.
I’m just on the train heading from Marseille to Dijon. It’s sunny outside and the passenger next to me brought his dog, now sleeping soundly at my feet.
At what age did you discover that you had a gorgeous singing voice?
Hah, thanks! Truthfully, the voice was always just an outlet for me and I never considered its “qualities.” Other people would tell me they liked the timber of it. I’m not a technical singer and learned music by ear. I think I started to really “hear” my voice when making this last record.
What was the first song that you wrote? What was it called and what was it about?
Oh God! I think it was called “I’m A Dreamer.” I might have been 10 or 11? I don’t remember much about it, but the chorus. It probably it had to do with being lost in imagination all the time!
The latest single is ‘The Night Will Keep Us Warm’. This was recorded at the time of making your second album ‘Another Life’ but it’s not on the album. Why was it not included and are there other gems that you have hidden away?
There were a few songs that didn’t make the cut. John (who produced the album) sees records very much as a whole, so there is a balance to strike among songs. I have a tendency to write a lot of slow, sad or mid-tempo music! It was a close call, but we decided to leave that one out. It seemed sort of a bridge between where ‘The Salted Air’ left off & ‘Another Life’ began. There were some others – some maybe in need of revisiting – maybe they’ll see the light of day at some point.
‘Another Life’ is a beautiful record. Did you revisit another life of your own as inspiration for it?
Thank you. Yes, for sure. It was subconscious for the most part… I was thinking about my life as a child, lives that could have been, lives that actually were, people I’ve lost or that have left this realm… I don’t know if it’s the case for everyone, the older you get, but some past lives seem so distant to me now, almost unrelatable, and others the total opposite, fully resonant and alive, even though they happened so long ago… I’ve moved around quite a bit, and I think there was a part of me that was trying to cling to certain parts of my life, maybe so they wouldn’t fade away entirely.
Have you other talents that we are not aware of? Maybe you are an ace juggler or a multi linguist or you turn out a wicked apple crumble. Don’t be shy!
I can’t juggle to save my life, but I can speak a few languages. I’d like to record in some other languages one day. I used to have a freakish memory, but it’s starting to wane, sadly!
What is the last book that you read, the last film that you saw and the last album that you listened to?
‘Small Things Like These’ by Claire Keegan, ’Past Lives’ by Celine Wong, and ‘Harp Swells’ by Will Samson.
You are on tour this Spring. What else do you have planned for 2024? More releases? New album? shows? A nice little break somewhere warm and sunny?
I have a few more shows lined up and I’d really like to start writing for a new album and also doing some collaborations that have been sitting on the back-burner for a while.
Now and then a friend and I camp and fish for a night or 2. This involves copious amounts of beer and by 11pm a two-man disco breaks out on the bankside. Nobody has witnessed this frightening scene, 2 blokes in wellies throwing shapes in the dark. What would be on your playlist for a drunken bankside disco?
Haha, that sounds like fun! ‘Kiss’ by Prince, ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin, so many… I wouldn’t need whole a lot of encouragement!
If we were to visit your neck of the woods for a weekend, where would you take us. You are the Entertainments Committee!
I’d take you down for a walk down Corniche Kennedy, which is a strip along the coast of Marseille overlooking the sea, and maybe for a swim, if it’s warm enough! Then maybe up to Cours Julien, to check out some record shops and hang out.
Please could you recommend any artists or bands that we may not have heard.
You might have heard them, but I’ve been listening to these amazing artists’ lately: Jess Bryant, Weird Creature, Oblivion Orchestra, Marry Waterson & Adrian Crowley’s latest record together.
Thank you, Nadine, for taking the time with DeClunk. We hope to catch a show soon.
Thank you DeClunk – likewise!
DeClunk 