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WORDS TALLULAH SYRON - PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL COUVE - MAKEUP EMILIE LOUIZIDES
There are only a few in the industry that ‘make it’ but if someone’s going to, that someone should be Eugénie. With her chic aesthetic, ridiculously impressive vocal ability and dark pop edge, the fast-rising French pop star has everything it takes. F WORD sat down with Eugénie before she took the stage at the Courtyard Theatre as what can only be described as a mind-blowing performance. Between mesmerising dance moves and falsetto notes, Eugénie’s ability to connect with the audience whilst tapping into her vulnerability did not go unmissed. Discussing the processes behind her music and what she has coming next, there’s no doubt Eugénie is on a fast-paced and upward trajectory.
Tallulah Syron: Can you tell me about the ‘Moment in Time’ EP.
Eugénie: Moment in Time is an EP I wrote with several different people, it’s a very collaborative project where I got to experiment a lot whilst just being myself in every way possible. I called the EP ‘Moment in Time’ because I felt like every song represented a different moment in time.
TS: If you could re-live one moment in time what would it be?
E: Ooo that’s and interesting question, I’d definitely go back in time to a gig. The first gig I did when the lockdowns where lifted, in Hamburg. I had never been to Hamburg before, so everything was new, it was the first time I’d performed the songs in front of a new audience, in fact it was the first time I’d performed in two years after the quarantines, so it really was so special. It was such an amazing connection with the audience.
TS: You used six different producers on the EP, was that a choice that you made before creating the EP, or did it just work out like that?
E: It actually did just work out like that, I hadn’t planned the EP at all beforehand, I was just creating music. I think that’s the best way to do it because honestly if I hadn’t done it that way, I wouldn’t have been as free in the process. It was very spontaneous and then I just thought maybe I’ll take the songs l feel the most connected with and put them into an EP.
TS: You get vulnerable on the EP, is this something you find easy to do in your writing?
E: [Laughs] I have this joke with my producers that every time we get into the studio it’s like right, let’s begin the therapy! You know, it’s difficult when you meet someone for the first time and you’re supposed to write a song together, you have to be very vulnerable, so I think I’ve made myself that way to be able to write with different people. I think I’ve always been very sensitive though.
TS: So, does that ability to show vulnerability and openness transfer into your real life?
E: Yes, that openness definitely runs throughout my life. I always feel like I over share, I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but I think it shows people that everyone has flaws and problems and if I’m the one who is starting that conversation then, that’s okay.
TS: If there’s one thing you would want people to take from your music, what would it be?
E: Freedom. Because every song was created without expectation, I was literally just letting it flow. A listener might not like every song, but even if there’s just one song that they can connect to I’d love that to make them feel free because I was so free in the process.
TS: You’ve been releasing music since 2016. How did you first get into music?
E: I first started making music when I was thirteen, but I had always been singing. My parents had wanted me to play the violin at a very young age, but I didn’t like the theory classes, so I stopped. I told my parents I didn’t want to take music lessons but that I wanted an instrument to play by myself, so they bought me a guitar. I love my parents, they always support me through everything. I had this guitar and my sister had a piano, so I was surrounded by instruments. I started writing, in English actually [Laughs] and wrote my first song for my mum to stop smoking!
TS: [Laughs] Did she stop?!
E: NO! [Laughs] She did stop eventually but not because of my song! Not because of my music!
TS: [Laughs] Your writing topics have drastically changed then?!
E: I mean I guess I’ve always written about love, I mean, really, it’s always about love isn’t it, let’s be honest. I actually still often write about my mum! There’s one song on the EP about my mum and I have another one coming out. So, it hasn’t actually changed that much! What has changed is the way I write and how I see things in a more mature way.
TS: What’s next for you?
E: I’ve been writing and collaborating, but I had this moment in the summer where I thought, maybe no one will understand this, but I felt very aligned with my thoughts so in September I came to my team and told them that I really want to release a French song. I’ve written in English a lot, but I have this project in French and I want to make it happen.
TS: Does it feel different writing in French to English?
E: VERY. That’s actually why I don’t switch from one session to another. I’ll do, say, three months in English and then three months in French. I feel more comfortable saying things in English, [laughs] because none of my family can understand me. None of them are going to look at the lyrics if it’s in English, I also feel really comfortable with melodies in English. In French it’s different. My words in French are really connected to my memory because obviously it’s my first language. When I’m doing a melody with French it’s a far longer process, the lyrics have to be more precise. I actually feel more vulnerable in French, which can be a good thing because it makes me feel very close to my emotions. I can feel even more sensitive in French.
TS: That’s so interesting! Thanks so much for chatting with us Eugénie, we can’t wait to see you perform!
TS: Final question, what’s your favourite F-Word?
E: Family. I’m really really close to my family so I can’t say anything else.
