Zaz and the evolution of French chanson, with rap and electronic music

Of all the pop music in the world that doesn’t have Anglo-Saxon roots, the french song it effortlessly ranks among the most recognizable, thanks to the seductiveness of the language, coupled with irresistible melodies and voices that can range from almost recited whispers to exaggerated performances more for feeling than technique.

From Edith Piaf to today, the genre has featured female voices as prominent or more prominent than male voices. And from 2010 to today, among the standards of the chanson, I want From Zaz It occupies a rightfully earned place thanks to qualities that respond to both tradition and the present.

Isabella is back

Zaz is the stage name of Isabelle Geffroy. AND I want of his debut album, it was the beginning of a career which at this point has five studio albums and an event that transcended his homeland by far, at the hands of a voice that shakes hands with its predecessors (Jane Birkin, Carla Bruni) without renouncing an iota of interpretive personality.

After six years of absence, the French singer will perform in our country on April 17 in Córdoba, two days later in Rosario and will culminate her Argentine tour on April 20 at Luna Park porteño. But first he turned on the camera on his computer and, through an interpreter, spoke to Clarin.

“I wanted to kill Zaz”

-Would you prefer me to call you Zaz or Isabelle?

-I’m the same person, so I don’t care, I have no problem with that: I can be Zaz or Isabelle (laughs).

-​The question has to do with why when you released “Isa”, your latest album, in 2021, you said you wanted to make Zaz disappear.

-You’re right then: when I was composing that album I wanted to kill Zaz (laughs). I needed to experience that feeling in my head, and when I experienced it, I realized it was unnecessary. (laughs).

“I’m ready for a new album”

-“Isa” was a record conceived in the midst of a pandemic. How much did composing and recording influence that moment in the world?

-The pandemic fell on a good personal moment, because just before the Covid I decided to suspend a tour I had. I went twelve years without taking a single break, and the pandemic appeared right there, so it coincided with a choice that I already had very clear from before. That was, therefore, the moment I took care of Isabelle.

Isabelle then put the magnifying glass where it was needed. In that instant I was able to distance myself from everything. But, at the same time, it was quite difficult, because I felt very vulnerable. Because when Isabelle takes charge and Zaz steps aside, vulnerability appears.

-“Isa” came out two years ago. How is the writing process for your new album?

-Let’s start from the basics that life is a process, so there have been several changes in my life, and I’m ready, little by little, to face a new album.

“The French chanson has evolved”

-How do you see yourself and what is your place in the rich historical tradition of French chanson?

-It’s something very special, because being French, I carry that tradition and that culture inside me, and in spite of myself. My beginnings had to do with those, since I started playing in piano bars, and the public asked me for chansones. The concept of chanson is so broad that in the end what unites everything is culture and language. The chanson reflects the joie de vivre, and there may also be some nostalgia and melancholy, but these are feelings that end up being buried by the celebration.

In this respect there are similarities between chanson and bossa nova, in the way they treat joy and melancholy at the same time… Chanson often has a dramatic side that bossa nova doesn’t have. This is related to being French: we are often a bit dramatic people. I really like bossa nova and all the music in the world.

-Can we associate this dramatic performance with tango?

-Yes, because in the old chanson there is a lot of waltz and tango. And nowadays chanson has evolved so much that it even incorporates rap and electronic music. Everything mixes and the chanson is no stranger to this phenomenon.

-What music do you listen to today and how does that music influence your current work?

-I’ve been listening to a lot of seggae lately, which is the mix of sega and reggae music, which comes from Mauritius. I’m interested in everything: Brazilian music, Andalusian music, I really like afrobeat, and I’ve also had a comeback to swing jazz.

“I have incredible memories of Argentina”

-Could you tell us about the Organique Tour shows that we will see in Argentina?

-We call it that because we try to limit our impact on pollution. It is inevitable that we use airplanes, but we try to balance our carbon emissions to protect the environment. The work done by the lighting technicians is phenomenal, as it can be adapted to large or small concert halls. And we try to make music the heart of the whole concept.

-You have already come to Argentina several times. Do you feel local here?

-I have incredible memories of Argentina, so many that it’s impossible for me to count them all. From the first time I went I felt like another member of a big family. So when I come back, I seem to see all that family again. And I feel that family gives me all their love. I am very happy to come back.

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