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INTERVIEW – She develops the art of seduction and mystery and transforms concert halls into velvety environments. The American jazz diva, performer, musician and composer, publishes her first anthology, The Essential Melody Gardot.
In The Essential Melody Gardot, the artist looks back on his eighteen-year career and announces eight concerts at the Olympia in Paris next summer.
Madame Figaro. – How did I choose the twenty-four songs on this album?
Melody Gardot. – I listened to the songs from my seven albums again, as well as the songs from my live shows, which turned out to be exciting, because I relived the magical moments I shared with great musicians, like double bassist Charlie Haden, with whom I recorded If I’m lucky. I was very lucky. Music came into my life after a terrible accident. When I was 19, I was hit by a car and fell into a coma. When I woke up, my legs were paralyzed. This is where I discovered the therapeutic virtues of music. It helped me heal. The choice of these songs is based on its resilience.
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Is jazz still in fashion?
Jazz is not a monolithic musical style, as it draws on all genres, from gospel to blues, through pop, rock and hip-hop. Jazz is above all a manifesto of freedom. Younger generations of musicians, even rappers, are using it more and more today because it is a reflective mirror of our society.
My personality?
I am very demanding. To be respected in a professional environment, women of my generation had to be brave. No one gave us a present. We have earned our rights because we have asserted our skills. I am part of an army of dominant women who have been able to prove their legitimacy while asserting their femininity.
My attitude during the interview.
The interview is a performance. Aesthetics is an essential part of it, and I can spend hours on hair, which is why I’ve worn wigs for years, which are part of the makeover game it is a lie. Art is a complex exercise in staging.From there, we can access the general revelation.
I have the image of a pop-jazz diva
Melody Gardot
Perfect outfit for an interview Comfort or dressy?
Glamour. I love fabrics that glide on the skin like silk and cashmere.I often wear heels that accentuate the ankles and small diamond earrings that brighten up the face. And I spend a fortune on underwear, because even if it is not visible, it makes me beautiful.
Are you in seduction mode or a fighter?
No. I’m trying to keep our minds open so we can feel destabilized. Our time puts too much emphasis on the need to find an answer to everything. On the contrary, art should use emotions to encourage us to ask questions submit to uncertainty.
Misunderstanding about me?
I have the image of a pop-jazz diva, as if I lived only surrounded by luxury. But I was on long night bus tours, sometimes with twenty musicians, and I was the only woman. Life on the way not glamorous. We cannot imagine how much the existence of a musician consists of sacrifices. We live differently, and building a family is difficult.
I am part of an army of dominant women who have been able to prove their legitimacy while asserting their femininity.
Melody Gardot
Last time I was proud of myself?
I never am, but I am touched by the views of others. Two years ago, Roselyn Bachelotte told me that I was going to receive the “Arts and Literature” medal. I cried for joy. I had the impression that I was participating in the greatness of a country that I deeply loved and where I had come alone as a young man.
The Essential Melody Gardot, Decca: At the Olympia concert hall in Paris from June 26 to 29 and July 3 to 6.
Source: Le Figaro
