Additional Information
Velours Velours, buoyed by the release of his latest album Quand je pleure, je suis content (When I cry, I’m happy), gave us an interview as part of Coup de Coeur Francophone.
PAN M 360: Hello Raphaël, happy Halloween! How’s your autumn going? What’s your Halloween costume this year?
Velours Velours: I was dressed as a detective, and it was my birthday, so I was dressed as a detective who loves his job so much that he can’t help doing it even on his birthday.
PAN M 360: You released your first full-length album earlier this year, Quand je pleure, je suis content. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album that takes us by the hand and leads us on a walk in the sunshine, gently chatting about life with serene authenticity. What was your state of mind when you wrote these songs?
Velours Velours: Different states of mind… the album is quite eclectic, even if it’s fairly cohesive. The songs were written at different times in different places. It’s a long phase of introspection, experiences and feelings that I put into these songs, some of which are quite intimate. It’s a sensitive and honest album, melancholic but really luminous, and that’s where I was when I composed it.
PAN M 360: At POP Montreal, you did a performance where you played your song La fin every time someone rang a bell for 24 hours. Images of this experience recently appeared on your social media accounts. What was the intention behind this? How did it go? What did you get out of it?
Velours Velours: When my manager and I conceptualized the event, we wanted to perform a song from the album in a special way. During our brainstorming session, the idea of a closed-door performance came up. It made sense during the event, with the lyrics of the song, people coming and going, fatigue setting in and adrenaline taking over. The goal was really to go ‘all the way.’ In the end, it wasn’t too difficult. I was very well supported by my team, the audience, and the artists who accompanied me and transformed the performance with their interpretation of the song. It was definitely a highlight of my career so far.
Photos: Camille Gladu-Drouin
PAN M 360: What do you have planned for your CCF show?
Velours Velours: This show is pretty special, it’s kind of the culmination of the tour so far, which we’re bringing back to Montreal. We went back over the songs, revisited some things to allow ourselves to jam more, and we even prepared two covers… to be continued! We want to have fun and get the crowd going. We won’t be playing in Montreal again for quite a while after this, so it’s shaping up to be a really good time!
Velours Velours will be performing on 14 November with Katrine Noël as part of Coup de cœur francophone at 8 p.m. at Foufounes Électriques. 🔗 See the event details on our 360 calendar.
