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Friday, Montreal sensation Rêve released her debut album Saturn Return. With this offering, she makes dance-pop shine in all its forms and once again confirms her immense potential. PAN M 360 talked to her about her new project, her creative process, and astrology.
Since the release of her song CTRL+ ALT + DEL in 2021, Rêve has kept on getting better. Following in the footsteps of British star Dua Lipa, her music is danceable and highly rhythmic. With Saturn Return, the singer-songwriter has just one goal in mind: make dance music shine.
PAN M 360: This Friday, you unveil your debut album Saturn Return. Dance music and its derivatives are at the heart of this project. Where does your love for this style come from?
RÊVE: My passion for this music began when I went out to a nightclub in Montreal. At the time, I was definitely too young to go to that kind of place, but let’s just say I was about to turn 18. Before that, I’d been to concerts, but I’d never seen a DJ set. I remember walking into the club and heading out onto the dance floor. Immediately, I felt a connection with the others and the DJ’s music. The music was transcendent and the mood was euphoric. I immediately fell in love with dance music. Since that night, my goal has always been to recreate that atmosphere through my music.
PAN M 360: How would you describe your music in general on this project?
RÊVE: I’d say it’s a dance-pop album influenced by a multitude of different genres. My aim with this project was to prove to people that dance music can be very diverse and versatile because I find that people who don’t consume it regularly believe that the genre is limited to what you see on a stage like the Tomorrowland festival. There’s so much more to dance music, and you can listen to it on so many different occasions. That’s really what I wanted to show.
PAN M 360: What does the concept of Saturn Return mean?
RÊVE: “Saturn Return” means the moment in a person’s life, around the age of 27 or 30, when the planets return to the same place in the sky as they were at the moment of their birth. In astrology, this is considered to be a time when you learn the most lessons. You learn a lot of hard truths, and anything that isn’t made for you will disappear and you’ll become more aligned with who you were always meant to be. It’s certainly not easy to get through this period, but the result of it all is magnificent. This album highlights my journey over the last few years, the joys, the loves, the losses, and the moments of sadness. It’s also about vulnerability. It’s about all the things we face during the Saturn Return.
PAN M 360: You seem to attach great importance to astrology.
RÊVE: At home, it’s always been a very important thing. My mother was always obsessed with astrology and still is to this day. If I’m signing a contract or getting ready for a concert, my mother says things like “Be careful, Mercury is in retrograde today.” She’s very religious about astrology. I’m not as religious as she is, but it’s still part of my life.
PAN M 360: What impression did you want to leave your listeners with this first album?
RÊVE: It was really important to me that this project serves as a safe place for people to experience and celebrate their emotions. I want my listeners to be able to experience the good and the bad with this album. Saturn Return is a celebration of all the emotions humans experience. Life is hard, and I want people to find comfort in listening to my songs. As I mentioned earlier, I also want people to see how versatile dance music is.
PAN M 360: Saturn Return features several collaborative tracks with Quebec producers Banx & Ranx, including “CTRL+ ALT + DEL” and “Big Boom.” Tell me about your relationship with them.
RÊVE: They’re like brothers to me. It’s very rare to collaborate with people you adore as much as humans as artists, but that’s the case with them. They’re my favourite people to work with. We speak the same language and understand each other so well. We have a great energy together. We have an incredible relationship.
PAN M 360: What’s your favourite track with them?
RÊVE: I’d say it’s “CRTL + ALT + DEL,” because it’s our first big song together and the one that really helped propel my career.
PAN M 360: Halfway through the album, we find your excellent track “My My (What A Life)” How did this track come about?
RÊVE: Oh my God! My My (What A Life)” is the last track I added to the album. When I was listening to the project, I was thinking “Oh, I’m missing a drum ‘n’ bass track! I’m a big fan of this type of music. I created part of Saturn Return in England, and this style is extremely popular there. I was almost at the end of creating the project, but I decided to go ahead and create the song. I just had to.
PAN M 360: Without a doubt, one song stands out on Saturn Return. “Past Life” is a softer ballad that moves away from dance. Earlier this week, you mentioned that this track took you back to your musical roots. Why was it important for you to have a track of this style on your album?
RÊVE: It was very important to me. It’s a dance album, but I wanted to pay tribute to my musical roots. I started making music while crying, sitting in front of my piano. It was a form of therapy for me. “Past Life” is exactly that. I wrote the chorus “Looking at you when I wake up in the middle of the night I’m thinking ‘God damn, I must’ve been good in a past life'” two years ago, but I’d never managed to finish the song. It’s about a relationship I dreamed of having. At the time, I wasn’t in the best relationship, and I thought, “I’d so like to feel these emotions one day.” And then this year, I met someone who made me feel that way, and I managed to write the rest in less than 15 minutes. That must be the power of love!
PAN M 360: You’ve also said that you need more intimacy to create songs like “Past Life.” Why do you think that is?
RÊVE: When I write ballads like this, I really have to be in my own bubble. As I said earlier, I’ve always used the piano as a therapeutic tool, and it’s in those moments that I write my truest, most honest songs. Being alone at the piano with a glass of wine allows me to really experience my emotions.
PAN M 360: Will you be touring the album over the next few months?
RÊVE: Yes, I’ll be touring across Canada early next year. I can’t wait to connect with my fans and let them experience the world of Saturn Return.
Photo credit: revemtlmusic.com
