Elliot Maginot has just published Now float on, the first excerpt from his next album, which will be released on March 22nd. The 35-year-old singer-songwriter shared a few secrets with us about his fourth work, which is called I have to stay here.
-Elliot, tell me about the first excerpt Now float on on which we hear the voices of three artists.
“Claudia Bouvette is a friend with whom I often work, I wanted to sing with Erika Angell [qui a notamment travaillé avec Patrick Watson] for a long time and I opened for Katie Tupper at the Outremont Theater. This was one of the most obvious songs on this album that needed a lot of work. This song was written between two lemon squeezers. She did well, she got out on her own. You develop a sense of gratitude when you experience all the magic of music without it being painful. It’s an anthem about having to roll up your sleeves to be happy.”
-I have to stay here will be released on March 22nd. Why this title?
“It's a kind of cry from the heart, a way of reaffirming the desire to continue living among people. This one [ici] represents the human experience, as well as the place I am. He shouts: Yes, I still want to find meaning in all of this by looking for beauty in life.
– Have you experienced this type of existential questioning yourself?
“I believe more and more that it may ultimately be true that artists are people who feel things even more strongly, be it positive or negative. My friends and I have a lot of ups and downs, we talk a lot together about mental health. I am 35 years old and have observed that to move forward you either unplug or take matters into your own hands. You have to be present and face adversity.”
-What can you reveal about this new album?
“I have worked with important musicians who have a more traditional and country background, such as Tommy Gauthier on traditional fiddle and Nashville artist Russ Pahl on pedal steel. We did this last summer in a casual way at my house, which isn't really a studio. We wanted to feel like we were making music more than recording an album. It's very old fashioned [vieille école], with the energy of a live performance and the spontaneity of the imperfect. It's raw, direct, a little more naive and imperfect. The sounds of everyday life show that music and life are part of each other.”
– What are you most proud of in this fourth work?
“This is the album where I'm the most direct in my lyrics. I am very vulnerable and don't try to hide. It also makes me proud to be able to achieve this with my long-standing employees and to have kept the spirit of community at the heart of creation, which is very gratifying. Now I’m in “We need to get ready for the new tour” mode. We are involved in the design and ideation of the show.”
-The song Now float on – first excerpt from the album I have to stay here by Elliot Maginot, published on March 22nd – can be found on the platforms.