The pandemic has been a time of scrutiny for many artists, and King Melrose was no exception. After three difficult years on “monetary, professional and mental” levels trying to refocus his career, the chart king finally found his sanity. A series of happy moments, including the birth of his daughter Flora, gave him back the desire to make us dance.
He even had to go back to work because the one to whom we owe many radio hits (Don’t let me down, It’s dancing, Free to love yourself, Save me from you) doesn’t roll on the road.’ Gold. In particular, he was a postman and worked in construction.
“It was a creative wasteland,” he complains at the other end of the line. I was really wondering if I would keep making music.
But now life turned out to be brighter in April 2020 as he found true love at a time when he no longer believed in it. He quickly started a family with Sophie, who is a doctor, and the birth of little Flora, for whom he wrote a song, plunged him into an “agonizing” but “intensely beautiful” time.
That unexpected fortune and meeting new collaborators (Ricky Paquette, Kim Richardson, Claudia Bouvette) reignited his flame. “I realized there wasn’t much I could do other than sing and be good at it. I feel alive in this job,” he says.
Back to pop soul
So a new EP was born in his mind, Fleur de cactus – Side A (B-side coming in 2023), a bouquet of six songs that return to the pop-soul of his early days (influenced by Leon Bridges and Sam Cooke). , and inspired by the “new foundations of his life”. They were released yesterday and show that King Melrose, whose real name is Sébastien Côté, has lost none of his innate sense of melody.
The album lives up to its title, because for him the cactus flower that grows in arid environments is the most beautiful illustration “that in hostile moments super beautiful things can be born”.
With Mariana Mazza
And life continues to have nice surprises in store for King Melrose. Last Tuesday evening he received the Eddy Marnay Prize, awarded by the SPACQ Foundation (Professional Society of Authors and Composers of Quebec), combined with a stipend of 10,000 US dollars.
On the entertainment side, not only will he be appearing at a festival in France on October 8, but he will also be performing the first parts of comedian Mariana Mazza for part of the fall. A strange wedding? Not so much: Mariana Mazza is a “great accomplice” of the singer and his daughter’s godmother.
“Mariana doesn’t do anything ordinary,” he says. She has already written a song with me, participates in my creation and listens to my questions about the job. We often had discussions that resulted in ideas for shows. She will be part of my life for a long time… even if she talks a lot sometimes (laughs)»!
The scrapbook Cactus Flower – Side Ais available on all platforms.