Just hours before she flew to France to meet her fiancé, Éric Dupond-Moretti, Isabelle Boulay sat in our colorful armchair for a moment. We had the pleasure of talking about his new album, The Horses of Joy (Boulay sings Bashung)about his next tour, about his life on two continents, about his 30-year career and about these newly arrived fifties.
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Isabelle, what’s going on since we last met?
Lots of things but the first thing that comes to mind is that I now have a cat. It happened in my life during the pandemic when I had to do several two-week quarantines because I wanted to see my fiancé in France. When I got back I couldn’t leave the house except sit on a small step in front of my door. He came into my life on my father’s birthday, September 24th. It’s like a gift from him. I named him Gérard Raymond. I have tried in vain to find its masters. So I adopted him.
Julien Faugere
And how are you doing this spring?
I’m fine as I spend my days talking about Alain Bashung! That makes me happy! It feels good to be able to return to work after a lull during the pandemic. I was one of the lucky artists who got to do a few shows here and there, but sometimes I felt like stopping and going around in circles. So I started writing my show D’Amériques et de France and little by little I had this idea of a record where I would cover Bashung’s songs.
What can you tell us about this album?
I wanted to make this record and at the same time I didn’t really know how to choose from Bashung’s immense repertoire. It was Dumas, an unconditional fan of the singer, that helped narrow my choice. I felt lucky to have a speaker like him. It was also melodically complex for me. So he made me guitar voice models which allowed me to see things more clearly and finally get into this project. I remember falling in love with Bashung when I saw the Osez Joséphine clip. I wanted to cover some of his songs one day. Bashung was a high-flying artist.
You’ve met him briefly, haven’t you?
Yes, in the changing rooms of a TV show in France. I met him in a very narrow hallway. I saw him walking towards me and wondered how to do that
do not touch it. I adored him and had so much respect for him that I didn’t want to hang him! I pressed myself against the wall. It passed like a gust of wind and I was completely paralyzed. My jacket brushed against his and I’ve had this jacket ever since!
Julien Faugere
Let’s face it: it takes guts to take on Bashung’s work!
I have, in the sense that I like bold projects! And in my opinion it’s the most daring project I’ve ever done. I came here with the biggest vulnerabilities and really had no pretensions.
Was it important to you to have Bashung’s wife’s approval?
Yes very. As I entered the studio, I contacted Jean Fauque, Bashung’s cosmic brother. I was lucky that he wrote me some songs. I called him to tell him that I would try to cover songs by Bashung and therefore by him. He told me it was very good news because he and Alain dreamed that one day a woman would cover these songs. I also sent the songs to Bashung’s widow. She wrote me a nice message with the phrase: “I know that Alain loves.” It touched me.
After Serge Reggiani, here you cover Bashung… Why cover other people’s songs?
I’m like, “Why not?” I’m interested in the words of Alain Bashung’s songs, which go very far to evoke things. I can understand that some people have a priori and I can’t wait to see how my album is perceived in France by the big Bashung fans. But that doesn’t worry me because I know I did a good job. When I cover other people’s songs, I’m ruthless about the playback. I’m very clear and I don’t insist if it’s not good. But I think this disc is a success. I have too much respect for Alain Bashung to suggest something I didn’t fully find. I went beyond myself. I owe a lot to Gus Van Go and the musicians who worked on this album. It was a tedious project for me, and each song was like climbing Everest. But I’m proud of this album.
They’ve been doing this job for over 30 years. What memories do you have of your beginnings?
I remember doing the soundtrack for the series about Alys Robi early in my career. I had been chosen for this and I remember being scared and not sure if I would be able to make this record. I was so young, I was 19, and for me it was a mountain. In the end it went well and I’m proud of it.
After that you presented your first album, Should not, which received negative reviews. How did you take that?
I remember Sylvain Cormier murdering my first record and even ending his lyrics with a sentence that said, “For all the good that I’m still thinking about Isabelle Boulay, don’t buy that record.” I was beside myself! I found this review really difficult. He questioned the quality of the songs and I was devastated. I still appreciate this album to this day. I would even like to cover these songs one day. I also recorded a version with a piano part in my new show Un peu d’innocence. Ratings are part of the job, I read them and take them into account, but my basic belief cannot be shaken by a bad rating.
How do you view your albums over time?
I still love them all, they represent the Isabelle I was then. Nevertheless, there are songs that I like today because they are tied to an era, others that are a bit strange to me in hindsight. I’ve been fortunate to have an audience that isn’t necessarily acquired, but in whom I have a great deal of trust and are still interested in what I’m proposing. What I like about my job is that a project grabs, grabs and carries me. As a performer, I serve the work.
You make an album of original songs about every five years. Why so little?
As a performer with the demands I have, finding the repertoire for an entire CD is a long-term exercise. You have to find the writers who find the words. There is guidance, there is life…
Why don’t you write your songs?
Benjamin Biolay recently told me that I have to make an effort to write lyrics because he thinks I can do it. It was left on a shelf not at my eye level at all because I’m not ready. But maybe one day I’ll get into songwriting. I think I could do my records too, but I’m not interested in that at the moment. Writing takes a lot of investment. Just writing a thank you note on the booklet of an album exhausts me. After an hour of writing, I feel like I’ve aged a month. So if I do it one day, I’ll have to do just that without a daily life to deal with. It’s not out of the question, but not required at the moment. I am surrounded by wonderful writers.
Julien Faugere
Do you have the career you thought you would?
It’s way better than I thought. I never thought I would go where I went… I’m not the one with all-out ambition, but I’m a very opinionated and stubborn person. If I get involved in a project, I’ll become the best soldier in the force. On a hockey team, I would be the captain. I like being on top, enduring headwinds and defying bad weather. But I need to be well surrounded.
star madnessthen your hard drive state of love, released in 1998, catapulted her to the pinnacle of fame. How did you experience this sudden popularity?
In order. I never had the stigmata of the star in me. I rubbed the shoulders with stars, and this state is almost a divine grace. It can’t be explained and I don’t have it. These people still have a light and that brings with it a cross. Johnny Hallyday was a star, Celine Dion is one. For my part, I think I naturally kept myself within ranges that were acceptable to me. I don’t want to live a superstar life. I must be able to live freely without causing a stir everywhere. I don’t always want to live in the eyes of others. I have the best of both worlds. I could have pushed, I know what it takes to access it, but I never wanted to.
Do you have a supposed anti-star site?
Maybe yes. I’m not the one who throws premieres and red carpets. I don’t mind experiencing it every now and then, but not too often. This isn’t snobbery, it’s more of a protective measure. Social events cost energy. But I need this energy to do my job and, above all, to be a mother to my son.
You spend your life between Quebec, where your son lives, and France, where your fiancé lives. Isn’t it dizzying to live like this?
My rhythm is pretty much like two weeks in Quebec with my son and two weeks in France with my lover. Even if it’s a hard life, I can still make it when I’m 50, even if the battery charges less quickly than when I was 20. At the same time, it’s all a privilege and I have the chance to live my life on two continents. I didn’t have a conventional life, I was always the one who was expected, the one who left. It’s part of me, it’s my life.
There has to be a cross on something at the same time, right?
They are two completely different lives. When I arrive in Paris, it’s a different life because of the position of my spouse, who is now Minister of Justice, but it’s his life, not mine. My boyfriend won’t wait for me backstage every night because he has better things to do. And I won’t be waiting for him at the Ministry every night either. Each of us accepts the reality of the other. When we are there for each other, we are there 100%. Éric is one of the few men in my life who cooks for me when I come back from a show. I have also insisted that our life together does not take place at the Ministry and that we keep our Paris apartment. When I arrive in Paris we live there and sometimes I visit him at the ministry. But I choose not to live there simply because it’s not my arena or territory. It’s something I respect but wouldn’t have felt comfortable with because I’m a free person. My husband is devoted to the state. I dedicate myself to my son and my job. We understand each other’s reality.
Julien Faugere
Tell me about Marcus…
It is the most beautiful and precious thing I have. He is the heart of my life. He is already 14 years old and an excellent musician. He made the violin for five years, and there he is in the visual arts. Playing En direct de l’univers rekindled his taste for music and has been reconnecting with this passion for some time. I hope he continues… He sings very well too. When he was very young he wanted to do La Voix Junior but I didn’t want to.
Did you want to pursue such a career on two continents?
Seems like everything led me to this. First with Starmania, and also by collaborating with French authors and composers on my records. French culture has always attracted me and I have always loved it. When I return to Quebec I’m glad to be in Quebec and when I arrive in France I’m glad to be there too.
50 years, what does that mean for you?
This is the beginning of the rest of my life, this is the age of disobedience and frivolity. I say that with a laugh, but there’s something to it. I arrived at 50 and told myself that no matter what people say or think about it, I won’t deny myself anything anymore.
Photo: Julien Faugere / TVA Pu
And how do you see fifty?
I want to get closer to the people I care about, I’m always on the go and they still love me. That’s the beauty of my family. But I want to see her more often. I also want to age well. I want to give myself all the elements to stay alive and have eternal youth within me. I always want to want to create something, dare and go further.
Do you find it harder to exercise control over your image as you get older?
Aging will surely bring small devastations. However, I resist the idea of resorting to injections or surgery to slow aging. I’m not ruling it out, but I don’t feel like it at the moment. Still, growing old is a privilege.
Do you see yourself singing in 20 years?
If I feel like quitting, I will quit. I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus during the pandemic and it was beneficial to me, at least initially. But the last year of imprisonment was too difficult. As an artist you want to be on stage. Then singing is the most beautiful emergency exit for me. It gives me the opportunity to escape from life, to overcome difficulties. Sometimes I go through difficult times and singing gets me back on track.
What do you still have to achieve?
I would like to do an album with the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra. I also want to do an album with T-Bone Burnett but the pandemic has delayed that project. I might want to touch the cinema. If Xavier Dolan asked me to be in one of his films, I would say yes. For example, I would say yes to Marc Labrèche if he asked me to act in one of his skits. It all depends on the proposal. I would also like to do radio. I like the radio, it’s always on at my house. But before I do all that, I have a great tour ahead of me. In June I’ll be staying with the Francos, then there’s also the European tour.
• Also read: Isabelle Boulay talks about her last year, which was marked by difficult times