In her understated way, Maude Audet has slowly carved her way into the world of Québec song. She releases Friday We Must Leave Now, her fifth album, deliciously orchestral, luminous and sensitive, for which she has co-produced for the first time.
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“I’m self-taught, my skills have accumulated from album to album. I’ve always been very involved in artistic direction, but now I felt ready to take on that role. »
But she gets angry right away: All of this is just a question of “the title we give ourselves” and, what is important, “it’s the end”. The singer-songwriter, who loves teamwork, co-produced the album with Avec pas d’casque’s Mathieu Charbonneau.
“There is such a lonely part in our work. It feels really good to throw the ball to someone. “Especially because they know each other well: He not only accompanies her on stage, but also produced his last album “You will not die”. It is necessary to go now is also clearly in continuity, but the musician believes that the challenge is precisely to renew herself without “breaking” her style.
Always inspired by the 1960s and 1970s, Maude Audet decided to delve even deeper into orchestral arrangements. ” I love it. But it is important that it is not an imitation of the past, but that it remains composed music now. »
Indeed, there is something very classical about Maude Audet’s music, both in the language used and in her folk music, which draws on the roots of the songwriting tradition. she nods.
“Even though I really like the orchestration and arrangements, they’re still three-minute songs that aim to tell a story. »
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If the album is called We must leave now, it’s because for the singer, like many of us, the pandemic has been an opportunity to take stock.
“I’ve sorted out what’s good and not good for me, in my aspirations, in what I want to be as an artist and as a person. A lot of that comes out of this record. »
There is also empathy: in several songs, Maude Audet casts a benevolent look at others, shares pain and suffering, and gives consolation.
I’m more and more moved by what other people go through. In this album is what I have experienced, but also what I have seen. I take the position of observer. Who reaches out or feels helpless.
Maude Audet
Touching harder things doesn’t stop her from choosing the light. As an eternal optimist, the singer refuses to fall into irony and sarcasm. “We know things are going badly. But what can we do to be happy? I like to believe that we can move forward and improve. »
Know how to surround yourself
Silent strength: This is how she is often described and she accepts it with a smile. Even though she gets angry sometimes – “Ask my boyfriend and my kids! –, Maude Audet prefers gentleness to anger, deeds to words.
For example, she was the first to hire a woman, Ariane Moffatt, to produce her 2017 album Like a Smell of Decay. And on this new one she has surrounded herself with many musicians, be it Marie-Pierre Arthur on bass, Anna Frances Meyer on flute or Mélissa Lavergne on drums. “I like the mix and the atmosphere it creates,” says the one who has long understood that she has to create it for change to happen.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Maude Audet
Just being more sensitive to it creates more space for women. There is a great awareness in our environment. It’s nice what happened.
Maude Audet
Maude Audet is proud as she looks back on the path she has traveled since competing at the Francoouvertes in 2013. The one who gave up a career as a theater designer for music never imagined that one day she would have five albums to her credit.
“I started, my kids were babies. We were in a very precarious situation. I tell myself that I really believed in this affair. That something really called me. She can now call herself a singer “without shame” or having imposter syndrome like before, and believes the artist she is is made up of all of her past experiences. “I realize it’s a deadweight and I’m trying to take advantage of it. We all have our paths and they are all valid. »
Maude Audet will soon be back on tour and is very happy about the return to normality. Especially since his previous album, released in February 2020, suffered from the effects of health measures. She recalls performing in front of halls with 30 masked people… “I can’t get over the generosity of the people. »
This time, as she always likes to try to move forward, she decided to collaborate with choreographer Karine Ledoyen., with whom she collaborated for the clip of her song Je danse.
“There will be times when I’m not right behind my guitar. Always in this idea of trusting me and taking my place. We agree, I’m not Beyoncé! But I still need a challenge. »
folklore
We have to go now
Maude Audet
Bravo music
Album available Friday