Remember this name: Zaho de Sagazan. Praised by the French music press since the release of their amazing first album in March, The Lightning SymphonyThis 23-year-old artist, who is predicted to have a bright future, dreams of… conquering Quebec.
The recent Zoom-backed individual, who will be meeting the Quebec public for the first time during Francos de Montréal, even says she’s convinced a perfect partner is waiting for her.
“It’s a bit strange what I’m going to say, but I’m sure that I have more of my place in Quebec than in France and that Quebec will recognize that,” affirms the one who says she fears “not to that.” to be able to “leave my favorite city” as soon as it reaches Montreal.
“I think Quebec likes madness and I think I have a little bit of madness that they can like,” she adds.
The unlikely mix
To fully understand Zaho de Sagazan, you have to watch his music videos (friendly advice: check out Tristesse, Les dormantes and Sufficiently).
Alone on screen, with a penetrating gaze that fixes the camera, she balances deep and vicious reflections on love and the impact of feelings on sometimes dynamic, sometimes haunting electropop melodies.
His musical style is inspired by influences as diverse as the great classical voices of Barbara and Brel and the coldness of German electronic music. Think Stromae, but with its own unique sound.
It works brilliantly, but Zaho de Sagazan claims he had trouble convincing his producers that these two musical universes could coexist.
“I loved electronics so much and I loved French songs so much that I couldn’t separate the two. I told the guys that I wanted to do a concert with a piano part and three songs later we were at the club in Berlin. They said no, it’s complicated. I said no, you’ll see, we’ll make it. I believed in it with all my heart. We were in the studio for three and a half years and we had success. »
document love
In the interview, Zaho de Sagazan turns out to be as talkative as he is interesting. Workaholic, who says she’s obsessed with pictures, music and words — “I can spend seven hours on one sentence” — slips into the conversation that love at first sight is something she’s never experienced before.
But how does she manage to talk about it so eloquently in her songs?
“I think we underestimate the power of observation. And sympathy. Honestly, you have friends, you talk to them and you watch them, you can understand how a love story works,” she replies.
Could she be some kind of musical documentary filmmaker?
“It could be a bit of that,” analyzes Zaho de Sagazan. To write songs and stories about people, you definitely need a passion for people. You have to want to look at them to understand them. All people, not necessarily just one type of person. I want to get inside everyone’s mind, understand what’s going on, and be able to help them. I put a lot of time into my friendships, for me there is nothing more beautiful. »
♦ Zaho de Sagazan in concert at the Francos de Montréal, June 14th.