The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Music is my first language: Emily Loizeau

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Music is my first language: Emily Loizeau

Special Correspondent

Lyricist, singer, pianist and flautist – all rolled into one, she is influenced by French, American singers

Class act: Singer-pianist Emily Loizeau performing in Hyderabad on Sunday during the Fete de la Musique-Music Day 2007.

HYDERABAD: “My music has been joyful, bizarre, absurd, weird and a bit crazy too,” giggles Emily Loizeau, part of the ‘French Kiss’ entourage.

An hour before setting the stage on fire on the chilly rainy Sunday evening at Hyder Mahal in Kakatiya Sheraton enthralling select audience of the city, Emily loquaciously rolled out her life in a tête-À-tête with reporters.

Career in music

Jogging her memory on how she found a career in music, she said: “Music is my first language.

I learnt how to read musical notes, even before I learnt how to read letters and words.”

She attributed credit to her family, most of whom were engaged in theatre.

Mixed parentage

She takes pride in being half British (mother) and half French (father), for she could pen and sing songs demonstrating a trans-Atlantic assortment of songs.

A lyricist, singer, pianist and flautist – all rolled into one, Emily said her music had the influence of French chanson (Jeanne Moreau, Serge Gainsbourg, Michel Legrand) and as much of American lyricist-singers Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Randy Newman.

Beginning at a very tender age of five, she studied classical music for several years.

While dedicating three years to theatre, she had assisted composer and stage manager George Aperghis.

First album

She released her first album, L’Autre du Monde’s, which means ‘the other side of the world’, in March 2006.

Talking passionately about her music, Emily said it was very much cabaret-like with mix of music, stories and images.

Images, indeed, played an important role.

Narrating the themes, she said it had two mainstreams – childhood (dreams, nightmares and loss of childhood) and death (losing someone you love, being scared of someone dying).

‘Not a narcissist’

As if to demonstrate that her feet are firmly rooted in the ground in spite of her celebrity status, she simply said: “I am not a narcissist to think that I am world star or anything like that.”

This philosophy student studied a lot about India and always wanted to visit “this magical country.”

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