On the occasion of the release of their new album in June and the start of their concert tour in September 2022, the Toulouse duo Bigflo and Oli spoke to France Bleu about the evolution of their project through songs still more sincere and closer to who they are on a daily basis.
““The others are us” means a lot.“The new album by Bigflo and Oli is the culmination of the evolution of a project and personalities from a first album published in 2015. The two Toulousains ignited theArena Agreement from Paris to celebrate the release of their new opus on June 24, before embarking on a new concert tour from September. A long-awaited reunion, both for the public and for the singer-songwriters.
Today, Florian and Olivia they can not anymore “play the two little Toulouse boys who arrive full of ardor“. Building on their success with the threshold of the million albums sold, crossed in 2019, they now perform in large halls bringing together several thousand people.
They are also requested by young artists advice takers. This is how, in their words, they became “others“.
Fewer filters
The album of maturity? The duo are not too fond of labels, but are not opposed to this name. “I don’t think it bothers me” admits Bigflo. The two artists find that “quite classy and rewarding“.
“Maturity, why? Because we assume our fragility, we go after lots of ideas.”
This album is scented with a “form of freedom“, in particular by the choice of guests and the themes evoked through the lyrics. The guests on the album are as surprising as they are diverse: from the rapper Booba to the iconic Francis Cabrel, Passing by Vald Where Leto.
We are closer and closer to who we really are in life, there are fewer and fewer filters.
Bigflo and Oli try to make what looks like an artists’ mask disappear. For them, the authenticity of this album comes from the fact that there is “less and less filters”. This gives them a closeness that is both artistic and human with their many fans.
A meeting and a title with Francis Cabrel
The two brothers return to their meeting with the singer Francis Cabrel: “We were very moved to have him and it will remain a lifelong memory for us to hear his voice.“They even went to his personal studio, in Astaffort, in Lot-et-Garonne. A mythical place that would make more than one lover of French song dream.
I remember, when we went to his studio in Astaffort, a bit lost at 1h30 from our house, it was legendary for us.
This meeting between two different musical generations can raise questions about the question of the identity of French song today, when it meets rap.
“And if we were the new French song, in the end?“
Rappers are wondering about the place of rap in French song today. They allude to the rapper Youssoupha who in one of these texts affirms from 2015: “We are the French song.“
The dream of the Stade de France
Oli dreams of doing a concert in the mythical Stade de France.
For Bigflo, this incredible dream is not quite near yet: “The public will choose where it will take this album, it’s a seed that we plant.“
The duo will begin their French tour in a small Parisian venue on September 29, at La Maroquinerie.