In search of “spectacular landscapes that can’t be found anywhere else”, Quebec artist Margaux Sauvé traveled nearly 12,000 kilometers to shoot the music video for the song Blackbirdsfrom his musical project Ghostly Kisses, in Namibia.
“We found ourselves a little crazy at first, but in the end, it was the best decision, the best trip, the best filming experience in life,” says Margaux Sauvé.
Assisted by a small team of eight people, which notably included the director Fred Gervais and a local guide, the singer-songwriter surveyed the fabulous deserts and abandoned villages of this country in the south of the African continent to put in image a song from his latest album that is particularly close to his heart.
“The music and the lyrics come from a very intimate, very real place in me. Blackbirds made too much sense, it took images that lived up to its depth,” she says.
Courtesy photo Salome Villeneuve
Investment
Shooting in Namibia obviously costs more than in Quebec. Margaux Sauvé did not disclose the total amount, but she speaks of an adventure that amounts to “two or three times the average budget” of a Quebec music video, valued at $20,000.
Aid programs enabled Ghostly Kisses to obtain financial support, but the artists also contributed. According to Margaux Sauvé, the director himself invested part of his savings by telling himself that the clip, magnificent by the way, was going to serve as his business card.
“I had a desire to push the art and our project to the maximum of its capabilities. Fred was in the same place. Between the two of us, it was a creative thunderbolt,” she explains.
Courtesy photo Salome Villeneuve
Popular in the Persian Gulf
Margaux Sauvé spoke to the Journal live from Dubai. Before leaving for two weeks of concerts in Europe, she sings tonight at the Dubai Opera, a 1000-seat hall located in the shadow of the tallest skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifa.
This is the first time that Ghostly Kisses has performed in the Persian Gulf region, a corner of the planet where the Quebec band has many followers.
Courtesy photo Salome Villeneuve
“In 2019, we observed listens on Spotify coming from Turkey. Then a lot of people from Iran started following us on Instagram, then there were people from Saudi Arabia on YouTube. We have more fans there. There is really a demarcation compared to elsewhere in the world. »
Why the Middle East? ? Margaux Sauvé does not know, but she has received a clue. “People I met when we went to play in Egypt and Turkey told me that they connected with music on an intimate, almost spiritual level. She accompanies them in both happy and difficult times. »
- Ghostly Kisses in concert at the Imperial Bell in Quebec, October 14.