(Paris) “At times, we lose our bearings”: between confinement, a “permanent” deluge of negative information but also moments filled with hope, Patrick Bruel returns on Friday with a tenth studio album, Once againlargely inspired by current events.
“The period we are living in has never seemed so interesting to me: everything that happens to us is a source of so many questions about the individual and society”, confides the French singer to 10 million more albums sold. 40-year career, during an interview with AFP.
Global warming, health crisis… “At times, we lose our bearings. Everything is going so fast: one piece of information keeps chasing another. We go from magnificent moments of solidarity to a forced individualism which leads us to forget our essential values”, considers the interpreter of titles like Square of great men, I tell you anyway and Who has the right.
This “very dark” side of the news can be found in his new album Once again with in particular the piece We are talking about itwhich is “sort of my break the voice of 2022”.
A furious and poignant title, slammed on a crescendo rhythm. The song, whose writing began in 2018, was finalized in the last 48 hours before the album was sent: between a sleepless night after a concert in Switzerland, a plane to Venice, then another to Paris, the last line was written at the end of the night.
“I was watching TV: images of abortion rights banned in the United States were scrolling. The phrase “this bitter regression that insults time” then came to me and I finished the text. In principle, the whole album was already finished! says Patrick Bruel.
“The Right Suit”
SCREENSHOT
Once again by Patrick Bruel
In this new studio album, the 63-year-old singer juggles between electro-pop, urban sounds and “more classic” sounds, because, he says, “with each song, the right costume”.
A simple guitar-voice is enough, for example, to The institute : a title that pays tribute to the teaching staff, to the books, and to the mother of Patrick Bruel, herself a teacher. A song written during the health crisis, in isolation.
“There is necessarily a before and after confinement: we have developed another approach to nature, daily tasks, silence and loneliness. And it is this loneliness that has led to a different understanding of reading: a book is a friend that can save your life”, considers the singer.
If he re-read classic authors like Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balzac during confinement, he also injected something new into his music.
Starting with his unprecedented collaboration with the 26-year-old French artist Hoshi for two of the sixteen tracks on the album: I advance and Last drink, first coffee.
“From the start of his career, I hooked with his words, his personality, his charisma, his intelligence. I really like the message carried by its title love censorship that I had the opportunity to sing with her on stage”, he explains.
The singer born in Algeria, also a fan of the title The smell of gasoline by rapper Orelsan, says he enjoys exploring other musical styles.
“As I am based half the time in Los Angeles, I am immersed in urban music. I have a very close connection with hip-hop and I find that there is very good rap with coherent words. »
Can we see him rapping soon? ” Why not. I’ve always liked sharing artistic adventures: the idea of collaborating with rappers, I would really like that, ”he says.