Rediscover Mônica Freire | The Press

Returning from her native Brazil, where she spent most of the last 15 years, Mônica Freire gives new meaning to her mixed music. Ilhadahis first album since 2008, is imbued with a familiar sweetness and rich oriental sounds never before heard in his universe.

Nearly 25 years ago, regulars at Cabaret des choruses, a stage version of a radio show hosted by Monique Giroux entitled The choruses first, were able to discover the beautiful voice of Mônica Freire. The singer and musician of Brazilian origin took up The waters of Marsin French and Portuguese.

His almost mellow singing, his beautiful Brazilian accent and the smile that we heard in his performance had everything to seduce the ear. Her charm unfolded even more on her two records from the early 2000s where she mixed her Brazilian roots with electronic tinkering (Bahiatronica2005) or features borrowed in particular from reggae and Indian music (Na Laje2008).

Where is this great traveler in 2024? Back to Quebec, first. Returned from a long stay in Brazil during which she contributed to the mobilization of women in music and deepened her knowledge of its musical heritage. “I left Brazil at the age of 17,” she recalls. My knowledge of Brazilian music ended there. I needed to understand her better. »

Multiple roots

Rediscovering one’s musical roots means knowing oneself better, for Mônica Freire, who has always been interested in identities.

His quest for identity has long been reflected in an interest in Afro-Brazilian drums and in indigenous cultures, his father having come from such a mixture.

Afro-Brazilian percussion remains omnipresent on Ilhada, his first album in over 15 years. However, his new songs shine far beyond the usual sound mix characteristic of the largest country in Latin America. Following the thread of her maternal lineage, Mônica Freire explores for the first time in music her Syrian and Lebanese family background.

“There are many traders from the Middle East who came to Itabuna, the town where I grew up, south of Salvador de Bahia, at the end of the 19th century^e century. The crossover with oriental culture did not begin there, in Brazil, but traces remained, more in the food than in the music. We find influences, especially in the songs. »

A symphony of timbres

Oriental sounds are not discreet on Ilhada. Several songs highlight those of the oud (played by Nazih Borish or Ayham Abou Ammar) and the kanun, a plucked string instrument present from the Levant to Iran which sometimes sounds like a harp, played here by Didem Baçar. Fine ears will also recognize the sound of the derbouka (North African drum), the balafon (mandingo wooden xylophone) and will discover that of the ney, a flute dating from the time of the pyramids.

Mônica Freire also insists on the crucial contribution of each of the musicians we hear on her album in the creative process.

Ilhada thus turns out to be a symphony of mostly acoustic timbres (Jean Massicotte, co-producer of the disc, adds a little electronic violin making) where the mixtures flow naturally. The whole is rich, never overloaded and takes you everywhere (Turkey, Brazil, Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa), without giving the impression of being scattered.

There is also a little bit of Quebec in Mônica Freire’s island. In addition to having been recorded here with local musicians, Ilhada has several songs where the singer and musician switches from Portuguese to French. There is also one all in French, Nanasigned Pierre Flynn, from which she had taken My little warriorin bilingual version, on his disc Bahiatronica.

Mônica Freire feels anchored in Montreal, the city where she has been happiest in her life and where she says she finds inner peace. However, she is on the move and hopes to tour a lot with her multicultural group. First stop: March 20, at the Lion d’or, for a free concert, but for which you must reserve your seats.

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Mixed Brazilian music

Ilhada

Mônica Freire

Mônica Freire / Audiogram