Christophe Maé has changed his mind. But this time, for fun. The coronavirus crisis put an abrupt end to the tour he had just launched in early March, in the wake of his new album, "The Artist's Life". For two weeks, the 44-year-old musician has locked himself in the Fabrique, a magnificent studio in the countryside, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), to re-record old songs for 'a reissue of his latest album, scheduled for October, as well as an unreleased track, "l'Ours", in duet with Youssou N'Dour. After an intimate concert in front of forty people on Friday evening, he answered our questions.
How did you react when the containment was announced in March?
CHRISTOPHE MAE. We were on our fourth tour date, in Nantes. We got off the stage and learned about it by turning on the television. Even if we suspected it, it was a blow. We didn't think it would be that fast. We then all said "goodbye" by meeting two months later to play in summer festivals. And it took on an unimaginable scale. It was a lot of frustration. It has been over a year and a half that I imagined this show down to the last detail and, suddenly, everything fell apart. Today, at the Fabrique, this is the first time that I have found my musicians.
How did your confinement go?
We are lucky, I was in my house, in a small village between Aix and Marseille, it was cool and the weather was nice. The first ten days, I went around in circles, I was disgusted, unhappy not to do this tour. But, in truth, there was really nothing dramatic. I haven't stopped for fifteen years, I haven't seen the fistons too much (Editor's note: Jules, 12, and Marcel, 6) . There, it was a unique and magical opportunity to spend time with family. And suddenly, the confinement turned into a positive experience: I had no more pressure from my job, I took a step back on what I do. That moment reminded me that in fact everything could stop. And this reality, I took it in the face, like most people.
Following the new ministerial directives we are obliged to postpone certain dates of the tour.
As the date at #Lille cannot be moved, you can refer to the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Thank you for your understanding and see you soon on the road! 🎪 pic.twitter.com/vNtCyNLDTn
How were your days going?
I am hyperactive, rarely at home usually! I did an hour of cardio every morning. Then I made lunch because I always liked to cook. In the afternoon, a little football with the little ones and four to five hours of music with a recording console that I had never taken out of its box.
Were you listening to music?
A lot. I am in loop on the Cameroonian artist Blick Bassy and a lot of African music which must feed my new project. And then, with my sons, I hear hip-hop from evening to morning, from Moha La Squale to Bigflo and Oli via Jul. I love to see them dance. I sing Jul's "Tchikita" with them, we have fun. But I also want to add Aznavour and Cabrel to them.
Would you like to record a duet with Jul?
I have great respect for what he does, for people who don't sleep, and not everyone is so creative. I met him once and we talked about it! If we have the right song, the door is always open. As for the one I just recorded with Youssou N'Dour.
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VIDEO. Christophe Maé sings "Where is happiness" in Paris
What has changed for you during this period?
Without confinement, I would not have considered this reissue of the album, scheduled for October, because normally I was on my tour. And I would not have had time. There, people who like me will be able to hear old pieces revisited with African and Cuban sounds. We have recorded 16.
Will you be one of the first artists to repeat concerts in September?
Yes, it is a gamble, because on September 4, we are on the road with gauges of less than 5000 spectators (Editor's note: to respect sanitary constraints) . In my head and that of the team, from the guy who drives the semi-trailer to the musicians, we are all in the same state of mind: we leave and that's it. So, obviously, we don't know how the pandemic will evolve. But there is no question of playing in front of 4000 masks who are afraid of catching the coronavirus. Everything must be there to have a good time. We will have a central stage, very close to the public, with ten musicians. If we cannot keep this festive spirit, we will postpone the tour again, in March 2021.
You gave an intimate concert on Friday evening at La Fabrique in front of forty people. Does it give you new desires?
Yes. In outdoor places, like here in the garden of a Provencal farmhouse, I want to play without a microphone, to leave more room for the solo musicians behind me. I take as much, if not more pleasure, than when I'm on big stages. I also plan to take a tour of vineyards next spring. I already have the image: an old-fashioned foodtruck, barrels, 300 people and a concert in the middle of vineyards. I will calibrate the dates according to the wines I like. That won't stop me from having big festivals. But I also want to add smaller gauges to 1500 people next to it. I aspire to that, fewer people.
Are you afraid that people won't come back in concert?
There will be no middle ground: if this Covid disappears, people will be thirsty to go out, to party, and it could be packed to everywhere and for many artists, because there is a lack huge ... It was a punishment, however, to stay at home. Deprivation of liberty is nothing more difficult.