To be in symbiosis with oneself, singer-songwriter-musician Nacre presents her new relaxing music project entitled Levitation. You can hear an incredible voice and music that speaks to the soul. True to her signature style, all but one of the songs on the album are exclusively musical. A superb artist to discover.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nacre about the new music, challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

Hi, thank you for having me ! I am from Montreal in Quebec. I create ethereal atmospheric vocal songs mostly without lyrics.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

Since I was a little child, I have always created music in a style similar to what we can hear on the album. It was a normal evolution in my artistic path to come back to this. As a little girl, I would dance under a heavy summer rain and start singing loud improvisations. I would evacuate sadness from the loss of a close one by singing alone in my room in a similar fashion as in “Song for my Friend”, or simply improvising songs without lyrics while looking at a bird fly in the sky.

I added a lot of nature sounds in the album because they were my first inspiration. For various reasons, I have stopped listening to this inner chant for years and moved away from this mode of expression even though I was singing professionally. I restarted singing my emotions in my first EP “Still Possible” (2019) and seeing the positive comments gave me the motivation and confidence to continue expressing myself like that. I produced “Levitation” and published it in January 2021. I am proud of this album and I feel that it’s only the beginning, I have a lot more to express and share. I think the song “Can’t you Hear” is what introduces the next ones…

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

I am a classical singer, my previous releases were classical songs, but I am also a composer and I think I needed to express myself with my own voice and internal energy. I gave myself the permission to do so in a professional setting, to give all the space only to the atmosphere and the pure voice, I really started levitating ! I remember specific moments in the studio with “Sitting on the Mountain” where I was entirely absorbed in this sound universe. I think listeners have felt it because I got a lot of great feedback on that song. I am glad that I let myself dare to share those moments with them. Of course, every person receives music differently, they can have a different interpretation and that’s perfect, they make the song their own. On this album, there are a lot of contrasts in atmospheres, in the orchestration and the vocal work. For example “Whales at Dawn” and “Song for my Friend” are very different. But I think there is a clear link between each song. I took care of placing the songs in a specific order so the ambiances and tonalities form a progression and the listeners can follow them with me.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

The biggest challenge is visibility, and since it is hard to classify my music in any specific genre, it makes it even more difficult. I have to present my music and explain what I do. I know that with my music, we have to stop and take the time to listen and not everybody is ready for that and this is fine. I had to shorten my introductions in
“Reflexion” and “Whales at Dawn”, but I am convinced that it’s positive to take the time and listen to music peacefully. We need to free our minds once in a while, to make some space in our heads, just float with those mesmerizing songs and ambiances. Songs that come from the heart, from the soul can be inspiring and energizing. For me, music has always been a source of energy, a way to breathe, to live in the present. I think listeners benefit from visiting this sound universe.

Technology opens a lot of doors. With the streaming platforms, every artist can present their own creations and listeners can easily discover new musical styles, everywhere in the world. Thanks to this technology, I was able to collaborate with Abbey Road Studios on multiple songs and really find the sound that sounded the best for what I had in mind. I am also lucky that I can collaborate with composers from everywhere. I love those interactions, I only meet people passionate about their own music and it’s always fascinating to enter their universes. I am really touched that they like my voice, my style and they want me to add something to their pieces. Home studios are amazing ! I can keep singing a specific line as long as I want until I am really satisfied with how it sounds, I spend hours often very late at night, it would not be possible in a physical studio. Also, I am grateful for websites like yours taking interest in independent artists and giving us the opportunity to share and present our work.

What was the last song you listened to?

Actually, I just listened to my own album for this interview. I have to say that I spent more time on “Silence of the Snow” while looking at the snow falling from my studio window. Besides that, yesterday I was listening again to “Crouching TIger, Hidden Dragon” from Tan Dun. I love film soundtracks, I love composers like Danny Elfman, Bruno Coulais, Kitaro and many more. I listen to a lot of varied musical styles, I am always interested in discovering new sounds.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Vinyl because I love watching it turn, it reminds me of my grandparents and it calms me. It also reminds me of the early songwriters in Quebec.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I prefer Bandcamp because there is some social contact, the other streaming platforms are really anonymous.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

I am pretty active on Facebook and Twitter, to discover more music, my Spotify, iTunes and Youtube accounts are always up to date.

Anything else before we sign off?

Thanks a lot for this interview, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to my music and ask questions. I would love to hear what your readers think about my music, so feel free to reach out !