My loves, all the time such a pleasure to put in writing to you, to have this house and alternative to specific myself freely at any time when the time is true. There was a time, I bear in mind, after I was about 17 or 18 after I was writing articles on right here on a regular basis and generally I scroll again at my archives and look again at that interval of my life. It feels so way back and on the identical time, fairly shut. The start, the eagerness to be heard, the willingness to turn into somebody, to do one thing, to flee routine and unusual life… I used to be craving journey, craving the likelihood to unlock a life I by no means thought I’d at some point have entry to. Web turned a window into one other world, and a chance to construct a brand new life. In that sense, I’ve been experiencing the mysterious bliss of virtuality for a few years now… I need to hold this text lighter than the final one the place I expressed myself on quite a lot of issues that have been troublesome, and intensely painful all through this expertise. I need to focus on this publish, on the wonder and studying that got here together with it.
My relationship with know-how started at a really younger age, with my dad who labored primarily with computer systems, so I used to be all the time very delicate to the tech world. I all the time had a deep fascination for it, and located in some ways my confort in it. Rising up as an solely little one, and being an introvert, video video games actually turned my playground. As an alternative of going out with different kinds and enjoying within the park, I may sit and play video video games for hours with out ever taking a break. I used to be completely hooked on what they made me really feel, the adrenaline, the problem, the frenzy. It felt like actuality couldn’t make me really feel such intense issues in such a brief period of time. Confronting different youngsters within the “actual world” has all the time been very troublesome too, I used to be all the time too delicate relating to what others have been pondering of me and every thing for some purpose simply felt awkward. Whereas within the digital world, you possibly can select to be anybody you need, create your individual avatar, construct a completely new life, new group of digital pals… It by some means felt a lot simpler to put on a masks.
Ultimately that’s additionally what occurred with the weblog in a method as I can now make a transparent parallel between these two tales. I all the time had an odd method to seing myself in footage. As I informed you, there was a time after I was posting articles each single day, a large number of images of myself in numerous conditions and locations… What may really feel like absolute and full narcism felt to me just like the creation of a personality. I believe I loved it as a result of after I was trying again on the footage, it didn’t even really feel prefer it was actually me however as an alternative a curated model of what I ultimately wished to be. I used to be by no means absolutely snug with my darkish aspect, with my profound melancholy or introversion. To me there was no good in that. I had fairly a stereotypical concept of the sort of character it is advisable have to be able to achieve success in life, or at the least to ensure that different folks to love you… And it primarily advanced round fixed optimism and absolute positivity. One thing I don’t essentially agree with anymore as my imaginative and prescient is extra tinted now. I discover a lot magnificence and purity in multi-faced personalities which have a little bit of every thing and that embrace all of the huge scope of their interior colours and feelings… Accepting each single side of who they’re with out ever falling into social requirements or norms however as an alternative, making their very own guidelines. I’ve been attempting thus to embrace a extra full model of myself. What I used to be scared to be or present earlier than, I now put on proudly as a power. To me, there’s something fairly fantastic within the concept of inspiring folks with one thing darkish. Making folks pleased with one thing unhappy. If something, I want for it to be my objective. Encourage others to not be afraid of this aspect of themselves, a aspect all of us have in us. However as an alternative to put on it proudly, put on our fears and vulnerabilities as manifestations of our human power.
The boundaries between actuality and virtuality are positively changing into blur and I all the time felt that by my work, I used to be changing into considerably of a digital determine. My concept of actuality and what’s actuality was corrupted not directly. The concept I even had of myself was digital. Now, trying again at it. I really assume that in a method, I created a digital character, an avatar that mirrored a perfect that appeared applicable at the moment in my life. I may examine this to the precise CGI influencers that at the moment are “current” nearly on social media, precise digital ladies like Lil Miquela or Noonoori who’ve simply as many followers as actual, human style makers. To me, this concept is completely unbelievable. The truth that they are often something and anybody is fascinating. As a human being, in fact you’ll be able to select to be whoever you’d wish to be however let’s face it, there’s a sure pure predetermination. You’re born right into a sure household, in a sure nation, you’re uncovered to a particular training and many others… Additionally in fact there’s the bodily predetermination. We will’t absolutely select or completely management what we seem like… However a digital character could be anybody and something it’s creator decides. These days, manufacturers are increasingly more wanting to work with digital influencers as they’re much extra “impartial” than human beings that include a previous, current and future. As an alternative these digital beings can adapt precisely to every model and be anchored within the infinite current. Their existence being simply as adaptative as it could get.
All of this in fact triggered quite a lot of pondering in the case of music. I knew that I wished my subsequent tune to speak about virtuality and this relationship now we have with our personal illusions. So long as it makes you’re feeling one thing, do we actually care if it’s actual or not? If virtuality can set off the identical emotional depth as actuality, then how can we distinguish the 2? And particularly, what if virtuality can really make us really feel issues extra intensely than actuality, concentrating on precisely our wants and delivering precisely what we’re on the lookout for? I’m fascinated by VR and the improvements we’ve been making within the subject. It jogs my memory of the video video games I used to play as a toddler, when it was so intense and immersive that you simply overlook what’s really round you… I’d play a lot that I’d really even dream of it at night time. You guys ought to completely watch this episode of Black Mirror, it’s fascinating to me how know-how can analyze our reactions and emotions to ship precisely what we want, giving us every a personalised expertise. It’s additionally fairly intriguing in a method as life itself, has such a random issue, you by no means actually know what you’re gonna get, however with know-how there’s a assure that comes alongside making it at terribly tempting expertise…
My new tune “VR” is all about that, and extra particularly it addresses how virtuality and know-how have an effect on our courting life. I believe our era is so deeply influenced by social media, this instantaneous gratification, this digital bubble stuffed with alternatives. We devour every thing at an extremely quick tempo and it looks like these are mechanisms we apply now to our love life as nicely. Not likely making the hassle, being afraid of our personal emotions, being afraid of affection, and of being cherished. However what if know-how can provide you precisely what you want? This instantaneous “activate” all of us crave every now and then… I had this concept of a nightclub the place folks can go to fulfill mysterious creatures in digital actuality and so the entire concept began like that. My unbelievable good friend Giovanna Gorassini directed the music video (she can also be the one who labored with me on Clockwork) and we each wished to create a psychedelic, retro-futuristic imaginative and prescient, one thing out of house and time… That’s why I wished the principle character to be alien-like, or at the least not human. So we bought our stunning fish-boy who enters the magical VR Paradise and the sport begins.
I’m so glad and pleased with this new work. Such stunning reminiscences of being on set and dealing with all these completely marvelous folks. To all my pals who got here by, who gave their time and delightful power so generously : thanks. Christopher, Andy, Nicolas, Sylvain you guys completely rocked it. Because of all of the crew who created such dreamy photos and mirrored precisely what I had in thoughts, Sasha, Sully, Gisele, Thomas, Richard… Because of the Pink Paradise for letting us movie in such a completely beautiful location that matches the universe so completely. Because of my staff at E.47 information for giving me a lot freedom to create, Nico, Helène, Joelle, Léo and naturally Cyril and my love Anne-Sophie. I really feel actually part of such a ravishing household and am so grateful and proud. And final however not least, due to all of you, for sticking round, for nonetheless being right here, for studying this. A lot like to all of you.
I’m so glad to share with you bellow all the photographs from the set! You may take heed to the tune by clicking on this hyperlink, and naturally the music video can also be down bellow!
And be careful as my upcoming EP drops this month! 26TH OF OCTOBER HERE WE COME!!!
