Name: Emmanuelle Bonnet

Nationality: Swiss

Occupation: Musician, composer, vocalist
Current Release: Emmanuelle Bonnet's Préludzet Menuet, featuring a band composed of Yvonne Rogers (piano), Paul Pattusch (double bass), and Lucas Zibulski (drums) is out via Unit.
Pure Vocal Recordings Recommendation: I would recommend to listen to Jay Clayton’s albums such as: All Out and She’s Asleep (Steve Reich). Or to Sofia Jernberg.

If you enjoyed this Emmanuelle Bonnet interview and would like to stay up to date with her music and releases, visit her page on the website of her label Unit.
 


Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in your voice and singing? How and when did you start singing?

I have always sung and loved to sing.

As a child, I loved to find places with good acoustics in which to sing; for example. I used to spend a lot of time improvising in the stairwell …

If you're also playing other instruments, how does the expressive potential of these compare to your own voice?

I used to play the saxophone. I loved playing it, but at a certain point I felt that singing was the means of expression for me.

Then I started the piano, which has a different role: I can accompany myself when I sing, and I'm better able to link these two instruments, piano and voice.

Singing is an integral part of all cultures, and traditions. Which of these do you draw from – and why?

Baroque music is a great inspiration for me. There is something very pure about it, and there is improvisation as well; that's what I like.

You can hear this inspiration on my album, for example, I covered a piece by an Italian Baroque composer, Tarquinio Merula, which is called «Or ch'è tempo di dormire».

What were some of the main challenges in your development as a singer/vocalist? Which practices, exercises, or experiences were most helpful in reaching your goals – were there also “harmful” ones?

I don't have goals per se. I go with the moment and the encounters I make.

And from there, things are built, no matter where they take me. And I learn along the way.

How do you see the relationship between harmony, rhythm and melody? Do you feel that honing your sense of rhythm and groove has an effect on your singing skills?

It’s all connected. And of course honing my sense of rhythm and groove has an effect on my singing skills.

What are the things you hear in a voice when listening to a vocalist? What moves you in the voices of other singers?

I like natural voices. I don't like effects, when singers overdo it.

I could say that I like folk music and how voices are generally sung in this style.

How would you describe the physical sensation of singing? [Where do you feel the voice, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or tension etc …]

It has always been a mystery for me. And it still is!

Of course I learned what happens physically when you sing and I feel things, but it’s hard to describe.

Let me try. Some sort of release, or better: a cycle of tension-release. But «tension» not in a bad way, I would say support and release.

What kind of musical settings and situations do you think are ideal for your own voice?

When there’s space to improvise. When there’s a good atmosphere.

Getting along with the musicians you play with is just as important as the musical connection.

We have a speaking voice and a singing voice. Do these feel like they are natural extensions of each other, ends on a spectrum or different in kind?

I think they’re very different to me; when I hear myself talking I hate it, but when I listen to my album for instance, I appreciate my sung voice.

From whispers to screams, from different colours to dynamics, what are the potentials and limits of your voice? How much of your vocal performance can and do you want to control?

I like: softness, exploring sounds, sometimes screaming or laughing.

But it’s more about what I like or don’t like in the music than the limitations of my voice. It has to make sense musically.

When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

Of course it has to sound «good».

Actually I’m not really a songwriter, I don’t write very often proper «songs» with definite parts. I am very interested in sounds and textures, and sometimes words with a meaning can help going in that direction.

But I love singing songs with long lyrics as well, also when they’re not mine. I like entering the world of someone else and trying to do something with it.

Strain is a particularly serious issue for many vocalists. How do you take care of your voice? Are the recipes or techniques to get a damaged voice back in shape?

Actually I don’t know. I never really had real damage on my voice.

But of course, I am always very afraid of getting sick before a series of concert. Then I am a bit paranoid and drink ginger the whole day …

How has technology, such as autotune or effect processing, impacted singing? Has it been a concrete influence on your own approach?

Not really. I am quite old fashioned in that sense. I never use any electronics or effects such as autotune on my voice.

What I am searching for is more spaces with nice accoustics or reverb that I can play with.

Motherese may have been the origin of music, and singing is possibly the earliest form of musical expression, and culture in general. How connected is the human voice to your own sense of wellbeing, your creativity, and society as a whole?

Singing is something that makes happy.

I remember when I was a child, after each singing or choir lesson I was going back home happier than before. Singing in the street and the arms swinging…