Name: Ciao Kennedy
Members: Samuel du Fontbaré (guitar), Leopold de San (guitar), Simon Boonen (drums), Geronimo de Halleux (keys), Gaspard de Bellefroid (bass)
Interviewee: Gaspard de Bellefroid
Nationality: Belgian
Current release: Ciao Kennedy's new album Solarium is out March 21st 2025 via Sdban.
Recommendation for Brussels, Belgium: Go see a show at Ancienne Belgique or Botanique!
Topic I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: The last Oklou album. I’m obsessed.

If you enjoyed this Ciao Kennedy interview and would like to stay up to date with the band and their music, visit them on Instagram, and Facebook.



When it comes to experiencing the sensation of “energy” as as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

Without thinking too much about it, the NPR live performance of the album beat music by Mark Guiliana comes to my mind. I feel very emotional when listening to this.

It comes from the work on groove and sound together alongside the super strong melodies. I feel that they understand the music they make so well that it feels really honest seeing them play together.

[Read our Mark Guiliana interview]

I have had a hard time explaining that listening to death metal calms me down. When you listen to a song with a particular energy, does it tend to fill you with the same energy – or are there “paradoxical” effects?

It really can be any of them from one day to another. In music I find myself enjoying the melancholic mixture of uplifting and harsh at the same time. But there’s clearly a time for each energy. A lot of dark bass music also gives me a lot of energy, makes me feel motivated, powerful …

I think the relation between the energy within the music and the one you feel while listening to it depends on the mood you need to be in at a moment. Every single situation is possible and will be different.

I sometimes listen to KGLW live performances playing their metal albums in bed before sleeping and I find it very relaxing as well because I simply enjoy it musically and I think they’re funny.

In as far as it plays a role for the music you like listening to or making, what role do words and the voice of a vocalist play for the transmission of energy?

Vocals do a lot in music. But I also listen to a lot of instrumental music, so I’ve learned to listen to the voice, or the instrumental aspects that make a band unique as would the voice be in a more frontal way.

But I don’t think anything matches words and voice in its capacity to touch most people deep down.

When it comes to experiencing the sensation of “energy” as as a creator, how would you describe the physical sensation of experiencing this energy? [Where do you feel it, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or a build-up of tension etc …]

Yes definitely, we often build up tension when working on music, searching for something without exactly knowing what it is and eventually when the pieces come together, we experience joy, euphoria ...

It makes the body and mind feel very good.

When it comes to composing / songwriting, are you finding that spontaneity and just a few takes tend to capture energy best? Or does honing a piece bring you closer to that goal?

We work a lot of hours on each track before it’s done! Also when recording, we think that attention to details is important for our music.

Sometimes, a good idea is quickly there but it takes a lot of time to arrive at an arranged, finished piece. At least for now, that’s how we do it.

How much of the energy of your own music, would you say, is already part of the composition, how much of it is the result of the recording process?

Most times, we work on the tracks in the rehearsal room together and record them once we think a track is ready or when we have a deadline.

For example, our last single “Limbo Rainbow” is the result of many versions that we tried by playing them together until we reach an arrangement that feels good to the five of us.



For your new album Solarium, what kind of energy were you looking for?

The album explores several different energies, from darker beats to very bright melodies which we find very important to spark emotions in the listeners' hearts. Melodies are often the focus in the tracks, as would be a voice eventually.

The uplifting kind of melancholy is an aspect that stands out in Solarium. Most tracks are quite high energy, we want an energetic and fun live experience. It’s a roller-coaster

How do you capture the energy you want in the studio?

By arriving prepared in the studio, we’re able to experience sounds and play around the initial parts which need to be solid enough for us to feel the freedom to go further when there’s time to.

In terms of energy, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

That’s a big aspect of our music. We spend time looking for the sound we have in mind and which fits the energy we want to reach.

Effect pedals are our dear friends for that. That’s a big part of the mixing, production process to build a track through the evolution of sound, volume, filters, distortion, playing on dynamics.

That’s also something we do in the rehearsal room to make it work for the live shows as well as in the studio versions.

How does the presence of the audience and your interaction with it change the energy of the music and how would you describe the creative interaction with listeners during a gig?

We love playing live to see people's reactions. That also influences us afterwards to adapt setlists.

Fun fact for example, if you look at our “JZKR” videoclip, you'll hear someone shout “arrêtez la musique” because somebody is dying in the crowd (fiction ;) ) and it happened a lot in concerts that people shouted the same thing when we play that track.

It feels very good to connect with people in any way, and we want to look further into that aspect in the future.

What kind of feedback have you received from listeners or concert audiences in terms of the experience that your music and/or performances have had on them?

We’ve had so many beautiful words and that’s always very nice to hear.

I know some people enjoy the diversity of emotions you can go through during a show, feeling like a journey through very different places in your mind. And if the global outcome is joy, that’s good for us :)

We keep working on our live shows to amplify this, to make it stronger and touch even more people !

Would you say that you prefer to stay in control to be able to shape the energy or do you surrender to it and allow the music to take over? Who, ultimately has control during a live performance?

Both exist, but I think we are in control for the main part. If we’re in good technical and musical conditions, for example, there will be a lot of energy coming from the stage and that’s always effective on the crowd.

If we feel good, playing good, we’ll be open for all energy transfers basically. In that case, the music plays its role and we join the people enjoying it.

The energy that music is able to generate can sometimes be overwhelming. How, do you think, can artists make use of this energy to bring about change in the world?

By continuing to make music for good reasons, to seek something that feels genuine to you and the people around you. That alone is already a major step  in the right direction.

Looking to reveal what’s beautiful in all of us, spreading love, connecting with people that share a passion … That’s the most important we can do as a band.