With her rosy red cheeks, captivating vocals and timeless style, Petite Meller is the epitome of whimsicality. The French singer/songwriter is renowned for her hypnotic, wind up toy-like melodies and ethereal voice. She is yet to release her debut album but already has the music industry and the press on the edge of their seats. We caught up with her to find out more about the girl piquing everyones interest. We introduce to you, Petite Meller.
1.Tell me a bit about your childhood in France and how did it have an influence on your music?
Petite Meller: “There was always a silly French disco song in the background but my mom was always into Heavy existential poetic chansons like Baudelaire and Sartre. For me music will always be a combination of those two with jazz melodies, I call it mon ‘nouveau jazzy pop’.”
Petite Meller on her signature rosy cheeks: “When I was younger, I went on skiing vacations with my grandparents. I would always come back with really burnt cheeks. The kids at school would always think that something bad had happened to me.”
2. Who did you look up to in the music world when you were younger?
Petite Meller: “Artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker are my inspirations.”
3. You recently graduated with a philosophy degree, has it overlapped with your music in any way?
Petite Meller: “Actually, most of my songs were written during philosophy lessons. Lacan, Deluze Kant and Shakespeare’s ideas are what I subconsciously write about. They’ve build my phantasmic self as a songwriter.”
4. Do you use what you learn in the songwriting/songmaking process?
Petite Meller: “There is a perfect example of how a song can be made through contemplating a philosophical idea. I really liked the sound of the word ‘backpack’ but it’s only in retrospective that I had a full perception of what it is really about. It’s something that used to hold you back but finally becomes your best virtue, that is my backpack.”
5. Do you find the process of creating new music easy?
Petite Meller: “It’s all about absorbing ideas and giving them life with someone who gets you. That’s when the magic happens!”
6. “NYC Time” is also such a great track. What was the inspiration behind it?
Petite Meller: “NYC Time was written while walking down the streets of Manhattan. For me NYC has it’s own time sphere, in which you can’t run away from living your dreams.
It was my call to create my own genre. The magic of the city brought me back to the Jazz and blues recollections of my childhood. My friend Justin, who carries me on his shoulders in this video represents this whole voyage from empty suburbia to where it all happened – New York.”
7. Do you have a personal favourite of your own tracks? Is there any you have a particular attachment to at all?
Petite Meller: “They’re all my babies, my current favourite is Baby Love. A joyful gospel pop tune.”
8. Are there any venues in particular you’d like to perform in?
Petite Meller: “I’d love to preform in a library in Vienna. Libraries for me is where heaven is. Singing for all those dead poets lying up there would be true enjoyment.”
9. What does the future hold for you?
Petite Meller: “I’ll be releasing my debut album this year. Bringing the libidinal dream into reality was always at the top of my aims.”
10. Lastly, if you could sum yourself up in one sentence, what would it be?
Petite Meller: “Je suis la muse de ma muse.”
‘NYC Time’ is out now via Night Beach Records, buy it here.
Follow Petite Meller on Twitter: @PetiteMeller
Follow Petite Meller on Instagram: @PetiteMeller
Imagery courtesy of Roberto Farruggio.
With special thanks to Harry Gilmour.
