Icons & influences: Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone and Beyoncé seen by La Relève-rolling Stone
They broke the codes, traced their own paths and made possible new perspectives.Haim, Brittany Howard and Chloe X Halle pay homage to their lifelong icons
Joni Mitchell, by the Haim sisters
Haim is a trio of musicians from Los Angeles.Last year, they unveiled their new album, the brilliant Women in Music, Part III, considered a major disc of 2020, a mixture of Neo-Folk and Soft Rock.
Danielle Haim: Miles of Aisles is Joni Mitchell's album that launched our love story, and it is the one to which I always come back.It is a 1974 album album. There is a bit of everything (…) and she plays them with the L.A. Express, which was an incredible jazz group.It’s a great canvas to make your music vibrate.
Este Haim: She was more and more interested in jazz in the 1970s. This disc is a re-imagination of many of her first work in the optics of jazz.Of course, when we heard it for the first time, we didn't think about it.We went with our mother to this record store, nestled in the valley, called second bin, who, unfortunately, had to close.
Alana Haim: I was about six years old.It was almost the only CD that was in our mother's car - I don't think she knew how to change the disc, so we listened to that.And because we were so young, because my mother knew all the songs by heart and I thought she was Joni Mitchell.She knew each phrasing and each melody.
Este: Our mother played the guitar and was not afraid to sing, and fortunately, she has a very good voice.The way our mother loved Joni, it made us love Joni even more.
Danielle: In high school, when our friends lived their first love sorrows, I saw their mothers say to them: "Listen Blue, '" A Case of You, "" River " - these songs were the handkerchiefs of many of oursorrows.
Alana: We had the chance to listen to her when we were very young.At six, listening to Miles of Aisles, we don't really understand the meaning of the words.And then we sort of grew up with her.Each year, his songs take new meanings, and I think that is the beauty of Joni.
Danielle: Her sense of rhythm has always been in our DNA.
Nina Simone, by Brittany Howard
Brittany Howard made her weapons with the group Alabama Shakes, where she officiates as a singer, guitarist and composer.She released her first solo opus in 2019, the excellent Jaime.A disc that earned him 4 nominations with Grammy Awards.
What touches me most in Nina is her sensitivity, her ability to be incredibly powerful, terribly vulnerable.She knew her value.She fought for the rights to her music, for the royalties which were obviously due to her.People put her on the side, calling her this "black and angry woman.But it was his songs.These are its performance.
This is something I hang on: you must always monitor your back in this industry.She wanted love, a connection, to feel her value.She wanted to be heard.She wanted justice.
I don't know if I will understand it one day fully.There is this aspect at home, which has remained an inspiration for me, which was not to believe in the need to make a commercial success.I think she had a lot of frustrations, but in the end, it didn't matter.She was herself, even if it was complicated or sometimes disastrous, or even if it might seem bad sometimes.It was her.
With the development of Youtube, I was able to immerse myself more in his repertoire, I learned more about Nina.There are new images of his concert "Stars" at the Montreux jazz festival in 1976. It is a song by Janis Ian.She and Janis were very friendly.I also think of "Backlash Blues" and "I Wish I KNEW How It WOULD FEEL TO BE FREE", of this same performance in Montreux in 1976. These performances give me chills.
Playing may seem trivial, but I think she did something more than just "playing".And that's something I want to do.It's more than a matter of money.It is more than being able to fill rooms thanks to its name or rewards, or distinctions.Today, I have the opportunity to perform on stage, I am accepted as I really am.It’s very inspiring.
She was all these things.She was full of rage, revenge, problems.She was all these things - but she was above all a human being.In our particular culture, we want our superstars to be perfect.Nina Simone is a superstar, an icon, which is anything but perfect.
Beyoncé, by Chloe X Halle
Chloe X Halle is a duo of American singers composed of the sisters Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey.Coming from the generation of artists propelled via YouTube (their covers of Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Rihanna had at the time cardboard), they released the acclaimed album, UNEGODLY HOUR, in June 2020.
Beyoncé is the true definition of "being yourself", "to work hard" and "to give the best of her person".As a young artist and young black woman, you automatically know your value.You know that you have to put yourself in a force position, especially when you see such an artist.You say to yourself: "Look at this other black woman who breaks the barracks.All she has to do is to be herself.»»
She understands perfectly what it means to be an artist.So when you produce, it’s only our own ideas, our own words and melodies.[Chloe X Halle are signed on the Beyoncé label, Parkwood Entertainment, Editor's note] We have total freedom of creation.She lets us deploy our wings, experiment, do what we want.
Of course, we love and appreciate his remarks.When we sent her our latest album, UNGODLY HOUR, she had almost no comments - which is rare.We were amazed, but so happy.It’s a difficult journey, very difficult to be on the scene.A little thing you do can be over-analyzed by the whole world.We must remain strong and not be put down.Seeing Beyoncé gets up above the whole crowd and just being comfortable with her talent is so inspiring.With it, you don't need to sift your light.Shine, just.Be yourself.Be free.Because she did, she pushes us to believe that we can do it too.
Interviews extracted from Rolling Stone USA number 1349 (March 2021).Translation: Rolling Stone France/Samuel Regnard
