Ben Mazué's "Paradise"

Audio

SessionLab with Ben Mazué.

© RFI

By: Hortense Volle

3 min

Ben Mazué is a complete artist with an angelic smile, opal eyes, true generosity and devastating humor.

As if that were not enough, his 4th album is called "Paradis".

Journalist Hortense Volle went to meet her and went to her Parisian studio in the 18th arrondissement.

Original podcast in 3D audio to listen to with headphones.

Publicity

I admit, a few weeks ago, the French singer Ben Mazué, I had never listened to him.

It makes you wonder where I was in his last years!

Because this almost forty-something who was a doctor before becoming a musician, recently celebrated his 10-year career.

And above all, he is a more than inspired lyricist and composer.

A real

soulman

too.

Fan of the Americans Otis Redding, Al Green, Marvin Gaye or Ray la Montagne, he also closely follows the

French

soullady

Yseult.

Lover of words, Ben Mazué says he was influenced by singer Renaud because

"He has a very particular way of talking about his life and when he talks about his life, it echoes ours. So that I have. well copied ".

Result, and it is not so obvious: Ben Mazué knows how to talk about "cliché" moments in life, but without clichés. And even with great tenderness. To be convinced, just listen to his second album

33 years old

or the one that followed, certified Gold Record,

The Ideal Woman

. As if he wanted at all costs to keep the flame alive, he tells the story of the love that wears out after becoming a parent.

A year after the release of this record, Ben Mazué fulfills one of his dreams: he leaves Paris with his wife and children to live in the Indian Ocean, on Reunion Island.

But the "divine exile" is short-lived because the couple separates.

This is what tells this new album,

Paradis

.

Ben Mazué sums it up in these terms:

"It's not because it's over that it's messed up

.

"

Here I am reassured.

Especially since SessionLab new version goes to meet an artist in complete privacy and in 3D audio, it's not over, it's just starting.

Ben Mazué's

Facebook

/

Twitter

Instagram

/

YouTube

Titles broadcast in the podcast

Extracts from the album

Paradis

(Columbia-Sony Music / 2020):

Divine exile, Gaffe aux autres

(with Jeremy Frerot), 

Semaine A / Semaine B

(with Anaide Rozam),

When I walk, I will have liked you so much

Excerpts from the album

The Ideal Woman

(Columbia-Sony Music / 2017):

J'arrive, Dix ans de nous

Excerpts from

33 years old

(Columbia / 2014):

14 years old, Maybe we'll go far

Excerpts from

Ben Mazué

(Columbia / 2011):

Starting point

During our conversation Ben Mazué mentioned

 :

The arranger and co-director of

Paradis

, the multi-instrumentalist Guillaume Poncelet with whom he has collaborated for the album

33 years

The photographer and director of his videos Romain Philippon:

The Princess and the Dictator

, the show which celebrated its 10 years of career: Live at the Olympia

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