Q&A: Adeline
FUNKY AND SOULFUL is the simple way to put the music of Adeline's solo adventure. Serving as the vocalist of Escort, the disco revivalists of our generation, it comes of no surprise to fans to find the similarities in Adeline's solo project. Adeline debuted her solo career in July of this year with "Emeralds" and was instantly met with praise by Escort fans and new fans alike. Later in the summer, Adeline performed more material from her album, [ad•uh•leen], at New York's Afropunk music festival.
The power of Adeline's voice emanates on every single track on her debut solo album, [ad•uh•leen]. Though the album features slower paced songs, the disco element is still just an intertwined as ever before. Tracks like "Before" give the listener a funky upbeat track to dance to while tracks like "Come and Go" give the listener an emotional song to latch onto. Previously fronting an all-male band, Adeline's feminist energy radiates throughout the album, leaving the listener charmed and empowered. [ad•uh•leen] is a terrific debut for Adeline and truly captures the power of her voice and her bold persona. Read on to learn more about Adeline and the album and make sure to give [ad•uh•leen] a listen.
LUNA: How would you compare [ad•uh•leen] to the music of Escort?
ADELINE: Besides the fact that the project is so much more personal and introspective, the music is also a lot slower. It has disco and dance moments but I would say my solo music sits on the soul/funk end of the disco spectrum and Escort is on the dance/party end of it. The production here is more loose and "dirtier". I also took a lot more freedom with the vocals (ie, a lot more screaming haha)
LUNA: Did you have a common theme when writing and recording for this album?
ADELINE: Yes. Being an independent black immigrant woman in 2018.
LUNA: How has your French-Caribbean background influenced you as an artist? Have you ever thought about singing in French?
ADELINE: Music is a huge part of the Caribbean culture, it's like a language for us. Every family gathering we ever had included singing and dancing (until very late hours most of the time!) So expressing myself through music and rhythm has always been a part of my existence.
My father is from the island of Martinique and my mother is from one of the most rural areas in the South of France. I think coming from such opposite spectrums of France has somehow taught me to be fearless in blending very different things together whether it's in my music or my style. I would absolutely love to sing more in French, I love writing in French so much. The language lends itself to metaphors so easily it's so fun. There is one song in French on the album that I'm excited for!
LUNA: What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned from working as a solo artist vs being in a band?
ADELINE: I recently realized that being an indie solo artist means constantly having to make important choices that can never be completely wrong in the end because they are MY choices. It took me a while to realize, "wait I'm doing this for myself and no one else!" but when that started to sit in, everything became easier because I got rid of a lot of fears.
LUNA: Do you have any advice for young creatives - more specifically young women or those from underrepresented backgrounds?
ADELINE: It's very important for me to spread a particular message to women in music: you can make your music on your own. Your ideas are great, trust yourself. And more importantly, you do not need a man to produce your music. I think the music business needs to see a shift immediately and just like in the movie industry, it will have to start with women (fortunately and unfortunately).
I truly believe that things will start shifting for the better when we see more female producers. When we no longer need the approval of men we will allow women of all shapes, ages and backgrounds to find a place to express themselves.
LUNA: What do you want people to take away from[ad•uh•leen] ?
ADELINE: I hope they can find a song for each mood, for each moment of their day. A great advise I received was "music is supposed to feel good". So I just hope that people feel good when they hear this music.
