| Fly girl >> France’s Barsony shakes up Francofolies
by LORRAINE CARPENTER
That’s the bopping boho life of 25-year-old Parisian singer Barsony, daughter of Piotr Barsony and half-sister of Arthur H, both of whom contribute to her eponymous debut, released last year by France’s Inca Records. A fervent mish-mash of French urban pop, ragga beats, African tribal rhythms, hip hop grooves and an arch punk spirit, Barsony’s sound is at once highly accessible and starkly individual, as are her lyrics. And her father’s lyrics. But having dad pen all but one of her 12 songs, and design the album cover, doesn’t strike this chanteuse as particularly unusual. “Yes, my father collaborated with me on the lyrics,” says (Maya) Barsony. “Working together wasn’t really a choice. We’ve been talking about it since I was a kid and the album just naturally came together that way. In fact, I’ve also worked with him on two children’s CDs, stories with music, La chanson volée and Tanbou.” But even before the kiddie projects, this father and daughter team were writing songs, poetry and short stories together (in lieu of her homework) on the terrasses of cafés when Maya herself was only a child. The lyrical roots of many of her songs stem from her teenage years, so it’s safe to say her album has been in the making for over a decade. Apart from her father’s contribution, Barsony’s family ties also weave their way into “Duo,” the duet with Arthur H that the siblings have performed together live a handful of times, at her shows and his. But Barsony’s follow-up promises to be a strictly solo, family-free affair. “My writing has improved so much with experience. I feel like I can be more honest, so it’s actually easier. I have more freedom. As for the next album, I’m starting slowly, I want to give myself time to breathe.”
“I’ve been doing trapeze since I was six years old,” says Barsony. “ I wound up in a course, almost by accident, and j’ai flashé, it was a revelation. I knew right away that this was for me, but my parents didn’t feel the same way. I started again two years ago. I do solo trapeze and pair routines with a male partner. And when the ceiling of a concert venue is high enough, and when I have the time to organize a routine, I include a trapeze number in my show where I sing at the same time.” Sadly, we won’t see any flying Frenchwomen at this year’s Francofolies, but her musical energy leaves little need for supplementary spectacle. “We don’t really try to reproduce the album, we do something even more lively. I think our arrangements work really well and I’m very proud of what we’ve done with the musicians live.” But trying to live up to the album’s diversity is daunting at best. With three-way production—by Barsony, Brooklyn-based Frenchman Henry “Scars” Struck and classical musician René Michel—the songs demand wide-ranging instrumentation, trumpet here, accordion there, sequencing underneath, piano on top, modest guitar and bass throughout. She even credits herself with “knife, fork” on one track. Most outstanding is the percussion, particularly on heavily African-influenced tracks like “La brank qui braque des banques.” “Yes, the pigmies,” says Barsony, an admitted rhythm junkie. “I love many forms of traditional music, klezmer and so on. In France, recently, there’s been a big wave of modernized Celtic music, and a lot of interesting uses of traditional styles. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had eclectic tastes. I’ve never been confined by one genre.” But, for three years, Barsony sang for R ’n’ P (Riche et Pauvre), whose straight-and-narrow funk did become confining. After breaking out of that band, she wandered into the world of dancehall reggae, using their open-mic sessions to develop the toasting skills she puts to work on her album, which also features guest freestyler Djseko on the ragga pop song “C’est ça le problème.” Eclectic,
eccentric, extroverted, urban and aggressive are all adjectives foist
upon Barsony (a word which, perhaps ironically, means “velour”
in Hungarian), often pictured as a slightly drole, crazy kid figure,
mainly in response to her image. At L’Aire Ford Focus (corner Ste-Catherine and Jeanne Mance) on Friday, Aug. 2, 6pm, free, and at the Spectrum with Stefie Shock and Son du Peuple (closing party) on Saturday, Aug. 3, 11pm, $8.50 >> Music Listings |
Imagine
you’re the daughter of a modernist painter and writer, and the
half-sister of an established music star. You grew up listening to Nina
Hagen and les Rita Mitsouko, your father’s Rolling Stones, your
mother’s Jacques Brel and your brother’s Clash records.
You’re a gamine, sporting sportswear, cropped hair and an accentuated
attitude. Oh, and you’re also a trapezist.