Marie Davidson

Hi,

I hope this finds you well, but if you are not well, I would understand. We are going through complicated times. Last week I was asked to provide information about the backstory of my latest single Fun Times and I realized it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Essentially this song is about my willingness to keep having fun in a rather dark era. The lyrics are catchy and straight to the point; nevertheless, because I chose to sing about crucial life decisions, everything I will say about it makes me feel like I'm trying to justify myself, but really, I'm not.

So I've chosen to not reproduce. Let's get into it!

There are two ways to reproduction; essentially the idea is to make more, either by making babies or creating copies. I personally, try not to partake in any of it. Before going any further, it's important for me to say I love children. I really do! I love kids, young and old, and I think it's necessary to stay in touch with parts of what we were growing up. Some refer to this concept as the "inner child", but I'm a bit reluctant to use this term since it can easily sound corny or linked to personal growth branding. Anyhow, I do think it's important not to let go of all innocence. I'm not proposing to remain in innocence, but to keep space for being surprised, astonished and enthusiastic about minor events. Some of the most pleasant experiences can only be experienced at a young age, like the joy of a first taste at an ice cream. Yes, I know, some children will never get to experience this in their lives, this is exactly why I chose this example.

When I was about 5 years old, out of the blue, I refused to eat the crusts of my toasts one morning. I think the bread was slightly burnt and I was turned off by the dry edges. To this behaviour my mother responded with the classic line "you know Marie, some children in other parts of the world don't have any toast to eat at all". My mother didn't say things like this often and it really struck me. I recall proposing to send out bread in the mail, to which my mother said it unfortunately wasn't possible. I don't think I've ever told her, but I never forgot the flow of sadness that overwhelmed me afterwards. This was my first experience of feeling empathy towards strangers. It came with a lot of questioning and vulnerability. I've now grown up and still, I haven't resolved simple questions like how can people be starving while we are overproducing wealth, objects and food supplies on a worldwide scale. Life sometimes feels like a long journey filled with unresolved mysteries.

Having children is a good idea, but only if you have time for them. That's my opinion. More importantly, having children should not be a way to compensate for anything else missing in our lives, especially in this day and age. We're really crowded over here, there's just no need to bring in more people, if they are unwanted. Education, contraception, abortion; I'm really in favour.

I'm not gonna have children because if I did, I really wouldn't know what to tell them about their outlook for their future. This is not an attack at parents. I have admiration for parents who do it and do it well. I think it takes a great deal of courage and resilience to bring up children in this millennium, especially for artists, even more for women who work with their bodies. I don't mean to sound over dramatic or judgmental. I'm just worried about our future on this planet. I can't help but see the beauty and the darkness all at once, always intertwined and confused. If you are a frequent reader of this newsletter, you probably know this by now. If you're new here (and a parent on top of it) my point is not to be subversive for the sake of it, it's to be honest. Today is my album release day and I guess I should be focusing on it, but a part of me needs to offer more than the usual promo. We already have social media for that. The purpose of this newsletter is to question before anything. I don't have answers to all of my questions, but I'm here to inquire, even knowing that I will be losing people along the way. I would make an awful politician. Thank God I'm not a politician!

A journalist was asking me this week how I manage to write funny lyrics around such dark subjects. The answer is I don't really know. I just can't help it, words come out of my mouth, of my mind, flying out of my fingertips to the screen. Sometimes I think don't say it, and the more I think don't, the more ideas keep coming, until I get to the very bottom of it. There can be no peace of mind possible until I've said everything I could say. It feels like there’s an extra person living somewhere in me, who just has to express uncomfortable thoughts, so I can then go on pretending to act normal again for a while, until the next thing has to be worded out. Are we all like this? Anyone else feel that way? I truly wonder.

Here is a piece of advice: if you want free psychoanalysis, start putting out albums of music and try to get yourself interviewed.

Back to the other side of reproducing: the copies. What I was making allusion to is that for this record, I tried REAL hard not to refer to other people's music. Of course, I have long time sources of inspiration, that are probably detectable, but I didn't want to wink at any era or any artist in particular. There is this one idea I won't deny, I did purposely use the same technique Serge Gainsbourg used for Love On The Beat, but this time I used my own moans and screams not to implicate coitus, rather to image surveillance capitalism fucking you big time. No, no, not fucking with you, baby. Fucking you.

How does that make you feel?

Based on feedbacks I got from many, it worked! That’s wonderful. One must allow themselves to joke from time to time. Personally, I like to laugh while cultivating critical thinking. To go back to my album, Fun times was the very first song I decided to co-produce with Pierre Guerineau, and I want to express immense gratitude for his help in the production and the arrangements of the songs. City Of Clowns would not exist without him. I’m also really grateful for having the chance to work with legends such as Dave & Steph of Soulwax. They get my humour and they brought so much energy to this record, City Of Clowns would not exist without them either. I want to thank Doug, Karey and everyone at DEEWEE Studio for being such a great team of hard working and talented people.

Fun Times, and the whole album process, taught me how to find excitement in whatever you can. Sometimes everyday life isn’t enough to be satisfied with existence, it’s good to find escapism in creation. My music is my baby. 

With this release, I’m presenting you the fruits of my labour over the last 3 years. I’m a bit curious to know what you think of it. As I often say, once the music is out, it doesn’t really belong to the ones who have created it. Good riddance, I’ve been wanting City Of Clowns out in the world for so long. This means it’s time to start thinking about making some more, but before anything, see you on stage! 

Sincerely,
-Marie