Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Claire: Oh, so we’re doing group therapy, then? Ahaha I’m Claire, I play bass and I sing in Swiss Pleasure. I was born and raised near Paris, by parents who I think had great ambitions for me and pushed me to play music from a very young age. I always loved singing and so, after doing a few years of music theory and flute, I joined the Paris Opéra children’s choir, which I only left in my early 20s. It was an awesome experience, I got to meet musicians and play on stages and in countries I would never have dreamt to go. But I was also always a big fan of popular music, spending every little coin I had in CDs from bands I loved, having very different taste from my parents, which I guess not only exposed me to rock (which I loved) but also jazz, bossa nova, classical music, etc. and made me appreciate what each genre can bring to the table. Swiss Pleasure’s sound is definitely the result of a weird mix of different influences and I think it takes some open mindedness and exposure to many different things in order to embrace the mess and achieve that sort of result.
A: Alea: Hey! I’m Alea, I play guitar (and, when the opportunity arises, any other old random instrument I can get my hands on) and I sing too. I was born and raised in the Middle East. My parents are from Pakistan and the UK, so our household was a mix of cultures and musical influences and there was always music of some sort playing in the background. As a kid music offered an escape from school life and toxic peer groups. There was a lot of comfort in hiding away and listening to music for myself without judgement, be it pop, rock, jazz etc. My dad was also a jazz saxophonist in a gigging function band and my mum and I used to regularly go along to his shows. He’s always been a bit of an inspiration for me. I guess all these things soak in through osmosis and you can’t help but express them when you’re playing music that speaks your inner truth. It feels like Swiss Pleasure is an expression of all of that.
A: Agathe: Hi, I’m Agathe, I grew up in the east of France in a middle-class household. My parents and close family were big fans of Pink Floyd, Supertramp and other friends. I guess that was quite an exposure, though I can pinpoint the beginning of my relationship with music back when I was 4 years old, listening to christian songs on my red Sony cassette player. My father would go every weekend to the public library to borrow CDs, most of them did not appeal to me, but at times I would take them in my bedroom. Music has always been a way to isolate myself from the world and create my own safety pod. My taste evolved over time from rock-only bands to pretty much all genres, with a special place in my heart for live music. Nowadays I am nerding on fusion, jazz, math, broken beats, neo soul, all kinds of *-core and overall every weird thing I can find on Bandcamp.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Swiss Pleasure”?
A: Claire: I think playing shows is by far the opportunity that we prefer to meet and reach new people but obviously, in this day and age, it’s impossible to dismiss the power of digital tools and platforms, so we’re trying to find the right balance between showing our music to the world and remaining true to ourselves. I doubt you’ll ever see us do a TikTok dance challenge for instance, but who knows? To anyone who’s about to discover us, I’d say that we’ve just released a four-track EP named Heliotropia, it’s short and sweet and it pretty much encapsulates everything that makes up our sound and I’ll be surprised if you didn’t find something for you in at least one of these songs, so go give it a spin!
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Claire: it’s so hard for me to pick just one artist because I find so many people inspiring for different reasons. I wish more artists would engage in social criticism and be more political these days. It disheartens me to see so many hyper influential people not lend their voice to those who don’t have one (anymore) and I think that’s one of the reasons why I love people like Fontaines D.C so much, for instance. Other than that, I would say I’ve been obsessed with Nourished By Time’s music lately, who mixes r’n’b, new wave, hip-hop, pop or rock in a way that really touches me. And I would also mention people like Nabihah Iqbal, Nilüfer Yanya, Lola Young and Rasha Nahas. Inspiration can come to me from anything really… Past or recent experiences, events in the world, elements from another song and Agathe and Alea, of course!
A: Alea: I can only echo what Claire said. When it comes to making music a lot of the inspiration is so instinctive and responsive, and so much about listening to one another, so a lot of it really comes from Claire and Agathe when we’re in the practice room together. We’re feeding off each other’s ideas and finding our way to be musically honest and vulnerable together.
A: Agathe: As the others said, regarding the music we make, it is hard to describe. Since we are all passionate about music I think we all bring our share of experience and sensibility to the table. We are also political in a lot of the decisions we take. Personally, and especially when I was younger, women in music have been instrumental for my inspiration, I am thinking of Kate Bush and Björk in particular. In the last ten years I have been greatly inspired by Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote) and in awe of her expression. Yussef Dayes for drums and the cool kids from the UK (Squid, Crack Cloud).
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Charcoal.”?
A: Claire: Charcoal is litterally the very first song we wrote together. At that time, we had been playing a few covers from bands like Best Coast or Pixies and I think you can sort of feel that in Charcoal. If I remember well, I think I wrote the lyrics first, then came up with the vocal melody and everything unfolded from there. It’s also had a few different lives, with for instance the keys and saxophone parts written on the spot in the recording studio. In Swiss Pleasure, even if we sometimes suggest ideas to each other, we all write our parts, it’s always a collective effort. The song, in itself, tells a universal tale of love and loss, reminiscing of what could have been, but ultimately the willingness to move forward and let the past lie where it belongs is stronger. It’s about regaining your power and feeling confident about the future.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Claire: am I gonna get slammed for saying “singular”?
A: Agathe: purple
A: Alea: Shimmer
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Charcoal”?
A: Claire: I think for the longest time, we struggled with the bridge section, we just couldn’t find the right fit and then, as we were revisiting the song ahead of the recording sessions, we finally had this idea of turning it into this groovy instrumental bit, which I personally found very Wings-like (probably because of the guitar) and loved it so much we never looked back!
A: Alea: A big challenge, I think, was simply trusting ourselves. Whether it be the sound or the feel or another inexplicable aspect of the music, there’s no blueprint and no one to tell you whether this thing is good or bad, right or wrong; you have to develop a strong sense of conviction and trust in the process. Charcoal was the first live track we laid down together, which makes it special in its own way, but also the first time we really had to stand by our convictions and trust in what we were doing.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Claire: we’re a FLINTA* band made up of people with very different backgrounds, upbringings and life experiences. We also all care very deeply about the state of this world. And I think we’re just trying to be very honest in our music and lyrics about who we are, what we care about, what our personal experiences and hardships have been and if, in the process, this brings some feelings of support, comfort or joy to our listeners, it’ll be the most beautiful gift. What matters to us is being together, writing, playing our songs not just for ourselves but also for as many people as possible and putting our music out in the world. As we sometimes say at the beginning of our shows “we’re not from Switzerland but what we are is “here for a good time”.
A: Alea: Claire summed it up nicely. Anyone who sees us play live can see that we’re like a little family. It’s beautiful and exciting to be able to make music and be ourselves together, and to bring other people along with us on that journey. There’s a lot of love. I think that’s overwhelmingly the expression of our music, even when the songs might not be about that specifically.
A: Agathe: I agree with what all the others said. I would add that we take great care of the way we interact with each other. We are democratic in our decision-making and we truly care for each other. Because that is also our ideal for the world. I think it is not so common in the industry and the audience can tell.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Claire: ooooh I can’t wait to read my bandmates answers to that question! With that said, I’m sorry, I’m a Libra, choosing is not my forte… I’ve got this old dream of collaborating with Mark Ronson and would absolutely love to work with Dan Carey but we’re talking more production here… Paul McCartney or Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins, maybe? And Fontaines D.C, anytime!
A: Agathe: That is a hell of a question. If I can drop any names unrealistically, I would say Michael League & Nigel Godrich for producing. Paul Simon, Nala Sinephro, Cosima Jaala for everything else!
A: Alea: That’s a tough one. It could be any number of artists depending on how I’m feeling and what is happening in life. At the moment I’m enjoying the works of Brian Blade and Paul Motian (sadly no longer with us). I can only imagine what it would be like to work with them and gain some insight into their approach to music.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Claire: don’t put all your eggs in the same basket (I guess that’s my soft way of saying “get a stable job on the side”?), never stop believing in yourself and your project and don’t hesitate to lean on your network and support system, they’ll be of greater help than you can ever imagine.
A: Agathe: Get a good teacher!
A: Alea: Stay true to yourself and don’t rush. That, and connecting with and supporting your local music scene and community is really important (even aside from trying to enter the industry).
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Claire: don’t be afraid and don’t prevent yourself from trying stuff out just because the adults around you don’t like it. You’re actually both your best advocate and the only person holding you back, the only failure is not trying.
A: Agathe: Don’t give up the fight for your right to learn your instrument, feel legitimate to play and be yourself.
A: Alea: Life is short and the time is now. If you’re fortunate enough to have the means and/or support to pursue your passion, especially given the world we live in, don’t let yourself be dissuaded by fear or self-doubt.
