It is still only a promise. New voice of the French scene, Oete is however well on its way to making a name for itself. With his androgynous voice and glam Bowie look, the young 23-year-old artist sings of his loves and his doubts in his first album Weapons and Sequins released at the end of October. A mixture of disco, new wave, pop and French song, his titles Body & Ego, Defense and full head are already announced as hits in power. Before leaving for a first and long tour in 2023, the singer of “alternative variety” will be on display on Friday evening Bars in Trans in Rennes where he will perform on the stage of the Théâtre du Vieux Saint-Étienne. Meet.
The Bars en Trans act as a springboard for emerging artists. Does it put any particular pressure?
Not necessarily. I have already been to the Printemps de Bourges and the MaMA Festival in Paris this year and I really like these events. This makes it possible to listen to the comments of professionals. And from one festival to another, we can show them that we have listened to their opinions and that we have worked to evolve and progress. But I don’t necessarily feel stressed, well it depends on the dates. It’s mostly the technical issues that stress me out.
In any case, there is a high expectation for you. Do you feel it?
They talk to me about it, yes, but I don’t know if I feel it. I am Sagittarius and therefore very impatient in life. I wish things would happen a lot faster. I see this expectation rather as a driving force. I want to show people that they are right to believe in this project as much as I do.
Let’s go back to your journey. You were born in Picardy, a region that you wanted to flee as quickly as possible. Why ?
I grew up in a village of 250 inhabitants where there are more cows than people. My parents weren’t from the farming community. My father was a worker and my mother a social worker. But I knew very quickly that I was not going to flourish in the middle of all these fields and in this culture. There are times when we know that our life cannot be in a certain place if we want the best for ourselves. So I preferred to run away and make my way. First in Amiens to follow a circus training in a high school. And at 17, I packed my bags and went to Lyon to discover life.
What place did music have then?
When I was growing up, we only listened to music when we were in the car. We listened fully to Kyo, Norah Jones or Zazie. My musical tastes finally developed around 13 when I had a cell phone in my hand. I was able to discover a whole bunch of songs like Brel or Barbara. At the same time, I loved poetry very much. And when those two universes came together, it was a big eye-opener for me.
A click to get started?
Yes, even if music came last in my journey. Child, the scene made me vibrate already, I believe that it always lived me. I started with theatre, then dance and the circus. It was when I got my first paycheck at 17 that I bought myself a guitar. I learned to play by watching videos on the Net and I did the same with the piano. But very quickly, I got tired of humming covers and I started composing. I wanted to put all my neuroses down on paper and write texts on them. That’s when I decided to quit my job as a specialized assistant to immerse myself in music.
Your texts are indeed very dark and you do not hesitate to lay bare yourselves, speaking in particular in ” HPV » of the papillomavirus you have contracted…
Making an album is a bit like a shrink session. I write my lyrics without understanding them and it’s only afterwards, when the song is over, that I get the hang of it and realize what I’ve been talking about. It was something very liberating for me. And if I can come and free people from certain neuroses or reconcile them with themselves through this album, well, I think I’ll have won everything.
It is still very danceable and festive…
I think this new generation wants to party. And then I like to contrast my texts with dancing music. There is a liberating side to it, as if we were exorcising all these things with very impulsive dance movements. Dance and music are totally linked for me, even if I think very little about my movements in my videos or on stage. My concerts are never the same and I like that, the fact of having a great form of freedom.
Besides, what does an Oete concert look like?
It’s 45 minutes of dance and tribute to French song. On stage, I see myself a bit like a psychologist on a dance floor. I want people to come out of my concerts liberated in relation to what they think but also liberated to have been able to express themselves physically.