Today, we are speaking with Bérénice.
Can you give us a little background information about yourself?
My name is Bérénice and I’m sixteen years old, almost seventeen. I sing since I’m born it feels like. Singing is my everything since forever, and I work so hard everyday to perfect my skill. I love it, in a way that makes me feel powerful. I also play the clarinet since I’m nine years old and have been playing in a symphonic orchestra for 3 years now. I love it a lot, and I feel like what I’ve learned in my classical music journey influences a lot the music that I create today. I’m very grateful. During those last years, I’ve done some singing contest here in Quebec and I won some, like Anjou Star or Le Petit Festival de la Chanson de Granby (third place). Since then, I work hard on developing my career, and it has been really amazing.
How did you ultimately come into creating music?
It just felt natural to do it. I’ve always sung, and always loved to improvise. Classical music thought me a lot about music theory and with all this knowledge, it became fun and natural to create stuff.
What does your recording set up look like (e.g. what do you use to record, what are your favorite tools)?
It depends. In the comfort of my own home is where I create my little covers. Nothing serious, it’s just for fun. I have a microphone, an audio interface and a computer. I record with Audacity. It’s reaaaally basic and I would never use that to create professional stuff. For Dangerous Woman, and for future big projects, I go to professional studios, in Montreal.
How did you become inspired to create your own take on Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman?
Actually, I was inspired by a performance Ariana gave herself at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards. She sang a more jazzy, toned down, acoustic version of her song and I loved it so much that I wanted to recreate it so that people could listen to it. I though it was classy, yet sexy. It was less pop and more jazz, more interesting. I loved that it created this whole 50’s fantasy, clearly inspired by Marylin Monroe’s style and old burlesque cabarets. It really inspired me and I just felt the urge to recreate it my way.
You have released a video for Dangerous Woman. How does the visual add further context to your performance of the song?
I just think that the visual add further to the fantasy I was talking about earlier. I needed a visual to create it, to add this little 50’s glamourous style that I love so much.
What should fans expect from the rest of your music that will be released in the months and years to come?
For this year, I plan to put out another single and another music video (it’s in the work right now!! Exciting, isn’t it?). But for 2021, I honestly don’t know what is gonna come out. An original single? An album? Covers? I will come out with new stuff in 2021, but I’m still figuring that out. I’m only 16 years old, I have still so much to learn about writing and creating music! I have a manager now, so I am not without resources and I know that I will have all the help I need. I might do jazz, pop, soul, happy songs, sad songs… I love all music and I want to play with every style. I want to create music that feels good to me, and good to people… that feels different and interesting. I think that what should fans expect from my future music is to never be bored.
How has the current pandemic changed your approach to creating music and playing to audiences?
I obviously cannot sing live because of COVID-19. So, I don’t really sing for audiences. I mean, I do, with some Instagram live here and there, but it’s nothing like a real show. Luckily, in October I might sing in a real show, for the first time in months. This show will be paying homage to famous pop producer Max Martin and I will be singing with many other incredible emerging artists. It will of course be different, because the public will be socially distanced and the artists too, but it will be awesome.
With quarantine, every artist had to use their social media to get their music to people, so I decided to create little covers that I then published on my Instagram (berenice_fo) and my YouTube Channel (Bérénice). The current pandemic gave me more free time to create music by myself. I learned how to create stuff alone, and I just think that it’s awesome, and so useful. With all the small covers I created during the pandemic, I learned so much about editing, producing myself vocally and recording. I still have so much to learn, but I progressed a lot and it quickly became a new passion of mine.
How can interested NeuFutur readers locate samples of your music?
On my Instagram: berenice_fo
Facebook: Bérénice – Chanteuse
Or Youtube channel: Bérénice
Dangerous Woman is available everywhere (Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Deezer and Youtube) over here:
My new single is gonna be released later this year. Stay tuned.
Many thanks. Talk to you soon, hopefully.