Marie Sarah “Blues and soul are the language of the soul”

A few hours before taking the stage at Le Transbordeur in Villeurbanne, we met Marie Sarah, who was there to present her debut album, On My Way. That evening, her voice impressed with its power, distinctive grain and control. Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse, soul, blues and funk: her influences are numerous, and references to them run throughout her repertoire. But Marie Sarah does more than simply reproduce them. She is carving out her own path, and songs such as You Were Mine and Can Feel It are already becoming strong landmarks in her repertoire.

On stage at Le Transbordeur, a few hours after our conversation, the impression we had formed while listening to the album was only reinforced. Marie Sarah has a voice capable of reaching the power of the great soul singers without ever sounding like an imitation. Her influences are clearly there and she fully embraces them, particularly through several covers, but they blend with her own journey, R&B, funk and the music she listens to today.

On My Way ultimately lives up to its title. Marie Sarah moves forward with everything she has absorbed, but in her own way. On stage, the album takes on even greater depth. Her music becomes more spontaneous and intense, driven by real instruments and freed from some of the polish that the studio can bring. Some of her own compositions are already establishing themselves as strong reference points in her repertoire.

The hundred or so people who were at Le Transbordeur that evening may one day have the privilege of saying: “I was there at the beginning.” Because Marie Sarah has everything it takes to become an artist worth following closely.

🎧 Listen to the interview with Marie Sarah

🎤 Marie Sarah in conversation with Cédric Vernet

We are with Marie Sarah at Le Transbordeur in Villeurbanne, a few hours before your concert as part of the tour for your debut album, On My Way. The title can suggest both “I’m on my way” and “in my own way”. Does that double meaning sum up your journey so far?

That’s a nice interpretation. On My Way means “on my road”. I’m carving out my own path with everything I’ve absorbed along the way. Yes, that’s exactly it.

You’ve said that music video channels were always playing at home. Your brother would imitate Chris Brown, your sister Beyoncé, and you would imitate Michael Jackson. And then there is your father, who is also a singer and musician. What role did he play in your desire to sing?

My father lives in Cameroon and we didn’t grow up together. But every time he came back from touring or passed through France, he would leave us vinyl records, his latest albums and CDs. So all of that was played a lot at home.

Honestly, I think it’s more something that is in my blood than something he directly passed on to me. At first, he was really against me going into music. He used to tell me it was a difficult profession, one where you are often alone. He would rather have seen me pursue serious studies and become a lawyer or a doctor. Sorry, Dad, I ended up joining you in this passion!

Today, we keep discovering how much we have in common. There are so many things where we look at each other and think: “Actually, we’re the same.” And we didn’t know that because I didn’t grow up with him.

Today, I’m proud to be able to shine a light on my father again.

Under one of your YouTube videos, someone wrote: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Her dad has been entertaining us for decades, and now she is going to carry the torch.” Do you identify with that idea of carrying on the legacy?

At first, not at all. As I was saying, he was really against me going into music. When I started writing my songs, he didn’t necessarily even know about everything I was doing. I would send him things very late. So there really wasn’t any idea of me carrying on his legacy.

But today, I’m proud to be able to shine a light on my father again. I’m proud of him. To me, he is my biggest star.

You often describe Dreamgirls as a real turning point. After that, a whole world opened up to you with Etta James, Otis Redding, Motown, Stax and Chess. And it was actually your cover of I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James that first got you noticed. What does that song mean to you?

I think that song, like the blues in general, is the voice of the soul. It’s incredibly powerful music and it really moves me. When I hear it, I get chills.

In that song, she says she would rather be blind than see the man she loves with another woman. That is suffering. It’s hard. To me, that is what blues and soul represent.

And then there are the roots of the blues, enslaved people, work songs in the fields and later in the mines. It was the music of those people. Blues is powerful. Soul is powerful too.

You’ve actually anticipated my next question. What does the blues represent to you?

Power. I became such a fan that I went to Memphis to experience all of that for myself. I also went to Chicago to follow in the footsteps of Willie Dixon, and then to Memphis to discover the places connected to B.B. King, Elvis Presley and that whole history.

It’s an incredible source of inspiration.

Your music draws on many different styles: soul, rhythm and blues, blues, with some funk as well. How would you describe your musical identity to someone discovering you for the first time?

That’s a question I’m asked quite often, and I find it very difficult to answer. When I write a song, it depends on my mood. It represents one part of my personality, and we are never just one emotion. We have many.

I love blues, soul and all the music that originally inspired me. But I also love the music that belongs more to my generation. I love R&B, electronic music, techno, reggae and pop. It’s a mix of all of those things, depending on my mood and what comes out at that particular moment.

You Know I’m No Good is a cry for help.

We can also mention Amy Winehouse among your major influences, since you cover You Know I’m No Good. What does that song mean to you?

It’s heartbreaking. I say it every time I go on stage: she left us far too soon. Every time I listen to her album, it breaks my heart. You can hear a woman who was broken, and we all became fans of that.

You Know I’m No Good is a cry for help. She is essentially saying: “You know I’m no good for you.” Blues, soul, I’d Rather Go Blind, all those songs are also cries of distress from women who have reached their limit and don’t know how to express what they are feeling in any other way than through songs. It sets them free.

You have opened for the Amy Winehouse Band, as well as for Seal, Nile Rodgers and Tower of Power. What do all those support slots bring you?

It’s magical. Every support slot I’ve done has been incredible. There was Seal, which was legendary. Nile Rodgers this year, what a legend!

I also loved Tower of Power, that funk band from the 1970s. Those guys are around 70 and they are absolute monsters on stage. I had never seen a band like that. There are fourteen or fifteen of them on stage, I think, and it’s incredible. Every opening slot is an amazing experience.

Above all, the goal is to make people dance.

This tour is the first time On My Way has really come to life night after night on stage. How has the transition from the studio to the live show been?

It’s such a blast. We stay fairly faithful to the album. Live music is something we have always stood for.

Creating music in the studio is also an incredible experience, almost outside of time, especially with Felipe Saldivia and Fred Savio. On stage, we try to stay as faithful to the album as possible while adding a few different atmospheres, little mashups and other touches.

Above all, the goal is to make people dance. With real instruments, we want to make people dance. And I love watching my guys, my band behind me. They’re having such a great time when they play. We’re playing old-school music and we absolutely love it!

Let’s talk about the musicians who are with you. Who is joining you on stage tonight at Le Transbordeur?

Tonight, there is Gauthier on guitar, Jojo on drums, Brice on bass and Fabrizio on keyboards.

On My Way is still very new, but are ideas already starting to emerge for what comes next?

It’s funny, because that was one of the first things people asked me after it came out: “So, what’s next?” But I’ve only just released it!

Of course, I already have lots of new ideas. The difficult thing is that I write according to my emotions, and I go through so many different emotions. So I sometimes find it difficult to focus and find a clear thread.

I don’t want to release another album that goes in every direction. I need to bring all those ideas together. But yes, there are already plenty of them starting to appear.

🎵 Listen to On My Way on Spotify