Interview by Matteo Bussotti
It’s not an usual thing to have such a young singer in a successful band. Nonetheless, this is what happens in Whyzdom. Their career just took off with the release of their latest album, “Blind?”, and so we felt obliged to ask their singer some question! Talking to her has been a real pleasure, and although her young age, we can foresee a great future for Elvyne. So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy our interview with Elvyne Lorient, from Whyzdom!
Hi Elvyne and welcome to Femme Metal! My first question is a simple, personal one: at what age did you start singing? Did you immediately fall in love with music, or did you take the “musical path” later in your life?
Hello Matteo ! I started singing at the age of 6 I think. It was my father who made me sing with him… and I never stopped since then. So it has become a part of my life very early.
I think your band’s name, Whyzdom, is an interesting game of words, isn’t it? Can you explain it to us?Oh, since I joined the band only this year, I’m not sure that I know everything about this. Vynce told me once that it was based on several words : Wisdom, Why, Kingdom… so, well, for me it evocates a contrast between the quietness of wisdom and our music which is full of energy.
What is your relation with classical music? I mean, Whyzdom is a philharmonic metal band, so you obviously like it…but did you always like it? Did someone in particular introduce you to it?Well to be honest, I don’t listen much to classical music. On the other hand, I was introduced to metal music by my brother several years ago. We listened a lot to different styles of metal, but symphonic metal was amongst my favorite ones. Especially Nightwish and Within Temptation. I also listen to very different styles of music, my favorite band being the Cranberries. When Vynce was looking for a vocalist, I was actually looking for a celtic band. But I was so impressed by Whyzdom that I decided to go this very new way for me.
What’s been the most difficult challenge in making “Blind?”, after your first successful album?I think the vocals on “From The Brink of Infinity” were amazing, and as the new singer of the band, I felt a lot of pressure. I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. Another difficult thing for me is that I had to learn all the songs very quickly, because I joined the band a few months before the final mixing of the album. But the band helped me a lot !
It’s about the blindness of people. You know, everyone sometimes refuses to open their eyes on what’s happening around them, because it’s more comfortable. And very often they pretend to be blind. That’s the meaning of this title for me. We also talk a lot about foreseeing, especially with the Cassandra character. That’s the other topic of the album.
How much of France’s musical tradition has been transferred to your music? I mean, do you create rhythms and melodies “ex novo” or maybe you take inspiration from something in particular?To be honest, I’m only an interpret. Vynce composes all the melodies. I don’t feel any special inspiration in them, because I find them very original. I just feel they belong to him and I’m very happy to sing these lines, because they’re just beautiful… and very often, they’re unexpected. That’s what I like too.
Your music is obviously “classy” (classical music is not for everyone), and it’s not a secret that young people nowadays prefer other kinds of music. So…in your opinion, is there a way to efficiently introduce young people to classical music? Do you have many young fans (and by “young” I mean from 15 to 20-22 years old)?Yes, I’ve been surprised by that. Actually our audience is very wide, and we have a lot of fans between 15 and 22. I am myself only 20, so it feels very good to have this connection with fans of my age. I don’t listen much to classical music either… I guess that when people listen to Whyzdom, it will open their mind and ears to classical music. I think that when you listen to Whyzdom music, the melodies and the metal parts are so attractive, the orchestra is so naturally blended with the rest, that you don’t really pay attention to the fact that it is related with classical music or not.
Moreover, what’s your impression about today’s “classical” music? We know many musicians tried to modernize it, with various results…what’s your opinion about it?Oh, sorry, I really couldn’t tell – my knowledge of classical music is too bad, I fear…
France, from my personal point of view, always had a really big number of excellent bands in every musical genres (for example, speaking of metal, I personally like really much Gojira)…but I think that internationally it doesn’t get the credits it deserves. What do you think about this? Is France’s musical scenario well known abroad? Do you think it gets the attention it deserves?In France, the metal genre is very underground. Good French bands don’t get all the support they deserve I think. Moreover, there are a lot of French people who think that French bands are just crappy – they just don’t pay attention to them because they are French. It’s a bit sad, but it’s true. So without support, it’s very difficult for them to attract attention in France, but also internationally. I hope this situation will change in the future !
Is there anything in particular you’d like to experiment in the future, or even something you wish you’d done in the past?Vynce often says that he would like to have a concert with a real philharmonic orchestra. That would really be great !
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