Sandrine
With a wild vintage fashion sense and a brand new album that has already made a grand splash on French radio, Australian artist Sandrine is quickly breaking into America's music scene with her undeniably beautiful concoction of neo-soul and sensitive folk-pop. Sandrine takes some time out to chat with Riffin' about her smashing new album “Dark Fades Into the Light,” her hip style, and the challenges in being true to her own artistic goals.
Riffin': Your songs are wonderfully melodic and catchy—do you think that's partially because of your background in gospel music?
Sandrine: Definitely. The songs I grew up singing had really simple melodic structures that people could sing regardless of musical skill, and think that really impacted the way that I write music now. I have no interest in trying to be clever—even lyrically; I've made an effort to try to do away with my poetic prowess. I'm just making music that I like, and it's simple, it's honest, it's not pretentious, and you either like it or want something that plays more to your taste.
Riffin': Style-wise you have a great vintage flair—How does your fashion sense influence your music, and vice versa?
Sandrine: I love pulling together a look that expresses whatever mood I'm in on a particular day—it's an artistic expression to look the way you feel. It's been good for me when I perform; you probably couldn't really wear a shiny children's leotard down the street, but on stage you can wear something that's leaning a bit more towards bad taste [laughs].
...this time around, I didn't care what anyone thought about me.
Riffin': Any tips for good vintage shopping?
Sandrine: Yes! Get outside of the city and go to little small towns or suburban areas. Usually they're an absolute treasure trove of amazing clothing because the people are really interested in sparkly, unusual bits and pieces [laughs]. Since I've been scouring thrift stores in America often I find amazing dresses and shoes for fifty cents each, so it's like, I can't not buy this, it's less than a cup of coffee.
Riffin': The title track from your last album, "Trigger" (2004) was a bit of a scandal in Australia. Could you tell me a bit about that?
Sandrine: The media in general needs something to write about, and the truth of the "Trigger" story is that the title track was lyrically ambiguous, and it could either be about murder or masturbation. So it was like, oh my god! A girl's written a song about masturbation! And it was a little difficult to have my music be any more than a press scandal.
Riffin': I read that you had the opportunity to turn down doing a deal with Gene Simmons of KISS.
Sandrine: That's true. He heard "Trigger" on the radio in Australia and said I have to meet this girl, straight away: We hooked up and had a jam, which was pretty funny. He offered to set me up with a bunch of stuff in the US, but I got cold feet when the plan was for me to date Lenny Kravitz,. I wanted to be taken seriously, so I decided to turn it down.
Riffin': So, how did the experience of writing "Dark Fades into the Light" differ from writing your last album?
Sandrine: The first record was full of youthful angst. I paid more attention then to being poetic because I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist—this time around, I didn't care what anyone thought about me. So I guess its growth, more than a change, per se. I haven't got anything to prove in trying to be a super cool Indie artist. I write songs that I feel are uplifting, and I try to perform them in an honest way. That's what I do, and I do it passionately.