We exchanged with Arkadin, a poetic artist whose rnb wants to be pop/electro with urban zest. Immerse yourself in the artist’s rnb exploration through his conversation with Angela, the Business Developer.
KODD MAGAZINE: Tell me about yourself and your career.
ARKADIN: I have a atypical career background because I started studying in the cinema, wanting to make films. Subsequently, my little brother created a pop group “Coming soon”. I joined the group writing texts for them and I became one of the group’s singers. “Coming soon” has a great story because we created the soundtrack to the American movie “Juno” with Vampire and Tree Hugger titles. To this day we are unveiling albums and soon, a fourth in September 2018, tours, festivals … etc
Being a very folk band, I wanted to listen to more rap, rnb … Things quite different from what we do in the group. Then there was France Inter who launched a radio-hook for authors/composers and I started by offering mainly songs in French with beats rnb and prod. more electro. This is what they liked and it was a great springboard and a great solo experience. This is how the Arkadin project was born. The rest of my story is also due to meetings with the parisian producers duo “Twinsmatic” (Booba, Damso’s beatmakers …, Editor’s note). They realized then my first album “Atlanta in 2016, Editor’s note”. And for the stage, I collaborate among others with Jun Suzuki and Theo Bumby with whom I produced my EP “Aurora”.
KM: After your first album Atlanta in 2016, you made a comeback with your EP Aurora this month. How did it take place?
A: It was very spontaneous, a pause moment, without pressure at the edge of a lake with Jun Suzuki and Theo Bumby. Everything was structured in song. Once the 4 titles finalized, we decided to bet on a very Rnb EP, around the love and the fall out.
KM: Why the RnB ? More precisely, the poetic RnB ?
A: Today in 2018, what comes close in what I call “pop” is a kind of natural mix between urban sounds, a little rap, electro and at the same time a desire to sing, to seduce … A link with soul, pop and especially a favorite for this music.
Initially when I was in an old label, it was almost a bit pejorative … Today the poetic rnb “neo rnb, Editor’s note.” is a more understandable style.
KM: Your EP is quite sentimentally poetic. Why not choose a rnb more raw and neutral ?
A: It’s a choice of affinity, a personal choice. I wrote this EP between a break and a meeting and for me there is a simple gesture, the four songs have a simple feeling.
I worked on two falls: the love at first sight and how falls out of love “Fall out of love as say the Americans, Editor’s note”. These are themes that go very well to the EP.
KM: Tell me the story behind the music video “Home Alone” in feat with Adam Green.
A: What’s funny is that it was the strangest sound of the EP … It’s quieter, more monolithic “very little variation, very subtle, Editor’s note.” So I thought it was necessary to illustrate this song in pictures to really hear some variations, some caresses, some prod. And I really wanted this story to come from the drawing.
It is my companion, Nini Peony “Inès Carratié, Editor’s note” who drew and directed the clip. She was really inspired by photos of me, at home, in front of the window, on a couch … mixed by EP influences, with birds, words of sages, non religious prayers. It’s really a landscape music video.
KM: What are your musical influences ?
A: It would be a lie to say we did not listen to The Weeknd. It’s really an artist that I am since its beginnings … Since its first mixtapes very rnb, to more rap albums and formats much more pop. I also have other influences including Drake, Christophe, James Blake, Bashung and many other artists that I listen to, not to mention the films “the first passion of the artist, Editor’s note”.
KM: What is the continuation of your adventure?
A: I really enjoyed composing, create music video and playing with this EP. As early as September, we start composing again. I think I would like to make an album but after it is not excluded to make a Single first or an EP. But I think the next step is an album.
KM: One last word ?
A: Listen to my album with poetry (laugh …).
“Aurora” EP is available on all legal download platforms.
Interviewed by Angela Anz
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