Dive into the electric world of Mara

You're from around here, are you excited to perform on the Paleo stage?

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MARA- Yes, I'm really thrilled, and I'm also a little nervous... Because it's an iconic stage in Switzerland and I've been here as a kid, I'm impressed but can't wait at the same time. Plus, after lockdown, I'm honoured to perform my first show here.

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You've already made yourself known as a DJ, and played your set the other day at Montreux Jazz. Can you tell us about your journey?

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MARA- Music has always been my passion, but starting out I was just making playlists. Then I had a friend one day say ” why wouldn't you DJ?”. I had never even thought about it, and decided to give it a go. I then went to Paris and met people who worked in the business and with whom we shared similar interests. In particular a producer who was keen on making music together. At the time, it was a great opportunity since it had been my long forgotten dream and I didn't necessarily admit it to myself. So we created tracks together and I, just like that, had made my first songs. I then performed them as a DJ and didn't say that they were mine. People then came up to me at the DJ booth and asked about who’s original track it was. It was so interesting to me because I did experiments behind the turntables; I got to see if my sound was enjoyed, or not. The public pushed me into a career. If no one had appreciated my sound I would have stopped. Quickly enough, my songs became playlist essentials and started being party anthems. Gradually, I started making videos, releasing singles on official platforms and today I'm very happy to have a live singing show in addition to the DJ sets.Since your first EP Foulamerde (which has been out for a year now), you have released a lot of singles and yesterday it was Bibi qui Claque‘s turn, can you tell us about it?I wrote it last year on a Dance Hall base; as it still is one of my main inspirations. It mixes a lot of different styles. It’s a party sound, you're supposed to turn up to it. Plus, it shows me slamming my money, showing off and being a woman with means and in charge. It's a new perspective on that. There's the stigma of the gold digger, the girl who wants Louboutin shoes, that gets everything provided for her. I'm not like that at all, so I wanted to have a song that reflects my reality. I'm the chick who rinses everyone.. (laughs) I'm so happy to have released it and I hope everyone will dance to it this summer.

So there is a music video that comes out at 5pm...

I'll be preparing to go on stage, but everything is taken care of, I hope it will go well... (laughs)We shot the music video on La Tournée, during a concert in Marseilles in Marsatac and at the Solidays in Paris, which funny enough are the two big cities in France that validated me first. They welcomed me with open arms at the start of my career. I am currently on tour and this song is dropping in the middle of it. I wanted the visuals to be authentic, it reflects my present routine. I can't wait to release it and it'll be a nice memorabilia of this summer, of this tour.

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You have a very colorful aesthetic, very 2000s ,Y2K. Are there any artists of this decade that inspire you particularly?

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MARA- Aesthetics wise obviously i’d say Britney Spears, whom I love, she inspires me a lot. The 2000s pop culture, vibes and of course, the whole Dance Hall scene of the time. This era and sound means a lot to me. Especially Nina Sky, Rihanna, Sean Paul, Beyoncé, Destiny's Child, Brick and Lace. Ugh, such good vibes ! (Laughs)

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The French music industry isn't very used to hearing female artists with outspoken, sexy, provocative lyrics. Have you felt like there's a limit to what you can say?

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MARA- I'm lucky because I didn't experience too much censorship...  Because of my start in club culture, my sound hit its target audience directly; people over 18 who party, drink and flirt. Until now, my artistic growth and evolution is so organic that it pretty much only touches people who would like it. It hasn’t really reached other scenes yet, I'm still pretty much underground. But, I am very surprised that I still didn't get slapped in the face because of people being shocked. It's true, not a lot of women talk about these things. Doing it in French is a bit more difficult than English or Spanish because of us not being as used to it. The challenge of writing in French is dosing. You have to balance the images and words... and so far it's going pretty well.

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You're opening for Angèle until November, you're going to have a brand new audience. So how exactly did this opportunity present itself to you?

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MARA- I was very lucky because Angèle came across my music during lockdown. I was already following her on Instagram and one day, realised that she followed me back. I thought to myself ; wow, pinch me I'm dreaming... wait it's so weird how come? I then sent her a short message thanking her and saying how cool of her it was. From there she replied that she liked my music and that was very surprising to me. We started to get along and talked from time to time and made a connection. She had already started the 95 Tour when she kindly offered for me to be her opening act. That as well, I didn't expect but was of course overjoyed by the proposal.

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And how do you feel about meeting this new audience?

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MARA- The first shows, I was quite stressed and anxious about. The audience may be a little bit younger than I am used to and that was a challenge to me. The aim was to channel and embody a powerful woman and her sexuality without any taboos... It was a bit scary, but in reality I trusted Angèle’s vision, she knew why she did it. I finally let go of these fears. I myself knew that as a teenager, I also listened to artists who had explicit lyrics. And so, the shows that I did already went amazingly, I was well received , so Angèle wasn’t wrong by inviting me, it turned out great!