INNOCNT: "Music is meant to be shared"

On the 23rd of January, I attended INNOCENT's release party where he performed for the first time his first EP, Six. The morning after this frenzied show, we met at Backdoor Records for a discussion over his artistry, his creation process for the EP and his inspirations.

For those who don't know you yet, could you introduce yourself?

My name is INNOCNT, and I'm a singer-songwriter. I make soul music mixed with rock, with r'n'b influences. And I've just released my first EP, Six, about a relationship that lasted six years. Each song on the EP is a different way of telling someone to stay.

Congratulations on your release party, it was amazing. How did it go for you? 

It was incredible. First, it was the biggest venue I'd ever been in. There were a lot of things that were new. It was the first time I'd had a sound engineer. Also the guitarist who joined us, Nagui, it was the first time we'd played with him. The venue was packed, I wasn't expecting so many people. La Boule Noire sent me so much love, and I want to do that for the rest of my life.

Speaking of the show, I wanted to comment the incredible chemistry you have with your musicians. How did you meet?

Simon is the drummer and Soet is the bassist. I met them a year ago, and we didn't know each other at all. I only knew Simon from afar. He introduced me to Soet and we started putting together a trio for a date in a bar in Brussels, called Belga. We just clicked like crazy, we spent so much time together. These guys are crazy! (laughs)

Having Nagui on the show scared me at first, because I don't really like variables. When I say variables, I mean that we started rehearsing with Nagui last Monday. For me, it's a variable that was stressing me out. It was pretty intense for three days. But we got on so well, and also Nagui has this powerful presence on stage, he is an incredible creative force, he's very talented. In fact, the tricky thing between the two of us, because we were also getting to know each other, was how to make our worlds complement each other. To make sure we were a band. If there's one thing I love about my concerts, it's that there's always a moment when you tell yourself: “This musician is incredible!

I also noticed that you have an amazing presence on stage. How did you practice? 

It's funny but before going up on stage, I'm always nervous. And I always tell myself:

I'm the son of a singer. If I'm not supposed to be on stage, then I don't know who is.

I've been on stage since I was born. So it's a way of de-stressing before I get up there, telling myself that this is where I belong. After that, everything that happens on stage happens on stage.

What helped me was seeing my father when I was a kid. I took a lot of drama classes, I did musicals too. And I watched a lot of YouTube videos and copied people. A concert like Michael Jackson's or Bruno Mars concerts... I love Bruno Mars concerts, I love watching them on Youtube, I've never seen him perform live. Because there are moments when he picks up the guitar, moments when he dances, pauses, moments when he talks. In fact, this showman side of him, I love watching it, I've been watching it since I was a kid. And I copy it, I try to copy it as best I can (laughs).

How did you select only 6 songs for this EP?

All the songs on the EP, the second I had finished writing them, I knew I needed to get them out there. This is very subjective, but for a song to be truly finished, it has to be released. Music is meant to be shared. When I write a song, it's a message I have to tell someone. In any case, these six songs really are my first time speech. And it's something I really wanted to say, otherwise they wouldn't be on the EP.

Your EP opens with the track  EP "Haliens (voices inside my head)". Can you explain what are the Haliens? 

It's a personification of the voices in my head. Every song represents a different feeling. I'm pissed off at the person, but mostly I'm really pissed off at myself. And I'm indecisive. It's like there are these different voices trying to take over me every time. At one point, I tell the person: that's it, I'm done, I'm leaving. And the next sentence is: 'maybe we should start again'. He's completely indecisive, but at the same time angry.

"Sober" follows, which is the most emotional track of the EP. Can you tell us more about it?

I wrote “Sober” after the loss of my best friend. Who was also a great friend of Elliot's (editor's note: friend of INNOCNT who was present at the concert). And it was the first time I sung that song in front of someone who was also friends with her. Elliot was in the front row. And I swear, I don't know if you can see it on the videos, but at one point I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look at him because I knew I wouldn't have been able to finish the song.

How did you bounce back right after?

It was hard. I just followed the bass, the drums, and that groove, really. It's a bit like when you're crying and dancing at the same time. You're following the music, you're not feeling well, but you're still dancing.

You also performed unreleased songs and they worked really well with the audience. Will we be able to listen to them soon?

Over the last two years, I've started writing new songs. And I wrote “Can I Call You Tomorrow” exactly one year ago. When I write a song, I don't touch it anymore. And this is one of the first times I've tried it out live. I told myself: let's go. As for “Simone”, I wrote that a little longer ago. These songs are going to be on the new EP. They're other stories I want to tell.

The list of your influences is very long and varied, but could you tell us if artists left a mark on you recently?

Someone from the UK: Lola Young. I discovered her with “Messy” because it's huge right now. I listened to her whole last album, I keep listening to it, even now. I think my favorite song is “Intrusive Thoughts”. I really like Luke Combes, he's huge in the States. He was my first artist on Spotify Wrapped. I love Jessie Reyez, and if there's one collaboration I'd really like to do, it would be with Jessie Reyez.

What's the song that represents your EP the best?

"Sober", because it represents me. It represents my vulnerability at its purest state, my raw side.

I had written it, and a few months later I listened to it again and burst into tears while I was walking in the street. What really touched me was that it was the first time I'd managed to put all the emotion I was feeling at that time into a song that was capable of making me feel that emotion all over again. At that moment, I was an artist. Because I saw myself.

First EP, a release party that went amazingly... You left us wanting for more. What are you up to next?

I want to go back to a creative phase: write again and shoot music videos, I've never done a shooting. These would be the two things I want to do over the next six months.

"Sober" is the first song of my life where I told myself: I'm an artist.