EMEL is a remarkable voice. Real name Emel Mathlouthi, her art-pop elixir blends future-pop tendencies with a deep awareness of her North African roots.
The NYC based artist shared her album ‘MRA’ last year – the title is the Arabic word for ‘woman’, and it’s an ode to womanhood, and the inter-supportive networks that can be built.
“I’ve come to discover the true meaning of sisterhood. I’m not interested in the inherited feeling that other women are my rivals anymore,” says EMEL. “I want us to change the system from within, by and through women.”
A bold creative statement, she took ‘MRA’ to London for a special show at the Jazz Cafe this Spring, before stealing the show at WOMAD.
CLASH caught up with EMEL to discuss her cultural touchstones, and how these inform her work…
—
Book(s)
I have been spending some time in upstate New York at my cabin in the woods lately, where I have a nice collection of old books. This makes it really hard to stick to one read because I keep jumping back and forth between many classics in poetry and literature. I’m an old soul like that; I love Poe and Austen, and I am passionate about history. I ended up with a good translation of Rumi, and I start the day with a few pages as I look at my view of the Catskills mountain. It feels as if his work was almost written here – I’m sure he would have liked it. The mood is perfect because I’m in this Sufi phase where I truly believe in the power of love.
TV
I’m not as much of a TV person as I used to be. It feels like a noise i don’t need; it usually just takes you in a loop and turns you into a vegetable, which can be of use sometimes, don’t get me wrong.
I have heard a lot of good things though about Lady Parts and I intend to dig into it. I like it when there’s representation in TV, not just in film, so for that, I would make the extra effort.
Music
I have been rediscovering Pet Shop Boys, and I think they are brilliant. Their melodies, the voice, the production, the emotions – I like it when music transcends time and eras; that’s what good music can do. I’m also working on a remix of the latest record of this really great artist, Metttani. He’s half French, half Tunisian, and his mix of traditional Tunisian instruments with punk and grunge is banger. The EP is called “Tawatem.”
Film
I’m a sucker for old movies as well. I love all the old Italians directors: Pasolini, De Sica, Visconti. One film in particular I watched in a theatre in Paris eminded me of the beauty of cinema that cannot be equaled, and where the music does not dictate how you’re supposed to feel. It’s called The Basilisks, by Lina Wertmüller. It all happens in a tiny Italian town where there’s not much action or much story, but the suspense, the drama, and the quality of the scenes and dialogues are outstanding.
Gadget
I’m so into this new polaroid camera I got two weeks ago, I’m obsessed. I love how tricky it is to get what you need with not much room to operate, and yet there’s so much possibility. I like how romantic and messy the result can be in the photos, and how much surprise you get from images you planned differently.
—
‘MRA’ is out now.
—
Read More
