Geneviève Bellemare: NPR Music's "First Watch" video premiere, "Live and Die" EP out on Verve

Photo Credit: Jenny Affan 

NPR Music’s “First Watch” is premiering the new video for the track “Live and Die” from Geneviève Bellemare. NPR Music’s Bob Boilen says “The music found on her new EP, Live and Die, out now on Verve Records, balances jazz with rock rhythms behind a song that's carefully composed, but her singing makes it all feel intuitive”.can be viewed here on NPR Music’s “First Watch” HEREand on Vevo HERE.

 

For her first collection of songs, French Canadian-born Bellemare collaborated over a 10-month period of time writing with well known producers Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Crowded House), Paul O’Duffy (Amy Winehouse), Busbee (Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pink) and Tony Berg (Lucius, Nicklecreek). Listen to the full EP streaming via SoundCloud HERE.

 

Of working with Bellmare, Berg comments, “Geneviève approaches writing—and music, in general—from a uniquely spontaneous and soulful place. She has an unerring sense of what feels right for her, so collaborating is strangely (and often hilariously) devoid of indecision. She says ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and that confidence informs everything she does. It’s refreshing to meet someone whose melodic and lyrical instincts are so completely her own.” Froom adds, “I found Geneviève to have a distinctive point of view as an artist. As a singer, she has a depth of feeling that belies her age. Not exactly a soul singer, just absolutely real and soulful. As a writer of melodies and lyrics, she usually finds a unique melodic way into a song. In writing with her, I was constantly surprised with what she came up with (and how much I liked it!). All in all, everything I look for in a collaboration.”

 

Bellemare tells the Eugene Weekly that she grew up with “church music all the time” until her older brothers introduced her to the classic sounds of mid-seventies FM radio artists. She was also introduced to jazz by her mother and began to hunger for more. After settling in Oregon, at age ten, Bellemare won a “Next Big Thing Eugene” contest and formed the band Voodoun Moi. Local music director, Brandon Lieberman at KBOO in Portland said of the band, “If I could have only called a broker to buy stock in Geneviève I would have immediately grabbed all the shares I could!” Subsequently, Bellemare moved to Los Angeles to work on new solo-based material. However, she observes, “the writing process for nearly all of her songs is the same.” After going through drum loops with the producer, Bellemare says, “I go into the booth and I record a bunch of mumbles and shrieks…then I go back into the room with the producer and we pull out things we like.” 

 

Live And Die EP Tracklist

1. Live And Die
2. Hiding Space
3. Riddle
4. The Way