Name: Blick Bassy
Nationality: Cameroonian
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Blick Bassy's new album MÁDIBÁ is out via InFiné.
Recommendations: "Mercy Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye

If you enjoyed this Blick Bassy interview and would like to keep up to date with his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I listen to music with my eyes closed, whether it's in my home studio or with headphones on my vinyl player.

I want to feel every instrument and let the music compose and translate the sounds into images.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

My musical journey began in my teenage years. I started singing at the church my father built in the village. My mother, who had a natural talent for singing, passed on this heritage to us by teaching us traditional choir songs.

Later, I continued singing in my high school orchestra and quickly decided to pursue music as a career. At that time, my first band and I didn't have much equipment, but we were organised with the goal of becoming professionals.

With experience, I understood the importance of songwriting and the essence of music.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

I think that's subjective because it depends on several factors. Some artists may have musical maturity at that age, especially if they started practising music from a young age. It also depends on access to music, whether one lives in a rural or urban environment.

But at that age, I already knew I wanted to become a musician / artist. Music was at the centre of my activities.

What has changed today is simply that music is one medium among others through which I express my creativity. I now express my creativity in other mediums such as theatre, film, writing, dance, etc as well.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

The guitar remains my main instrument. But I also love synthesisers, which have contributed in recent years to the evolution I wanted to bring to my art by giving it a modern and avant-garde touch with an African aesthetic.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

My music is simply the manifestation of my mental and creative evolution. Over the years, my approach and perspective on our society have evolved, and that's what I try to convey in each of my productions.

Driven by a dynamic approach to life, for me, to live is to create, and to create is to live.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

It's the same for me, I listen to my music as a narrative, carrying emotion and variation.

I define my sound as contemporary Afro sound.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? how far would you describe them as “musical”?

When I decide to create an album, my brain opens up to listening and translates every sound into music. From the singing of a bird to the sound of a car horn or a distant voice calling out. Everything resonates in music.

It's a beautiful moment because it's like living in an orchestra that plays non-stop, improvising at will. Everything becomes musical, everything is musical.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

It all depends on my state of mind, which creates predispositions to feel things as longer than they actually are, to experience something incredible over music that may seem simple.

For me, it's all about the mental condition that animates us at a given moment.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriad ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I don't really have any rules, the only thing that works for me is if it suits me.

I also like to think outside the box and always have an unconventional approach, as it keeps me from going in circles and allows me to explore the unknown every time, to step out of my comfort zone.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

For each album, I start by choosing a theme, then I compose around 200 melodies with improvised lyrics. Then, I ask around ten people to choose the top 20 melodies, and then I select the 15 melodies that come up most frequently.

Once that choice is made, I start working on the lyrics and production. I record my vocals once all of that is recorded.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Science plays a role in my creative process through the tools that technology provides us to enhance or accompany our creativity.

We live in an incredible time where technology allows us to create exceptional pieces.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Absolutely. My music reflects my state of mind and my vision of our society. I think that's the best way to approach this profession, to express our uniqueness through all the forms of expression available to us.

Through music or reading someone's book, we can get to know someone. But for that, there needs to be work in developing one's uniqueness and authenticity.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I discovered cooking quite late, and today I'm a fan of it.

I find that cooking is like composing. Creating something special with ingredients that could yield a thousand different recipes, depending on each chef's approach. Like measuring, mixing, and cooking to share once it's ready, with others.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Yes, there are some songs that, every time I listen to them, transport me to a special space, even if I sometimes don't understand the lyrics.

One example is "Matoumba" by Eboa Lottin, which has that effect on me.



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

So, what I would like technology to produce is the ability to amplify our emotions when we sing, to touch the souls even more deeply.

But also, to show the vibrations that emanate from each artist while performing live.