During my recent exposure to synthwave music, I have discovered an exciting French Electronic artist by the name of “Hante”. Her music edges towards the darker side of synthwave, and is one of the artists who is easily identifiable among her synthwave contemporaries. Whenever I hear a song by Hante, it feels like Hante.
I have written up a review of her release, “Between Hope and Danger” too, which you can read here.
I was excited when she agreed to answer my questions. Please read on below to find out more about the lady behind Hante.
The Interview
- Please tell us about yourself in as many or as little words as you like.
- Hi! I’m Hélène. I’m behind the solo project “Hante“. Since the beginning of the year, I’m running my own label “Synth Religion” in the beautiful but sometimes suffocating city of Paris.
- Growing up, who were your heroes in music?
- As a kid, I was fascinated by Freddy Mercury, his voice, his charisma. Queen has been a huge part of my childhood’s soundtrack. Also, Serge Gainsbourg, Michael Jackson… But the discovering of Radiohead when I was a teenager, has been a massive turn in my music tastes. The album “Ok Computer” was and still is a real masterpiece and a big influence for me.
- Growing up, who were your heroes outside of music?
- I was really into Cinema and I loved lots of characters and actors. I think about the french actor Louis de Funes, Robin Williams (more than amazing as Peter Pan in Hook), the kids in Stand by Me and in The Goonies, Elliott in ET, Wednesday in The Addams Family, among so many others…
- What was the first album you remember buying?
- Honest answer: the soundtrack of Aladdin lol. But if you mean the one who really changed my life, as I said before it’s “Ok Computer” from Radiohead.
- Was there any defining moment in your life when you knew that you wanted to make music?
- I started taking music theory courses, piano, harp and singing lessons really young, so music has always been a big part of my life. I was composing stupid depressing music in my bedroom when I was a teenager. But the turn was at the beginning of my twenties when two friends of mine started a metal band. They asked me to write some lyrics. We were in the rehearsal room and I started singing shyly on the chorus. They said “You have to be our singer”. It was one of the most exciting moment of my life, like “OMG I’m in a band!!” haha. Since then, nothing made me feel more alive, prouder of myself, than composing music and playing on stage.
- Who is your biggest influence in how you approach what you do today?
- I would say Depeche Mode (all their 80’s albums), a mix between dark, emotional and new wave sounds. But of course, a lot of bands influence my work nowadays. For each album I composed, I was really into two or three bands and it inspired my work a lot. For my next album for example, I’m really influenced by a french band called Las Aves. I love their bass synth sounds, it’s very contemporary. I also love the latest album of Bat For Lashes, I love the cinematographic approach.
- What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
- I would say my performance this year at the WGT festival in Germany. It was the first time I was playing alone in front of so many people. And even if I have to admit that it was not my best performance so far, I felt very proud to have done it all by myself. I’m kinda shy and discreet in my everyday life and this is amazing how you can be different on stage. I feel powerful and confident, it’s a real therapy for me!
- What is your favourite Book?
- I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a while since I’ve read a book! So I would say a collection of poems that my grand-mother gave to me. The title is “les cent plus beaux poèmes de la langue française” (The hundred most beautiful poems of the french language). It inspired and still inspires me a lot.
- What is your favourite Album?
- It’s really hard to say, because I’m always obsessed by a new album. But I would say that the last huge crush that I had was a few years ago, “Sentinelle” from Xeno and Oaklander.
- What is your favourite Film?
- “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” from Michel Gondry or “The Big Blue” from Luc Besson.
- What is your favourite TV Show?
- I absolutely love TV shows, it’s my favorite hobby. So I don’t know what to choose! Maybe “Friends”, a classic one, but the best finale is without hesitation the one of “Six Feet Under”.
- Do you have a favourite film/tv/musical soundtrack?
- “Virgin Suicides” from Air, the soundtrack of the Sofia Coppola movie that I absolutely love too.
- Are there any new albums you are binge listening to at the moment?
- “Die in Shanghai” from Las Aves, “The Bride” from Bat of Lashes, “Everywhere I go is Silence” from Box and the Twins that I just released on my label, I’m absolutely in love with this album!
- What other artists should I be listening to?
- It depends what kind of music you want to listen to! Gold Zebra, Xarah Dion, Hørd, CONFRONTATIONAL, Selofan, Ash Code, Kælan Mikla…
- You’re walking somewhere and your mp3 player has only a little battery left; You’ve only got time for one more song. What song do you play?
- Right now, I would like to listen to “My Lady Blue” from Eric Serra, the beautiful song of “The Big Blue” soundtrack. I have it in mind thanks to this interview!
- What advice would you give to your younger self?
- Don’t waste your time trying to find a B plan, follow your heart and make music your A plan right away!!
- If you could ask any person – living or passed – any question, who would it be and what would you ask them?
- To be honest, I find this kind of question really tricky lol. You try to think about something smart and then something more personal but it would be too self-centred compared to all the funny, tragic, essential questions you could ask to all the people who are living or lived in this world. So I decide to not ask anything!
- Could you tell us a joke?
- I’m more the kind of people to laugh to other people jokes than the kind to tell jokes!
- Also, do you have any plans to play in the UK?
- Nothing planned for now, but I really would like to play in the UK in 2017!
Thank you Hélène
A big thanks to Hélène for taking the time to answer these questions. I really appreciate the time it has probably taken to read through all these questions and answer them as honestly and completely as she has.
If Hante does play in U.K. in 2017, I’ll be the first one at the door.
