Erika Lernot is many things – a chocoholic who cannot get enough of organic food, a fashionista, a green warrior, a spiritualist and a musician. But above all, her soul is that of a traveller, something that her music beautifully embodies.
From West Indies to Africa, the wild rhythms of Cape Verde and Parisian influences to the melodies of her childhood, Erika captures them all in her debut album, Le Voyage, a journey that she’s thrilled to share with us, here in Bengaluru on March 18 at Alliance Francaise.
“I’ve been in India (Pondicherry) for a couple of months now, writing my second album. It’ll have Indian tones to it, thanks to this country that I’ve now fallen in love with,” she confesses in fluent French. With a Matrinican heritage, Erika was brought up in Paris, a city that was always rich in world music. “I’m from a new generation of mixed-race artistes, and I was lucky to travel the world to create ‘my sound’,” she explains. A chance meeting with Siam Lee, her composer and guitarist, opened the avenues to Africa, Cape Verde, Brazil and Asia.
“I’ve travelled and realised how kind and brave people are – In Cambodia, for instance, people are very poor but are always ready to offer you a meal and a smile. In Cape Verde, most of them know how to play the guitar and they do so with love and respect. I’ve noticed that people in Western countries are often materialistic and complain too much,” she says. It is these experiences that she draws from for her rich repertoire of melodies – songs that speak of long lost love, of lost cities and hopeful resistance, all of this over soft yet full bodied melodies. “I write stories first and then add music to them,” she says, letting us in on her process.
Erika believes that her music reflects the world as it is today – a tuneful amalgamation of tradition and modernity. Although she’s been at it for years now – first taking a fancy to Henri Salvador’s Une Chanson Douce, singing it in the shower, then, transforming the theatrical landscapes with her sound and as a backup singer, she believes that her music is now far more mature. “For starters, I used to make music to bring happiness, now I make it to deliver myself from my troubles too. I also assume my femininity a lot more,” she smiles.
Working on her second album with five EPs in English ready to roll, the singer and composer is keyed up about what 2016 may hold for her. But for now, “I’m excited to learn and discover what’s happening on the music scene in India. I would be delighted to work with Indian artistes, although I don’t know any of them yet. But I look forward to meeting the youth of Bengaluru who seem to be very open and curious minded about everything!” she concludes, prepping to create magic on stage.
