Interview By Erwin Van Dijk

 

An interview with Virginie from Kells. Kells is a female fronted metal band from France. For me they were one of the better bands during the 2008 edition of Metal Female Voices Fest. This interview is with Virginie, the singer and one of the founders of Kells. 

Did you always want to become a singer?

I have always wanted to be a singer… As a child, I was in the conservatory, I was about 6 years old… I have always sung, mainly covers, but when I was 18, I wanted to perform my own songs and so I founded Kells with Fabrice (Cofounder and former keyboarder).

And to what kind of music do you listen yourself?

I mainly listen to metal, nu metal is my favourite sub-genre. But I like some rock and pop bands too.

And who are your favourite bands and musicians?

I would say that my favourite bands are Korn, Deftones, Incubus, Papa Roach, Lost Prophets, Machine Head, Skunk Anansie, Him, In Flames, The Cranberries, NIN, 30secondstomars.

Did you have any other bands before Kells and / or are you active in any other bands now besides Kells?

Kells takes me so much time that it is impossible for me to be in another project.

How do you choose your stage outfit?

I work with the French corset-maker Atelier Sylphe. We design all my outfits together. Sometimes, I draw my outfits myself, sometimes, the idea comes from her but in both case, the outfit always evolves with the ideas of the two.

What are your other passions besides music?

A few years ago I used to paint but now that I have a daughter and we are always on the road, when I’m home, I take care of her. I’ve no time anymore for other passions. The only passion I satisfy is my passion for corsetry but this is closely linked to Kells so. 

Why did you choose Kells as name for the band?

We were looking for a rare first name that would suit for a band. I found Kells and loved its history. Moreover, it was short and easy to memorize. 

And how would you describe your music?

Our music is "symphonic nu-metal." Our guitar/bass/drum parts completely sound nu metal like Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, etc. And we add symphonic orchestrations.  

And what makes Kells different compared to all those other female fronted bands?

The Nu Metal aspect of our music makes us sound completely different from other female fronted metal bands such as Epica, Nightwish, etc. And on stage, we are very energetic, somehow like hardcore or punk bands may be, we do not act as other female fronted bands on stage. It is completely different. 

Is song writing teamwork in Kells or is there one mastermind behind the music?

Actually, Patrick composes the major part of our music. I listen to it, I find my voice parts. Then, we give Lolo and Jano a listen, so that they may rearrange their own parts. And when the music is finished, I write the lyrics. 

Can you introduce us to the other members of Kells?

Jano, crazy drummer, 26 years old, fond of hardcore and punk music.
Lolo, bass player, 29, fond of nu-metal and electro music.
Pat, guitarist, 33, fond of nu-metal and rock n roll music.

Your debut album, "Gaia" was released in 2005 and "Lueurs" in 2009. How did the media, and more important, the fans react on the album?

"Lueurs" sold very well. We’ve been one of the 30 best metal sells in France for 2 months.
I think people preferred "Lueurs". "Gaia" was cool but "Lueurs" is far more personal and innovative to me.

And what are the differences between "Gaia" and "Lueurs"?

Harder, better, faster, stronger! And in "Lueurs", we’ve had a real string quintet which we had not had for "Gaia". 

And why did it took four years to come with a new album?

"Gaia" was released in November 2005. In 2006, I was pregnant and my daughter was born in 2007. Also, in 2007, our line-up changed a lot. Lolo, until then Jeremie's spare became our main bass player. Guillaume, our former drummer left so we had to find Jano and eventually, Fabrice, former keyborder also left. So, we thought "Gaia" had not had time enough to get known and once our new line up founded, we toured again with "Gaia" for one year. Then in 2008, we started again the composition of "Lueurs" (in 2007, we had composed only "La Sphere" and "Le Dictat Du Silence" before Fabrice left). And so, we could not release "Lueurs" earlier.

All the songs are in the French language. Have you ever considered to use English instead?

Honestly we don't. Everybody already sings in English! Lacuna Coil (Italy), Epica (Netherlands), etc. Everybody from whatever country. It is a means to be different for us. And language is not a barrier if we consider the world success of Rammstein singing in German.

What is your favourite song on the album and why?

I can not choose only one. My favourites are "Avant Que Tu", "Délivre-moi", "In Utero", "Lueur" and "Ailleurs". "In Utero" because the lyrics are very personal and touch me in the deep, "Lueur" and "Délivre-moi" for their energy and "Avant Que Tu" and "Ailleurs" for the tragic dimension of their orchestrations. 

Candice from Eths was the guest singer on the song "La Sphère". Since Eths has very little in common with Kells music wise besides a front woman, why did you choose her for this song?

I don’t agree with you entirely hehe. I think that we are far closer to Eths musically than to Epica for example. Our guitar/bass/drum parts both sound nu metal, we have a common groove. But effectively, besides that they are more oriented hardcore with a growled voice and we are more symphonic with a melodic voice. In fact, we’ve asked her to sing with us because we already knew each other and because we thought our very different voices would melt perfectly. It is far more interesting to melt different things than similar ones and maybe that’s what pleased people.

There seem to be a lot of female fronted metal bands from France the last few years, like Interria, Whyzdom and Asylum Pyre . Do you have any idea why?

If we analyse the whole thing, there aren’t more female fronted metal bands than male. It’s just the way we look at it that is different, because, perhaps bands such as Evanescence, Within Temptation, Epica and Nightwish have created a kind of fashion. 

You are preparing for a tour. Will you visit other countries besides the UK, Spain and France?

Yes, the tour will also pass through Switzerland, Portugal and very probably Belgium and Germany! 

What are for you the highlights with Kells so far?

I don't know. The fact that we’ve toured that much, the fact that our fanbase is growing considerably, the fact that the press talks about us more and more. Everything is important to us.

And what can we expect from Kells in the nearby future?

The third album is almost composed and ready to be recorded. We also have many ideas for a new video.

And the last question: is there anything the reader should know that I have not asked?

Of course! Please, take a look at our brand new video "Avant Que Tu" entirely shot at Abode of Chaos!

Thank you for your time,

It's me that must thank you. 

 

Latest Multimedia

 

Links

Virginie Goncalves Official Profile

Kells Official MySpace

 

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