As I was doing an interview recently, the journalist noticed I talk a lot about freedom, so he asked me “what exactly is freedom for you..?” Such a hard question. Here is a try. It’s true, I believe in freedom; in life, and so, in music. I believe we all try to fight for it; consciously or unconsciously. Somehow life (everyone will put a personal definition here), jobs, relationships… so many factors can put us “in a box”. It’s not even something to be questioned, -it’s like that, anyway, there is no time to do it an other way-. When we want to be the person we imagine will be loved and appreciated, when we want to please someone, when we think about what people are thinking about us, when we chose to do something because we imagine this is the right thing to do. How many times are we the subject of our decision? How many times are we taking time to think about what’s important to us? Am I praising being selfish here? I don’t think so and truly hope not. I just firmly believe the only possible way to give (to others, to music, to audiences, to friends and family) is to have something to give, therefore to have taken the time to feed ourselves first, to find our freedom, to find our own sweet way. How to give if we are empty? And how being able to give with authenticity and generosity, if only -expected standards- are what we have been looking for? Especially as young musicians, we all tried to please our teachers, and that’s the normal way; but at some point, we have to break free, embrace our freedom and trust it. No matter what it means. There is no such thing as one foot on the safe earth, and one foot in the swimming pool trying to swim. To engage fully is the only option, when commitment and integrity are at stake. That’s the reason why I highly encourage spending hours working on technique, to gain the necessary tools to become capable of expressing something. As a musician, my ultimate intention is to deliver a message, and here is the power of music. Music gives us a story, emotions, beauty and a way of communicating with each other, but unlike verbal langage, it has no fixed references. Sometimes this is a difficulty humans have to face: communication. The magic of music is that there is no precise references, it’s free. My aim is to deliver something with my heart, but you as a listener receive it as you wish, it’s up to you to create your own story. Make it personal. I have no control over that, and don’t want any.
Music happens in the moment, like all intense emotions, beauty and love; connecting in the presence, through emotions, heartbeats and vibrations.. then we can create some piece of eternity.
Freedom has a high price, but the result is priceless.
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be”
Voltaire.