Nesrine: Kan Ya Makan - Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, there was a French-Algerian artist who was born in France and lived in Geneva, Valencia, New York and finally (temporarily?) in Paris. On this second solo album, Nesrine tells stories that are often her own, but always about others. French mixes with Arabic and English, each language bringing its own musicality, each word its own sound. As a singer-songwriter, Nesrine creates music and lyrics (which she writes in Arabic together with her mother) from memories and encounters, be they friendly, literary or musical. There are influences, some more hidden than others, from Khalil Gibran (Fear uses one of his poems) to Gainsbourg (Bonnie and Clyde), as well as from Beethoven to Erykah Badu, from Nietzsche to Chaâbi. The common thread, the travel companion, is the cello. From the composition to the stage, from the bass to the fully developed solo (Dalala), to the almost symphonic stand (Sortilèges), the instrument is present in every piece, in every register, and reflects the musician's voice, which can be both powerful and captivating (Kan Ya Makan) and gentle and poignant when the song becomes a confession (Flou). For this album, which starts from the intimate but wants to reach the whole world, Nesrine has surrounded herself with producer and guitarist Vincent Huma (with whom she has already worked), Grégoire Musso and Bruce Keen, whose co-production work gives this work a collegial aspect. Percussionists Rhani Krija and Anissa Nehari provide the indispensable rhythm. Driven by an inner urge to create and express herself, Nesrine opted for a dense album of 11 tracks that reflect the musician she is - intense and generous, sophisticated and mysterious.