First of all, thank you for taking the time to host the FHM Year mix 2020 and doing this interview with us. To kick off the interview, as we all know 2020 has been a turbulent year. How did you experience this year as an artist, but also personally?
When the pandemic hit us I was in the middle of my Elevation Tour. I was basically presenting live all the new songs of my album “Year Zero” that would drop later down the year. So for me personally, I first felt a big shock and questioned pretty much everything going forward with my music. Various questions and doubts went through my head like ‘Would I be able to release the album in 2020?’, ‘Will I still be playing Coachella, Ultra, Tomorrowland and all these major festivals?’. The year 2020 was set to be a big year for me already but only one of these above questions was able to be answered with a ‘yes’. Fortunately, it was the most important one: the release of Year Zero did indeed still happen in 2020.
Meanwhile, with all this time at home I was able to reflect on the past 6 years of almost non-stop touring. It felt good just doing the basic stuff everyday. I did not discover a new hobby but I did re-discover old ones; I drove my bike more than ever fore and I started playing basketball again. Because of that, and in combination of being able to consistently sleep at regular hours, I experienced big improvement on my health.
Where did you physically spent your time during the lockdown?
I was spending my time in Miami where I have been living for the past 6 years. Fortunately, I have been able to come back to France during the summer time when everything seemed to get better on a sanitary level. In September I came back to the US because I was eager to head back to my Miami studio and start new projects. I did not want to slow down after the release of my album, even though it was sometimes complicated to make music after a huge body of work that goes into an album.
2020 is also the year of your debut album, when did you start working on this album?
To be frank, I already started working on Year Zero about 3 years ago. At first I was collecting ideas and putting them aside for a new EP. I just kept producing and about a year and a half ago I realized that I had more tracks than I needed for an EP. Thus; I started to think about creating an album and this got elevated to a whole new level. I linked up with songwriters in LA and London mainly and together we created all these tracks that I am really proud of. Everything that is in Year Zero is not only Tchami but also Martin.
Year Zero
When fans and music lovers are listening to your album, what is it that you hope them to hear? What is the key message of Year Zero?
I want to keep it simple and hope that they will have a good time, maybe bigger emotions while listening to Year Zero. 2020 was a tough year for most of us and music has this ability to heal for a minute or two if you let it. So I am glad if my music can bring a sense of relief at some point. This is an album you can sit and listen to as much as you can dance to. Everything is moving, changing and you cannot help it. On a personal level I am changing and so my music is changing too. Resistance if futile.
Year Zero counts 16 projects, can you take us through some of your favourite projects?
I have a different favorite every day. I have listened more to ‘Buenos Aires’ and ‘Ain’t That Kind Of Friend’ lately. Before that, I was stuck on ‘Damaged Hearts’ and ‘Proud’. The thing with this album is that everyone has its own favorites and I love that. It means to me personally that it is a cohesive and consistent body of work for most listeners.
Are there any artists on your album that surprised you while you were working with them?
Yes, actually almost all of them. Especially Todd Edwards; he surprised me when he chose the ‘Damaged Heart’ instrumental. It was the last beat I played him and he loved it right away. You never know what is going to be a match when you work with another artist. At some point you just play what you have and hope for the best. And in this case there could not have been be a better match.
Do you have any surprising projects coming in the foreseeable future?
During the pandemic I have been in touch with many of my peer producers, more than ever. All I can say about that is that I have songs in the making and they will probably be released in the near future but no dates have been set yet. I have been experimenting with other genres as well but also this is not to be released yet.
Lastly, we are wondering; what are you looking forward to in 2021?
I would love to be able to play in clubs and festivals if it can be done safely of course. I think the first club shows, whenever they will happen, will be very intense. That is what I am looking forward to hopefully in 2021.