Fritz Michel

Singer-songwriter and actor Fritz Michel speaks to Jason Barnard about songwriting and his reinterpretation of The Tremeloes’ 1968 hit ‘Suddenly You Love Me’ from his forthcoming debut EP ‘On The Rocks’. 

fritz michel

What are the lyrical themes of the five songs featured in the ‘On The Rocks’ EP?

My songs tell stories about navigating daily life, small details, big obstacles, family, love, survival.

“King of Corona” is about dislocation, mysterious and transformative. “We Are What We Are” explores our human connections and the search for a mystical experience. Some of those lyrics draw from my experiences as a theater actor. I’ve learned so much from other artists I’ve encountered along the way. “On the Rocks” is about memory, regret, and gaps brought about by distance. “Suddenly You Love Me” and “Siffler sur la Colline” are both about relationships and how they can be confusing, paradoxical, embarrassing, and sometime just bizarre!

‘We Are What We Are’ has a striking music video linked to the ‘The Wizard of Oz’ – can you tell me about the creative process and who you worked with?

My grandmother collected books and materials related to the original Wizard of Oz books so there’s a personal connection. Like “We Are What We Are”, the Oz story is also about transformational journeys, human vignettes, and traveling companions you encounter. I think music speaks to our need for magic and escape so I’m also looking for that in my music and video. With this “We Are What We Are” project, they intersect and intertwine. Gavin Price (the director) and I knew we wanted movement , dance, and performance art in a storyline told of an encounter with a happening. Emily Pacilio, the choreographer, is a huge fan of the 1978 super-soul musical The Wiz and Wicked. As we brainstormed costumes and make-up for the dancers, a 21st century riff on The Wizard of Oz connected those themes. Our shoot also was my first time wearing a bald cap and green make-up!

Your EP features a reinterpretation of “Suddenly You Love Me” by the Tremeloes. How did that come about?

“Suddenly You Love Me” I first discovered as Joe Dassin’s French hit “Siffler sur la Colline” which was on repeat on my parents’ car stereo during my childhood in France. I thought singing in French would be both an interesting and instructive creative challenge since being bilingual defines much of my experience. Lyrically the two songs tell differently stories yet the “Zai, Zai, Zai, Zai” chorus remains. I wanted to keep that mod, dancehall vibe from The Tremoloes version but also give the folk song rhythm a borderline punk energy. Because that’s the nature of so many close relationships in my experience – bananas and all over the place!

How do you write generally – do you start with a musical phrase or lyric? And how does being bilingual impact on that?

I start my songs on the acoustic guitar as I explore phrases, images, and human vignettes that resonate. Either finding melody in storytelling or vice-versa. The beauty of songwriting is finding those shifts from minor to major or discovering a harmony that helps uncover hidden poetry in everyday life. I find you have to be very patient in that search. Like exercise, songwriting requires discipline and commitment to see through because finding flow can be so elusive.

What other tracks of yours would you recommend?

“Darker Now”, “Stardust” and “Look Out (Botticelli Girl)” were my first three singles. I studied history in college so I mine the past for observations that drive my creative process. “Stardust” for example is about my life in Los Angeles chasing the California Dream. I spent the first decade of this century out west and that song is really about finding my way home to my east coast roots.

You seem to draw from a range of influences. How would you describe your sound?

I’m not sure there’s any one style to describe my music. I listen to everything from jazz, traditional roots music, and singer/songwriters like Al Stewart or Leonard Cohen to New Wave and modern pop music. As a huge fan of music, I know what it’s like discover songs that connect and move me. I’m trying to write songs that I’d want to hear and that listeners might relate too that way. There’s indie acoustic rock n roll in there but it’s more roll than rock.

How does acting compare to also being a music artist?

Singing and acting both require an ability to stay present and live in the moment in very unnatural settings like in front of a camera on a film set or doing vocals in a recording studio recording booth. Honestly, it’s scary to put yourself out there as an artist. Failure and rejection are constants. But, testing my own limits helps me find inspiration, resilience, and joy.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I’m finding my way back to performing live now that the pandemic seems to be easing up. The last two years have been difficult for so many, full of loss and isolation. I also want to spend some time in nature this summer and reconnecting with family that I haven’t seen in a long time.

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