Following the release of his first single, Caïds, French multidisciplinary Léo Lalanne presents the second track of his upcoming EP, Allen. A French translation of Allen Ginsberg’s poem Song musically adapted by himself, to Léo it is “an anthem, a contemporary state of mind that still resonates today”.
For this new track – and the whole EP, which will be released early 2020 –, Lalanne has collaborated with producer Apollo Noir, who “has an incredible sensibility”, the singer says. “He was able to understand from Caïds where I wanted to go. I was blown away when we first started working together. The momentum he created and infused within each song was beyond what I could ever hope for”, he continues. This second release is as well very linked to Lalanne in a personal, intimate way. “What Song means, the poem Allen is taken from, is a topic I feel very much related with”, he tells us. “When I decided to move to London, I purchased Howl, a book gathering most of Allen Ginsberg’s poems”, the artist explains. “This is how I discovered Ginsberg, an artist who has inspired me ever since.”
For the music video, he’s partnered again with photographer and director Christophe Ideal, who’s translated visually Lalanne’s vision for it. “Images, sounds and words are all related. When I sometimes read Allen Ginsberg, I picture the work of Nan Goldin or Thomas Ruff. Christophe Ideal and I wanted Allen to reflect what we first felt when listening to the song. This suggested the sensuality/sexuality Ruff portrayed and the colours and ambiances Henri-Georges Clouzot created with L’Enfer”, Léo explains. “I always wanted for the experience to be complete, the audience to be taken away in every possible way.”
With this second single, Léo takes another step forward in his career. By merging poetry, music, spoken-word and performance, the French artist is showing a very soft, honest and raw side to himself. And there is more coming. “What is left to listen to is an introspection, just like the first single was”, he says. Regarding the rest of the songs of the EP, he explains: “I am evoking gentrification, the relationship I had with my dad, youth, among many other things where meaning can be found in.”
For the music video, he’s partnered again with photographer and director Christophe Ideal, who’s translated visually Lalanne’s vision for it. “Images, sounds and words are all related. When I sometimes read Allen Ginsberg, I picture the work of Nan Goldin or Thomas Ruff. Christophe Ideal and I wanted Allen to reflect what we first felt when listening to the song. This suggested the sensuality/sexuality Ruff portrayed and the colours and ambiances Henri-Georges Clouzot created with L’Enfer”, Léo explains. “I always wanted for the experience to be complete, the audience to be taken away in every possible way.”
With this second single, Léo takes another step forward in his career. By merging poetry, music, spoken-word and performance, the French artist is showing a very soft, honest and raw side to himself. And there is more coming. “What is left to listen to is an introspection, just like the first single was”, he says. Regarding the rest of the songs of the EP, he explains: “I am evoking gentrification, the relationship I had with my dad, youth, among many other things where meaning can be found in.”
