"I like Poland and the Poles a lot" - interview with Mademoiselle Karen

Monika Matura: You have concertised in Poland alone or with Czesław for many years now, I would like to ask you about your impressions of Poland? Do you like Poles?

Mademoiselle Karen: I've toured all around Poland since 2007, so it has become a big part of me and my life. I've visited many more places in Poland than in Denmark or other countries, but often I see the clubs and the hotels, and then we move on. So there's many cities I don't know well, even though I've been there many times. I like Poland and the Poles a lot! The country is so much bigger than Denmark and with only 5,5 millions Danes compared to almost 40 millions Poles there are just so much more of everything!! I really like how Poland changes in people and environment, if you go north, south, east and west. It's a new country all the time.

Have you ever had time to visit Poland properly? Are there any Polish cities which you especially like?

I've had some vacations in Poland with my family in Krakow and Warszawa. I really love to walk around in Krakow. I know the city better and better, and I like the districts – especially the Kazimierz area. Warszawa is bigger and more difficult to get to know, but I've started to find my favorite spots. I also like Poznan a lot – there is a special vibe in the city I like, and I always feel home, when I come there. The same feeling I have in Wroclaw and also 3 miasto. I feel like there is some kind of connection between Gdansk and Denmark, and there are many students who study nordic language, and I love to be close to the sea. We had a small ski holiday in Zakopane area with Czeslaw Spiewa team and it was beautiful. Denmark is a very flat country so the mountains in Poland are very overwhelming :)

Your music is very diverse, how would you define your style?

Hmm... Like a mix of languages and music styles where everything is allowed and nothing omitted. A short definition could be alternative pop on different languages.

You can speak many languages. Did you learn them by yourself?

I love languages in general, and I guess my ears are open, and I have a curious mind. That's how I've learned some Polish. My french connection is my husband, who is from France. I've also learned some French in high school, but that's long time ago. Lately I learn French all over again, since my little girl speaks French with her dad. That's great!!

Where did the idea for multilingual songs on your album come from?

It started with the French songs. Somehow it was easier for me to write songs in French, since my vocabulary is limited, and often the simple lyrics works in songs. It's more difficult for me to write in Danish, and the lyrics often become very intimate and personal. When I write in other languages, I can have some distance to the lyrics and tell stories. The Polish lyrics are written by my friend Elza Jaszczuk and the Polish song, “Kochany Kochany”, is written by Michal Zablocki after a night of dancing at Alchemia in Krakow.

Can we expect an album in only one language in the future?

Maybe. You never know, what the future will bring :)

How did you get involved in the musical collaboration on the film ‘Facet (nie)potrzebny od zaraz’?

Czeslaw was playing a part in the movie and he recommended Mademoiselle Karen to the production team, and they liked the songs.

Recordings, concerts, family. How do you manage to do it all?

I take one day at a time, and try to do as much as I can do without being stressed. That's why it took 4 years to release the 2nd album. I didn't want to rush it, and I just wanted the result to be good. But it can be a big challenge to combine a music career with family life, and you have to start from scratch all time since the music business changes so fast these days. I have some very helpful parents and husband to help me when I'm on tour and away from home. So until now I've succeeded to keep on playing, and I hope I can continue, even though my family is growing.

You said that the songs for your last albums were created among others during your tour in Poland with Czesław or just during the day-to-day activities. What did the process look like this time?

It's been a very long process to make this 2nd album “Comme Les Garçons”, and the songs are made in different ways. I usually begin with the lyrics sometimes connected with a melody line, and then I compose the rest of the songs and harmonize and arrange them together with the band : Troels, Martin and Hans. The guys have been a big part of creating the songs for the 2nd album, and some of the songs we have created together in the studio. That's also why the album is quite different in the sound that our first album “Attention”, since we all have been a part of the composing. I often write the lyrics, when I'm on the way to something – or someone. In the airplane, on the bike, in the bus, in the tour bus or just walking. My brain starts to be creative, when I'm moving. So the touring life is often a creative time for me.

In one of your interviews you have said that you like listening to pop music, including Britney Spears, which really surprised me. Would you ever want to make an album full of pop music?

Well, I like all kinds of music, as long as it's good :) I must admit that there's a lot of bad music out there, and a lot of it has big airplay. I don't know, where you've read that I like Britney Spears. I've never really listened to her, and I don't own an album of hers, but anyway I like music in general. I like to listen to it, and I like to play it, and I don't care so much about categorizing it. The same goes when I play music; I want to play it all and not only specific genres. I don't like to put the music too much in boxes. Open up the boxes and mix it all together, and let's see where it takes us!!

How does the learning of Polish go?

Hmm... so and so. I try to learn all the time, but every time I go back to Denmark, I loose the track, and I have to start all over. But little by little it gets under my skin. I would really like to go take a proper Polish class one day, when I have some spare time. Ale mówię trochę po polsku :)