16 January 2024

If you’re looking for an up-and-coming singer-songwriter
to start 2024, I have a notable one for you.

Belgian artist SIMON LE MA, blessed with a bewitching voice, who released his
excellent debut album THE HOUSEWARMING LP last November should get your
aural attention if you’re a fan of captivating musings.

Le Ma‘s musical taste is pretty eclectic. Funky songs, jazzy songs, poppy songs, even
some flamenco vibes here and there. Expect echoes of Father John Misty, and the
acoustic beauty of Bonnie Prince Billy. Cool, right? You betcha (my trained ears never
fail me, except on a hangover off-day).

All that said I’ll give the word to Simon. But first, as usual
with a TUTV interview, a slice of music to warm up.

Hello Simon,

What or who influenced you to pick up a guitar and start to play music?

“Without my friends in high school, I would have never picked up the guitar. My friends have all been brought up on classic rock bands such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Pixies, whereas I come from a household of almost total musical silence. I remember a ‘Radio 2 Greatest Hits’ CD in the car with some Robbie Williams and Tina Turner, but that was about as far as it went in terms of musical upbringing.

As a result, I never took an interest in music, until my friends introduced me to bands
like QOTSA, Arctic Monkeys and the Black Keys at the age of 16. Being the insecure teenager I was, I wanted to be able to follow their conversations at school, so I absolutely CONSUMED those artists’ albums.

My friends convinced me to play the bass and form a band, which we did. Unfortunately, we had different musical ambitions so we don’t play together anymore, but I cherish those memories and I will be forever grateful to them for introducing me to music.”

Which track would you play to the people who never heard of you?

“I would play ‘Decision Making‘, the first song on my album. I think the song leaves enough space in the beginning to focus on the lyrics, which introduce the story of the album quite well. Musically, it builds nicely to a climax which is one of my favourite moments. It always makes me happy, especially when people sing along when I play it live.”

Your debut album is out. It’s titled ‘THE HOUSE WARMING LP’.
What is it that you want to express with the title?

“‘The Housewarming LP’ is a chronological concept album about a housewarming party that goes from bad to worse. If you listen closely to the lyrics, you’ll hear evening turn into night as the awkward initial conversations make way for desperate monologues.”

What’s the story behind the cover image?

“Last summer, I played a wedding gig somewhere in West-Vlaanderen with Anly Lippens,
a friend and terrific singer. After soundcheck, we had a lot of time left and I stumbled upon a large room with a dance floor and some weird-looking mirror balls. I asked Anly if she could take some pictures for “online content”.

She has a great vision and feeling for aesthetics and placed a white balloon next to me
on the floor. I really like that detail because it adds to the underlying idea of the album.”

Do you write the music and the lyrics yourself, Simon?

“I do. In the final week of 2021, I isolated myself in an apartment in Oostend and recorded nine demos. I usually start with a general story for each song, which fits the theme of the album. Once I have a clear direction, I start writing some vague lyrical ideas, mostly just some sentences that flash through my head or that I picked up somewhere.

I then start making grooves and progressions to match those lyrics and keep building until I’m ready to make songs and record demos. The demos for the album were later refined and mixed by Xavier De Clercq at Poolside Studio, so he had a great impact on the music.

Jan Joos and Freddie Webber also created some epic guitar solos for ‘Socrates‘ and ‘Distance‘ respectively. They also sang backing vocals for several songs together with Anly Lippens, Christoph Goossens and Siebe Puynen.”

Were you listening to other records/artists while writing the album?

“I listened a lot to my ‘Discover Weekly‘ playlist, a weekly algorithmic list made by
Spotify with 30 new songs based on your listening habits. I like to hear fresh ideas
when I’m in the writing phase to keep me inspired.

I had also just discovered José González’ classic album ‘Veneer‘. He certainly inspired me to aim for a warm and acoustic vibe. Finally, I was also listening heavily to Yong Yello‘s album ‘Marcel en het Magnetisme van de Goot’. He inspired me to make a concept album.”

Are all songs in some way connected or do they all stand on their own?

“All songs are connected. The album is a musical translation of the feeling you get when you had a rough week at work, your social batteries are depleted and you realise that you should have stayed at home. The housewarming party is just too much to handle. As a result, you get irritable, jealous and cold. You act weird and out of sync and you eventually end up hurting the people you love the most.”

Suppose the album would be the soundtrack for a movie,
which one would it be, Simon?

“Good question! I’m sure there are some movies out there about home parties going wrong, but I don’t have anything in mind. I’m a big fan of animation though, so I guess
it would be funny to see Shrek or Monsters Inc. with some of my music in it.”

You did an album launch show recently. Which artist/band
would you love to tour with?

“I’m a big fan of Warhaus. His latest album ‘Ha Ha Heartbreak’ is one of my all-time favourites. I broke down in tears when he played ‘Time Bomb‘ during his show at AB
last year. His musical vision, style and lyrics really speak to me.

Also, I’m sort of in love with Tamino and his music. I think you could say that he’s
my male crush. However, I don’t know if it would be a good idea if I was to tour with
him, since I probably would just be in awe around him all the time.”

Warhaus, Ghent – Pic by Turn Up the Volume

What are your musical ambitions for the future?

“I dream of playing a few support gigs in a really cool venue such as ‘De Vooruit in Genth or ‘Trix‘ in Antwerp. Besides that, I just want to continue to make concept albums, funny music videos and have people sing along to my songs when I perform them live. I really like that feeling.”

Playing the blues in Ghent, 2023 – photo by Turn Up The Volume

Your favorite track and album of 2023?

Track: ‘Há-de sarar’ by ‘MARO’.
Album: ‘Hortelã’

Why? I don’t understand a word of what she’s singing
in Portugese, but the woman touches my soul.

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What may we expect in 2024, Simon?

“Musically, my goal is to release a follow-up album after the summer. I already
finished nine demos and booked some time at Poolside Studio in the coming months.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep promoting ‘The Housewarming LP’.

Personally, even though I feel like I’ve already come a long way, I would like to keep learning how to be a better listener, how to stop judging others and how to love myself
a little better at times when that seems difficult.”

Another Ma quality: a great sense of humour

Thank you Simon for this interview.
May the road rise with you in 2024

STREAM ALBUM

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SIMON LE MA: Facebook – Instagram