NexDim PROFILE : Clarisse Albrecht

Born to a French father and Cameroonian mother, Clarisse split her childhood between Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and France.

She spent her first years in Bafatá, in Guinea-Bissau, then a while in France before going back to Africa, in Maputo, capital of Mozambique.

As a child,Clarisse was a shy and dreamy little girl. She was always reading, writing stories, singing and dancing. Her dream was to one day sing beautiful songs with the elegance of Sade.

At home, there were always listening to music. African, Latin, French… Her parents use to have big parties where people were grooving on Makossa, Marabentta, Rumba Zairean, MPB, Soul, Funk, R&B, Disco …

Rhythms from all over the world.

Years she spent in Maputo have certainly been the most striking moments of her childhood. This is where she learned Portuguese, by watching Brazilian novelas on TV.

At the French School where she used to go, her friends were Canadian, Portuguese, Swiss, Malagasy… She grew up in this cosmopolitan atmosphere.

In the early 90s, her family went back to settle down in France. The change were not easy and Clarisse became very nostalgic of her African childhood. However, she learnt to enjoy her teenager life in Parisian’s suburb.  France is also a part of her and offers an incredible blend of cultures. She discovered hip-hop, electronic musics, R’n‘B …

In France, still, her friends had various origins. She remained surrounded by a blend of multiple cultures and traditions.

She was also still enjoying writing. Her music desire vividly inside. During high school times, she joined a Gospel choir, within which she did her first performances on stage as a lead and chorister. She began to wonder about the musical way she should follow to quench this desire.

After her diploma in Letters & Languages, she studied Cinema at La Sorbonne. By then, she was singing as backup vocalist in a band making Soul & Funk covers. She will quickly leave the band. The will to express herself in a different way than being a just performer were too strong. She needed to find her way. With her eclectic musical tastes, it wasn’t an easy task. But she decided to take it easy. Time will tell.

From her childhood, she kept love for travels and a certain attachment for the Portuguese language. This tongue which transcribes so well her deep nostalgia. So she decided to workon Brazilian standards. MPB, Bossa, Samba. She got herself engrossed into this culture, into this music full of

” saudade “, so connected with her memories of Maputo.

It was now time to achieve another big dream : fly to Rio de Janeiro.

During her journey, she soaked up the atmosphere, the sounds, the spirit of Rio… The city brings much more than expected. As if she found a piece of herself over there, this city’s just like a synthesis of what she is. African, European and so much more.

One evening, chilling at posto 6 of on Copacabana’s beach, a friend wrote her a poem. A poem saying that when she smiles with all her heart and soul, she becomes a ” mulata universal “. For Clarisse it’s an eye-opener. Here it was. What she needed to express. The essence of what her music should be. The soul of a woman with a universal interbreeding.

Back to Paris, she focused on creating her own music. She writes, composes, in Portuguese and in English. With the help of LS (Afrodiziac), composer and producer, she recorded her first songs. She wrote lyrics full of  “saudade”, translating stigmas of her past, her roots, her influences, her feelings and her bohemian spirit.

“ Through my music, I want to share a state of mind, an atmosphere, a mood “

With her sultry and mesmerizing voice, when she sings Clarisse invites us in her cosmopolitan and warm shelter.

http://www.clarissealbrecht.com