Damian Westfal, Interia Music: Your album “Sains et saufs” is largely a story about rebirth and reconciliation. How long did it take you to come up with such an honest project?
ZAZ: – I think this album is, first of all, a summary of everything I’ve done before. I couldn’t create it before, I wasn’t ready. When you listen to the song “Je pardonne”, you will find things that I was not fully aware of myself – grief due to the death of my father, addictions, toxic relationships. These are emotions that have been present in my works for years, but only today, at the age of 45, I look at them more maturely. I know myself better, I know the work I have done, and now I am reaping its fruits.
What is the main message of your new album?
– To face your darker sides. Take care of yourself. Understand that there are different aspects within us that need to be acknowledged – not to be afraid of them, but to free ourselves from them. Only then can we become masters of our own decisions. We are only limited by what we have in our heads.
Can this album be considered a form of therapy?
– For me, singing has always been therapy. Every album saved my life. Singing is all me. I show who I am in my songs. I may “disguise” myself as someone else, searching for new things, but in the end it’s always me. I had many crises in my life – spasmophilia, fainting, sometimes I sang with my back turned to the audience. However, I have matured. Even though I may seem confident, I am very sensitive. Especially when I’m tired, I perceive absolutely all stimuli too much: lights, smells, touch.
What came first? Was this album a consequence of your forgiveness process, or did forgiveness come only after the recordings?
– It’s not that black and white. This is what the text of “Je pardonne” is about. Various things are happening in my head, but in the end I say: “I forgive because I want to forget,” and then I add: “But I don’t forget anything.” I forgive because I no longer want to play the role of a victim. I want to enjoy my happiness.
ZAZ, you are a very strong woman. What moment in your life made you feel like you had truly broken something within yourself?
– I realized that sometimes it seems like I’m working through something in my head, and then the anger comes back anyway. This requires deeper work. An example is the situation with my father when he had to undergo surgery three years before his death. I then had to clean his house – it was an extremely difficult emotional confrontation. I experienced similar situations in relationships where I expected forgiveness from someone who was unable or unwilling to give it. Then I fell into the same mechanisms as the other person. It blocked me. Forgiveness does not mean accepting toxicity. It’s about throwing off the shackles. I simply allow myself to live in what enhances my value. It’s very freeing. Today I also have more tolerance towards myself and less anger. I have matured, understood a lot and I also believe that love truly conquers everything.
Have you ever written a text so personal that you didn’t decide to include it in the song?
– The fear of saying things is that you are not ready to tell those stories. We need to let these things mature. You say I’m a strong woman – I agree, but at the same time I feel like I’m dying every time. However, I also realize that I don’t have much choice – life goes on. While going through this, I find various tools and mechanisms that give me the opportunity to take another step that I didn’t know about before. I have a lot of lyrics on my phone that haven’t made it onto any album because the time hasn’t come for them yet. I’m constantly “pushing” with this content, working with it. I don’t want to reveal them because I could be too easily hurt by other people’s reactions. It’s not time yet…
Where do you get your strength?
– Facing all those phenomena that require strength. I stopped running away and I try to provide myself with everything I need: love, safety, friendship, good emotions. Over the years, I have met people with whom I “resonate”, who feel emotions in a similar way to me. For a very long time I was just alone, I didn’t have people around me, because it’s better to be alone than to have bad company. The truth is that life gives back to you what you have given in this life. Good is coming back. It’s like a mirror and the album “Sains et saufs” is also a picture of me – it shows all the successes, but also the failures. It’s not always easy to be nice and pleasant to yourself, especially if you have demands on yourself, but this is the only way that makes sense, because if we want the world to be good, everyone must offer their good in their own measure. The sum of these goods will give a good reality.
You are often compared to the legendary Édith Piaf. How do you feel about the similarities that are often noticed between you and her?
– This is a very nice comparison, although it should be noted that Edith Piaf in her music was very much dependent, in a way that was not good for her, on the love of another person, which the other person gave her or not. Of course, if someone compares you to a world-famous artist, it’s a great compliment. When I sing “La Vie en Rose”, there is a line where Piaf sings: “To whom do I belong?” Every time I say to myself: “I don’t belong to anyone” (laughter).
But Edith Piaf also sings “Non, je ne regrette rien” (“I regret nothing”). How are you?
– I also have a similar attitude that I don’t regret anything. We are similar in that we experience everything to the fullest. It’s all or nothing.
Do you sometimes think back to your beginnings from a dozen or so years ago?
– I often think about who I am and where I came from. Popularity has its pros and cons. But I don’t regret anything – I wouldn’t be myself if I hadn’t gone through everything that happened to me in the past.
Are songs from the new album played differently at concerts than songs from previous albums?
– It’s not that simple, when I have a 50-year career, I will be able to say something about it (laughter). So far, I have a good balance in playing this music and that from previous albums – we play each of them with pure pleasure. Everything lives differently on stage. Usually the concert lasts an hour and a half, and it passes like a storm. We also have a new stage setting – I won’t reveal its details, but it adds a more film-like atmosphere to the concerts.
You have been to Poland many times. How do you like it here?
– First of all, I like the love for people and from people here. I notice great sensitivity among Poles, which is unique. It is strength that goes hand in hand with gentleness. Of course, there are people of all stripes in every country, including France, but my attitude towards the people I meet here is hyper-sensitive, although perhaps romantic is more appropriate. I experienced limitless giving here: you need – you have. Sometimes some people seem emotionally cold at first, but then I see what’s underneath the façade. Some people are very guarded when it comes to emotions, but they dissolve just as easily. Often, in my company, they throw away the boundaries that they have imposed from somewhere and open up – they say that they like me, my music, and value my values. I establish a bond with Poles because we recognize similarities in each other.
Since we are already talking about this Polish-French friendship, promise me that in the near future we will be able to listen to you again – not only at your concerts in Poland, but also at the annual event celebrating this friendship, “French Touch” in Warsaw.