Upclose with -M-

HK Magazine: Who is -M-? Is it a heightened version of Matthieu Chedid or an imaginary character you use on stage?
-M-: He is my artistic double—the essence of Matthieu we could say—since it is the sum of my personality and my name in one letter. It’s also a kind of magic letter: “M” is in the heart of the alphabet and it means “love” in French, a very virtuous letter. So -M- is indeed a blend of something very external and internal.

HK: You have grown up and worked with various famous artists: which one impressed you the most?
-M-: I think Jimi Hendrix, because his way of playing guitar, and his tunes are very singular. He also has a strong presence on stage. He’s very aware and present, you can see that through his getup—his unique style is all very animalistic and instinctive—it goes beyond any other guitarist. Otherwise, the list of those who inspire me goes on and on. Then there’s also my father, Louis Chedid, a well-known singer in France: his own little world obviously influenced me along the way.

HK: Your music is often considered as original and one-of-a-kind, but do you draw your creative energy from a specific musical style?
-M-: My music is an alchemy between blues-like roots and French pop.These two plus rock, which is also based on blues, but it’s more “electric.” In this way, blues is the root of pop, rock, hard rock, reggae, and even music from Mali. All kinds of music inspire me as long as they are sincere and genuine, from the heart.

HK: Your last album, “Mister Mystère,” is much darker than the previous three—does this correspond to some kind of twist in your musical career?
-M-: It’s mostly the image that colors the music. It’s definitely the strength of the cover image, because while the album images are surely dark, the music isn’t really that dark. If I came out with a more flashy or colorful cover, people would not have thought that the songs were dark. Apart from that, we could say it’s some sort of twist since we all grow up and evolve. The three first albums formed a kind of triptych, but now we’ve moved on to another era. “Mister Mystère” is the transition from one world to another.

HK: Is this the first time you’ll be playing for a Chinese audience? Any expectations?
-M-: This is a first for me, so I expect many things, and at the same time, nothing at all. I just want to go with the flow. It’s true that I am very much moved by the philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. I take great interest in those teachings, and they have gradually opened up some sort of consciousness in me. They have helped me understand the traditions of this country, the strong poetry you find in Chinese paintings and calligraphy, all the art of China. It’s interesting to come here and encounter this culture, one in which I have only been close to through art. It’s an opportunity one gets to have when one plays music.