Click Interview with Mei: ‘An Introspective Journey’
Caroline Laure Masson aka Mei
Caroline Laure Masson aka Mei is a French artist who’s been busy for a couple of years now. The album “Les États De La Matière” ‘was originally conceived as a complete story and has been divided into several EPs released on different labels like Ant-Zen, Schematic Records and EC Underground. The album stands for a surprising and totally accomplished challenge mixing Industrial music together with sensuality. This sound has something subtle, styled and visionary but still rough and powerful. I got in touch with Caroline to give you more details about Mei.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Can you introduce us to the sonic universe of Mei and the wider artistic universe and creation of Caroline Laure Masson?
Caroline: Mei is like a daily intimate journal, embodying my artistic exploration through music, dance, and writing. I have an insatiable curiosity and a constant desire to reinvent myself because I quickly get bored. I approach each creation with the intention to innovate and explore new sounds and textures. I love experimenting with captivating melodies and peculiar rhythms, creating an enchanting and dreamlike atmosphere. I draw inspiration from my deepest emotions and societal observations to craft immersive multisensory experiences. I seek to weave connections between different forms of artistic expression, such as dance and writing, to offer my audience holistic and captivating experiences.
Q: And you’ve favorite artistic forms to expose your creativity, and what are the differences and connections between all your activities?
Caroline: As a polymorphic artist, I enjoy experimenting with various means of expression and sharing my creativity through diverse styles. Each of my artistic forms —music, dance, writing, allows me to explore and share a different facet of my personality and vision. Music lets me express deep emotions intimately, while dance offers me the opportunity to explore movement and physical performance, adding a kinetic dimension to my creations. Writing allows me to clear my mind and delve deeper into the realm of imagination; it’s like a challenge. Although each form has its distinct characteristics, they are all interconnected by my overall artistic vision and my desire to create holistic and captivating artistic experiences for my audience. I need to create a whole each time, like for a movie.
Q: Let’s focus on Mei and the last released album “Les États De La Matière,” bringing previously released EP-songs together. How did the album come to fruition, and what were the main influences and triggers behind it?
Caroline:”Les États De La Matière” emerged from a very organic, primal creative process, where I brought together previously released songs to form a coherent narrative. This album is an exquisite corpse that explores the various facets of my existence, from moments of lightness to instances of density, through phases of transformation and metamorphosis. My influences for this album stem from my observations of the world around me but mostly from my life experiences and sometimes my anger.
Initially, I wanted to express personal feelings that we often reject out of shame, fear, or judgment. My goal with “Les États De La Matière” was to create an immersive sonic universe that captures the listener’s imagination and invites them on an introspective journey. I wanted to blend Industrial sound elements with more organic textures to create a rich and evocative sensory experience, encompassing pain, joy, sex, frustration, and sensuality. Each song is a state of mind, an assessment, a report, and together, they form an intimate journal.
Q: I experienced the album as a kind of ‘sensual Industrial’ sound exposure; rather visionary and innovative. But what were you really trying to express and achieve from a sonic perspective? And could you tell us a bit more about your composing process?
Caroline:With “Les États De La Matière,” I deeply wanted to listen to something new, different from what we’re used to hearing, so I created it by seeking an immersive sonic universe that invites the listener on an introspective and sensory journey. I explored a blend of Industrial sound elements with organic textures to evoke deep and evocative emotions. And since I’m a woman and I love the sensuality of women, even if my music can be violent or something else, I don’t want to hide my sensuality because I also find it in violence or hardness, it gives me confidence and pride.
My composition process often begins with exploring sounds and textures, then evolves organically as I discover new ideas and inspirations. I work iteratively, experimenting with structure and sound until each piece finds its balance and coherence, thus creating an immersive and captivating experience for the listener, but sometimes it’s the voice that sets the tone of the music. When I’m in my composing process, I stop listening to music so as not to be influenced, and that’s very important to me. I want to be authentic and whole.
Q: It gets confusing when you let me listen to your upcoming works, which transition from Dark-Techno/Industrial to Pop experiments. How do you explain the eclecticism behind Mei, which surely says something about you? And could you reveal more details about the upcoming works?
Caroline:Well, I love all music. I love when it grabs me where I haven’t been yet. My artistic eclecticism reflects my insatiable curiosity and constant desire to explore new sonic and artistic horizons. For me, music is a universal language that transcends genres and styles, and I love venturing into unexplored territories to push the boundaries of my creativity. I love the surprise. My upcoming works will continue to explore this diversity, merging elements of Electronic music with Pop, Jazz, Rap, and Experimental influences to create something truly unique and innovative. At least I hope so! I also just wrote a book, “Partura”, which is published by Le Lys Bleu. This book was really an opportunity for me, another intimate journal. I’m not afraid to share myself! Basically, it’s my backbone, my blood, my soul laid out on paper.
Q: I often get the feeling that there aren’t enough female artists composing music. How do you explain this fact, and do you see things evolving one way or another? And how do you feel as a female artist surrounded by men?
Caroline:It’s probably because we think that women sing and don’t compose. Why… The unequal representation of women in the music industry is a complex and persistent problem stemming from various factors, including gender stereotypes and power dynamics. If women can do everything, then they don’t need men? It’s probably very vexing… As a female artist, I’m proud to contribute to these changes and to make my voice heard within the industry. Although I may face specific challenges because of my gender(s), I see them as opportunities for growth and change, and I’m determined to continue pushing things forward for future generations of female artists. Personally, I’m very gentle, but at work, I know how to assert myself like a man. I’m very demanding with myself, and especially I’ve already found myself in situations where men failed to reproduce my style, so I was proud when other women perhaps heard that it was because they were no good and therefore apologized, but that’s not life.
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