We asked Geneviève Toupin to take us inside the recording sessions of A Feast Beneath the Moon and its musical prequel, A Picnic in the Sun. Geneviève, also known as Willows, is a Manitoba-born Métis musician based in Montreal. Over the past 12 years, she's released several critically acclaimed albums, earning a Trille Or for best Francophone artist from Western Canada and nominations at the GAMIQ and Canadian Folk Music Awards. Her latest album, Maison vent came out in March this year.
What is your favourite song from A Feast Beneath the Moon?
One of my favourite songs on the album is called “Silver Shooting Stars.” I had a lot of fun recording it with Clerel and singing about that magical time when the stars come out and sometimes you’re even lucky enough to see a falling star and make a wish.
As a singer-songwriter, you write and record your own music. How is recording songs for children different?
When I make my own albums as a singer-songwriter, I'm not only singing lyrics and music I composed, but also thinking of the arrangements and all other creative aspects surrounding the album. It can feel a bit more serious because of the themes I explore, which are often related to personal experiences or whatever I'm living at that moment in my life.
When I record songs for children, it allows me to get in touch with the kid in me. There's something so fun and light-hearted about that! I also explore different parts of my voice as I interpret different characters. It gives me a chance to sing styles of music that are completely different from my indie-folk solo project. I also got to sing some of these songs with Clerel and sometimes Jérome Minière, two amazing artists I admire, which was a lot of fun as well.
You performed A Picnic in the Sun, the prequel to A Feast Beneath the Moon, in front of a live audience during Pop Montreal. What was that like?
Jérôme, Clerel and I shared the singing and also each played some instruments, and we had José who played the drums with us too. A great band! We had a good crowd of families there to watch the show—lots of kids who participated. We read from this huge storybook and sang the songs from the album. I played some keys as well as my accordion, too. There were lots of laughs, a great vibe throughout and just a lot of good, heart-centered fun.
What are you working on right now?
Oh yes! I just released my album Maison vent and am currently performing it live at different venues throughout Canada.
TK
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.
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Behind A Feast Beneath the Moon’s Tunes with Geneviève Toupin
We asked Geneviève Toupin to take us inside the recording sessions of A Feast Beneath the Moon and its musical prequel, A Picnic in the Sun. Geneviève, also known as Willows, is a Manitoba-born Métis musician based in Montreal. Over the past 12 years, she's released several critically acclaimed albums, earning a Trille Or for best Francophone artist from Western Canada and nominations at the GAMIQ and Canadian Folk Music Awards. Her latest album, Maison vent came out in March this year.
What is your favourite song from A Feast Beneath the Moon?
One of my favourite songs on the album is called “Silver Shooting Stars.” I had a lot of fun recording it with Clerel and singing about that magical time when the stars come out and sometimes you’re even lucky enough to see a falling star and make a wish.
As a singer-songwriter, you write and record your own music. How is recording songs for children different?
When I make my own albums as a singer-songwriter, I'm not only singing lyrics and music I composed, but also thinking of the arrangements and all other creative aspects surrounding the album. It can feel a bit more serious because of the themes I explore, which are often related to personal experiences or whatever I'm living at that moment in my life.
When I record songs for children, it allows me to get in touch with the kid in me. There's something so fun and light-hearted about that! I also explore different parts of my voice as I interpret different characters. It gives me a chance to sing styles of music that are completely different from my indie-folk solo project. I also got to sing some of these songs with Clerel and sometimes Jérome Minière, two amazing artists I admire, which was a lot of fun as well.
You performed A Picnic in the Sun, the prequel to A Feast Beneath the Moon, in front of a live audience during Pop Montreal. What was that like?
Jérôme, Clerel and I shared the singing and also each played some instruments, and we had José who played the drums with us too. A great band! We had a good crowd of families there to watch the show—lots of kids who participated. We read from this huge storybook and sang the songs from the album. I played some keys as well as my accordion, too. There were lots of laughs, a great vibe throughout and just a lot of good, heart-centered fun.
What are you working on right now?
Oh yes! I just released my album Maison vent and am currently performing it live at different venues throughout Canada.
A Feast Beneath the Moon
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TK
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.