Interview – Camille Delean

Montreal’s Camille Delean is serenading audiences this summer with her new album, Music On The Grey Mile. Velvety, whimsical, and showcasing Delean’s stunning vocals, we caught up with Delean about the release of her new album as well as the video for her single, “Timberline Rover”.

First of all, congratulations on the release of Music On The Grey Mile. How do you feel now that it’s finished and out?

Thank you. It’s been done for a long time. A couple of years. Turns out these things take a while even on a small scale…I’m proud of the record, it’s what it was intended to be, I’m glad it’s out there and now we’re halfway through the second one.

What was memorable about the recording process? Were there any hurdles and, if yes, what were they and how did you overcome them?

Figuring out what I needed to learn before I could go ahead and learn it. I didn’t have a team of people or even all bandmates when I started recording, it was really a case of ‘I am here now and I will work with this person. When we need piano I will find piano’. Improvisation and patience.

As a songwriter, what song changed the most from conception to the finished product and why do you think that is?

The process of recording was improvised, but not really the songs themselves. I always write in the context of an album, songs are in order and everything, so the ideas are clear early on. Of course, musicians bring their own ideas and style, and I choose them based on that, but overall it stuck to the plan.

As a musician, what do you hope listeners take away from Music On The Grey Mile?

That it makes a new and familiar world they want to hang out in for a while and come back to every now and then.

Now, tell us about the filming of “Timberline Rover”; how was that experience as a whole? In your memory, what stands out the most about it?

Also, a thing that took a long time – finding the right people…film truly requires a team of people whose roles are all indispensable. There are no shortcuts. Even more, patience required. But also a lot of fun.

The video itself is very minimalist, personal, and art-centric—how did the idea for it come to be?

I can’t listen to music without imagining movement, and vice versa. Every video I imagine is a physical performance of the song. I figured a good place to start was a simple setting with nothing to distract from that relationship. A mission statement of sorts…

Did you originally have a different idea for the music video for “Timberline Rover”?

Nope. Sat on that one for a couple of years. Well, maybe it was gonna be in black and white.

And what do you think works best about the video?

The choreography – by Kate Ramsden, who also directed it – moves around the bass part. Satisfying.

Now, switching gears briefly: tell us what you can about upcoming shows you have coming up, and what you have lined up musically for the rest of 2017.

We played POP Montreal a few days back, and then Toronto again beginning of October. We’ll go back for a few more shows in Ontario and Quebec later this fall, but mostly we’ll work on finishing the next record so I can have it in my pocket and we can go crazy playing shows next year.

Finally, thank you so much for your time. Any parting words for your listeners?

Thank you for listening…truly. Maybe see you at a show.

Connect with Camille Delean:
Website
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