Montreal Gazette/2015/Interview

===Interviewhttps://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/grimes-solves-the-puzzle-on-art-angels===
=Grimes solves the puzzle on Art Angels =
The former Montrealer talks about her approach to production, visiting her old hometown and why she likes to be direct with fans.
Author of the article:Jamie O'Meara
Published Dec 11, 2015 • Last updated Jun 03, 2020 • 4 minute read
From McGill student and aspiring Montreal indie musician to internationally name-checked synth-pop starlet and YouTube sensation, it’s been a wild and mostly wonderful ride for Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes.
Now signed to the U.K.’s esteemed 4AD label and under the wing of Jay Z’s artist management company Roc Nation, the songwriter, video director and visual artist, originally from Vancouver and now living in L.A., is readying herself for a 2016 world tour in support of her fourth album, Art Angels.
The Montreal Gazette caught up with the cheerful, candid and occasionally honest-to-a-fault singer this week, following her energetic, sold-out and very enthusiastically received performance at Metropolis last month and on the eve of Friday’s physical release of Art Angels.
Q: What did it mean for you to walk out on the stage of Metropolis and see so many people absolutely losing their minds with love?
A: I think because Montreal is the main place I’ve lived as an adult, I kind of see it as my hometown and the Montreal shows are always special. It’s weird and trippy because it feels really different from other cities, because I see myself more as a citizen (there), and I’ve seen so many concerts at that venue that it was kind of surreal.
Q: The big bass and beats on Art Angels are perfectly suited to a club setting and large rooms like Metropolis. Was this part of your thought process when you were making the album?
A: Not so much. I really enjoy engineering, and improving as a producer is part of the fun for me. … (I like) the puzzle of how do I make it so the song still has emotion but the beats are really deep and there’s a lot of melodic information? How do I fit that all together? I think people say it’s so much clearer or clubby or poppy … but really, it just came down to me nerding out with regard to engineering. It’s fun to try to solve those problems.
Q: You’ve said in the past that you’re an uncomfortable performer. There wasn’t any evidence of that at the Montreal show. Are you finally at peace with being onstage?
A: I think I’m very, very nervous onstage, but I also think the most important thing about performing is at least the illusion of confidence. I work very hard on creating the illusion of confidence onstage. I’ve noticed that I can do a terrible job but if I look super relaxed people get really excited, whereas I can do a really perfect job but if I’m not moving and concentrating too hard people get less hyped. So for me, the crux of the show is pretending that I’m calm. (Laughs)
Q: You have a great love of making music videos, and now some of your YouTube views are getting into Céline Dion territory, like Genesis (pushing 33 million), Oblivion (20 million) and the new video Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream (more than four million in less than two months). Apart from making imaginative and entertaining videos, what do you think is driving those numbers?
A: Ummm … I don’t know! Every time I put out a video, I’m just like, “I hope people watch it,” and thus far I’ve been very lucky in that regard. But I don’t know why people watch them! I’m really, really serious about the videos, and a lot of my favourite video artists, like Lana Del Rey or Beyoncé, don’t put out weak videos. Their videos are always really consistent and really strong. And ever since Oblivion, I feel that it’s really, really important to make sure there’s a consistent quality.
Q: If another musician asked you how you’re doing what you do and, more importantly, how could they do it, what would you tell them?
A: Geez … aaah! Just don’t have a social life, y’know? I’m pretty addicted to working, and I get anxiety if I’m not accomplishing very much. I think most musicians I know are kind of like that. I don’t know if that’s a good answer.
Q: Speaking of social, you’ve been incredibly active on virtuallyeverysocial mediaplatform. Is it because you have to be, or because you want to be, or is it something else?
A: I really have issues with the media and like to have direct engagement with fans. It’s just how I run my business. I think it’s better to answer fans’ questions rather than have an intermediary. Half the time I’ll do an interview and they’ll take my words completely out of context, so for me it’s easier to exist with a direct relationship than through a third party. I guess that’s not something I should say in an interview. (Laughs)
Q: Since you mentioned it, you’ve recently taken media training. What did that entail and how’s it working out?
A: I was like, “How do I stop f—ing up?” and then this awesome publicist at Roc Nation who works on everyone important was like, for example, “If a journalist asks you a question you hate, don’t stutter and get confused — turn it back on them.” It’s not like “Don’t do this” or “Don’t do that,” because I get into trouble and I’ll say something really controversial, and I do it all the time and then I’m regretting it. It’s more like how to get out of sticky situations, I guess.
AT A GLANCE
Art Angels is released in physical formats on Friday, Dec. 11.Category:Interview
Category:2015