Enfnts Terribles

You recently put out “JFMB”. Are you already used to releasing songs or is it still something nerve-wracking?

I’m already used to putting music out, but this one feels different. It’s my first song in French, so I was a bit nervous about that. It’s a whole new world that I’m trying to talk to and a different way that I’m expressing myself in. French people—more than Belgian people—are more critical and like to downgrade things. I was nervous, but it feels nice so far, and I’m very excited to see where it goes.

This is also your introduction to your French-speaking character Zia. In what way is it different from K.Zia, your English-speaking character?

I think Zia is more fierce and more street in the energy. While K.Zia is more like, “This is who I am, I’d like you to respect that.” Zia is definitely more, “This is who I am, fuck you if you don’t get it.” These are the main differences I’d say. K.Zia is more touching, about togetherness, and being accepting. Whereas Zia is definitely about freedom and living unapologetically. The values are low-key the same but are just expressed differently.

It’s not a random thing. I grew up speaking French and English. I went to an English private school and that means you’re surrounded by a certain type of people with a specific lifestyle. I went to middle school and high school in France, which are also different types of people. That’s also why I’m expressing myself more ‘private school’ in English, whereas my French is more street because I was surrounded by people with another background.

Speaking and writing only in English about certain subjects is totally me, but I felt like a part of me wasn’t expressing itself. I had conversations with my mom saying that there’s a fire in me she didn’t see as much. I’m not pretending to be someone else, that’s just what comes out when I write. Then I realized there’s a different energy when I write in French, which made her say: “Aha, there you are! This cheeky little one that was talking back when you were little.”

In the past few months, you’ve been working on your first full-length body of work Genesis. Was it made with the intention to make an album or was it there after working on a range of songs?

It was more the second one because it wasn’t planned to do an album at first. I actually wanted to make an EP. With time and discussions, it led to becoming an album. I must say that I didn’t really sit down and say that I’m doing an album. It actually just happened and was me expressing myself on a body of work. I’m looking forward to making an album with a whole concept, rather than it piecing itself up. It was definitely different, and I definitely like it better than just doing a random single, even though that’s fun as well. It allowed me to dig deeper into my art.

What are you planning around the release of Genesis? What will you focus on?

Live performances are really important for me and visuals are a huge part of my identity. I want to grow as a human being and develop. I want to become my 2.8 version soon and grow with the people around me work-wise.

If you could situate yourself on a scale, would you already say that you know what kind of artist you are or want to be?

That’s why I think I’m able to do an album now. I reached a place where I know myself a lot more artistically speaking, not just as a human being. As I said, it’s forever growth, and I’m not at the summum of who I am. Definitely enough to make something more concrete like that.

Pictures by Bodi Samba.