Colors and sounds
I saw her on a
video singing Lullaby playing an ukelele
and she drew me a smile so fresh that still remains. She is Héra Ménard, songwriter,
singer and guitar player from Québec, and her artistic lullaby is flying full
of sensitivity as a solo artist and also as a member of The Rainbows, a
vocal group of six singers influenced by jazz and pop music always looking for
surprising arrangements. Jazz music is a very important influence for Héra too,
in fact she has a bachelor’s degree in jazz and popular music performance, but
her solo compositions are closer to the country and folk sounds. She has also a Master’s
degree in performance by the Université Laval and is continuously working on
new ways to enrich her songs in order to prepare her debut album. She has
performed in musicals like Annie in
2008 at the Salle Dina Bélanger of Québec and has been awarded with many prizes
in music competitions. For the moment, we can some of her beautiful songs like Je pense encore à toi, Et si, Couleur noir,
Les jours heureux, Les dernières heures and the smily, refreshing but also
fragile Lullaby flying to the rhythm
of Héra’s ukulele.
What
was your first song?
My first song is called “L’eau, l’air, la terre, le
feu”. I was 15 when I wrote it.
Jazz,
country folk, pop, musical comedy...where is Héra Ménard?
My compositions are between country, folk and pop but
I like jazz very much and I love musicals, it’s just I don’t compose it...
Where
does your Couleur noir come from?
“Couleur noir” comes from a love breakup but I think
it that ultimately it can apply to any situation where one believes that all is
lost and would have hope, but even hope seems to be lost. It’s a song that
tries to be positive despite all.
You
presented Les jours heureux in the
nau nua festival. Are you a nostalgic person?
I’m a very nostalgic person! But “Les jours heureux”
is not especially nostalgic, it talks about the lack of inspiration I feel when
everything is going alright in my life.
Ukulele
or guitar?
If I must choose, I prefer guitar...more
possibilities. But ukulele is easier to transport!
Je pense encore à toi ... Have you discovered what love is?
I’m a great lover, long before being a singer! I’ve
already discovered love, many times, in different ways. But I’m still
learning...and that’s the good thing! “Je pense encore à toi” was written for a
friend of mine who was hardly suffering a breakup. Now, I’ve lived similar
situations and I’m able to sing it identifying with it.
Et si...you weren’t a musician, then?
If
I weren’t a musician...I’d be an actress!
Héra
Ménard is more melody or rhythm?
Melody. Although they are quite indivisible for me.
Tell
us about your future projects.
In the near future, there is the idea of the album
which is expected to materialize very soon. Continue to do some competitions,
festivals. Make me see as much as possible. And for the medium term I would
say, a flourishing career throughout Québec and perhaps in Europe, who knows?
Let
your imagination go. If you had a naked ship (is one of the meanings of nau
nua), what would you do with it?
I see it as a ship given to me with a white card to do
with it whatever I want...in this case, it would a sailboat and I would sail
around the world with it! Of course, I will bring my ukulele with me... it’s
easier to transport!
Héra Ménard | Videos here
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Héra Ménard website www.heramenard.bandpage.com
The Rainbows website www.therainbows.ca
Photo courtesy of Héra Ménard
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