A German musician who suddenly writes French chansons? “Theoretically, this can only go wrong,” thinks Vero Nouk. But she doesn’t let that deter her and simply makes the imperfection directly into a concept. The result: Verronée – a play on words from “Vero” and “erronée” (“flawed”) – a cheerful-melancholic as well as profound and moving EP.
The first lyrics for “Verronée” were written remotely with Christoff Raphaël Mortagne alias Chrismo, who travels a lot as an actor. L’effet de café and Le vagabond fatigué, in which he can be heard as a spoken word feature. Developed from his morning notes, which tell of the exhaustion of vagabond life and of coffee as the only motivation and consolation.
Vero Nouk gets inspired, brings the lyrics into shape and writes the melody and accompaniment. She writes L’esprit qui se promène from the same topic and her own experience. A confused soul who can’t keep up with all the changes of place.
In Peur she comes to terms with the sudden loss of her father and describes the deep shock and fear that has accompanied her ever since.
The autoharp – a chord zither – also comes into its own in a beautifully dreamy manner in Mon visage. The song is a tribute to “No exit and three other plays” (“Huis clos”) by Jean-Paul Sartre. The bonus track includes a lively Gainsbourg cover of La chanson de Prévert.
As in this piece and all others, Vero Nouk manages to create a very unique atmosphere with her gentle, expressive voice and playful, organic arrangements. And thus expresses her joy in modern French chanson. “Making this music feels incredibly meaningful to me. If I can reach others with it, even better!” More info can be found here.