The world has been going through a transitional period, but for French ambient electro outfit The Blaze, consisting of cousin duo Guillaume and Jonathan Alric, it’s been business as usual. “Our lives remain the same,” they tell us. “We’re still doing the same thing, making music and videos, staying in our bubble as much as possible.”

The result of their work during the pandemic is now coming to fruition. 2023 marked the release of their second album, Jungle, featuring two singles – ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Eyes’ – which showcase slightly different sides of their musical identity. “These two singles represent different angles but come from the same creative process,” they say. “We choose our themes depending on what affects us, but we always evoke them in a very poetic way, never head-on.”

“In a way,” they continue, “‘Eyes’ talks about the lack of social connection people experienced because of the health crisis, while ‘Dreamer’ talks about migration and has much vaster emotions.” That’s how Jungle was developed; starting with emotion, they then made it more universal, always putting the human at the center.

They are reluctant to speak about any specific direction taken in the new album. “We’ve never set ourselves a goal to achieve,” they assert. “You could say that we’re always in transition, from one project to the next. The only motivation is to try to surprise ourselves, find new sounds, and get out of our comfort zone. There is no beginning or end. Just what we feel in the moment and trying to transcribe it artistically.”

The Blaze describes their creative process as intuitive. “You can spend hours exploring different styles and different sounds for no reason. Then at some point, the magic happens. It’s hard to explain, but the planets align, offering us something glaringly obvious. That’s when we know that we have a strong basic track. But we’ve never followed a particular path to get there, other than being patient and taking the time to try anything and everything.”

Behind the smooth surface of the music, their art is driven by social issues and, they stress, “something deeply human”. In addition to migration, which has already been mentioned above, they have also touched upon topics such as uprooting, grief, and social diversity. This is evident not only in their music videos but the feeling in their music and the way in which they approach their live shows. “We don’t put ourselves at the center of our work. Everything we do is turned towards the other. Like a humanist quest, devoid of any political stature.” In fact, something along those lines would probably be The Blaze’s manifesto.

The visual and sonic elements of The Blaze’s music go hand in hand. They describe it as “two idea bubbles which are constantly connected.” If you’re planning on catching The Blaze on their upcoming tour, you’re in for a treat. “The first thing we did for this album’s tour was to change the scenography,” they tell us. “That’s why we now have five independent screens on stage joined by suspension cables. We also wanted to make our live show more dance-oriented and deliver a much stronger energy. We came to this conclusion following our festival show experiences on our previous tour, and perhaps also the fact of having been cut off from the world for several months.”

The Blaze has previously named the video for ‘Pass This On’ by Swedish band The Knife as one of their favorites. In addition to Swedish culture, The Blaze also appreciates Swedish nature. “For the French, northern European countries like Sweden seem to us to be much bigger in terms of nature, with these huge lakes and forests as far as the eye can see. There’s the light too, not only are there the northern lights, but you have the longest golden hours in the world when you get closer to the solstices.” They mention that they are also fascinated by Swedish photography. “The film director Johan Renck’s work is amazing. His Chornobyl is an absolute masterpiece. The classic A Swedish Love Story by Roy Andersson is a must-see, too. And of course, you have your Swedish Roberto Benigni, the two-time winner of the Palme d’Or, Ruben Östlund.”

Guillaume and Jonathan are big cinéastes. “It’s always difficult to choose a particular film, but we often name The Tree of Life by Terrence Malik. Surely because he speaks in a very poetic, almost mystical way, about grief and the human condition. He also manipulates a very nostalgic emotion using flashbacks, placing one family’s story at the heart of the theme, whose points of view range from a baby being born to the Big Bang. From the use of the Steadicam to golden-hour lighting and the soundtrack, this film is full of elements and artistic choices that have inspired us a lot.”

Despite their fondness for photography and cinematic production, however, The Blaze are still struggling to get used to photo shoots. “To be honest, we’re not really into fashion that much,” they say. “We have a fairly simple style and have kept it the same for years. That said, we try to dress similarly on stage to be more visually coherent. So, when we arrive for a photo shoot – which isn’t something we do very often – the slightest detail seems so sophisticated, which was also the case with this shoot. We’re never very comfortable in front of a camera, but this time round, the photo shoot was very cool and there was a really good vibe with the team.”

The theme of this issue is ‘Transitive’, a term denoting a relation between a property and two elements. (As an example, in the sentence “The kids love rock’n’roll,” the verb love is transitive.) So, in artistic terms, it bears a resemblance to Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s stated intent: “The motif is something secondary; what I want to recreate is what lies between the motif and me.” Modern art is essentially transitive. The term ‘transitive’ also relates to transition – a step in the process before the end goal. In a sense, portraying an artist in an interview like this is an attempt to capture a transitive moment when a property (in this case the artist) is moving from element a (perhaps their past discography) to element b (their new album). This is certainly the case with The Blaze – always in transition, moving on to the next mystery.

Talents: The Blaze

Team Credits:
Photography by Matthieu Belbreuve
Styling by Victorie Seveno
Words by Jonathan Södergren
Photo assistant Kevin Ramon
Stylist assistant Pauline LeLong
Make-up & hair by Émilie Plume
Production by Amal Jefjef & Carole Congos & Agency

Fashion Credits:

1&2) Jonathan wears a leather shirt by Loewe and pants by Dickies. Guillaume wears jeans shirt by Loewe and jeans by Levis
3) Jonathan wears a Jacket and trousers by Arket. T-shirt by Dior Homme. Shoes by J. W. Weston.
Guillaume wears a jacket and T-shirt by Dior Men. Suit trousers by Cerruti 1881
4) Guillaume wears a suit jacket by Maison Margiela. Top and shoes by Dior Men. Trousers by Cerruti 1881. Jonathan wears a jumpsuit by Etudes Studio. Shoes by Asics
5) Guillaume wears jeans jacket and jeans by Kenzo. Shoes by Dior Men. Jonathan wears a T-shirt by Uniqlo. Jacket and trousers by J. Lindeberg. Shoes by J. W. Weston
6) Jonathan wears a leather shirt by Loewe and pants by Dickies. Guillaume wears jeans shirt by Loewe and jeans by Levis
7) Guillaume wears a shirt by Egon Lab. Jeans by Dickies. Jonathan wears a knit sweater by Paul Smith. Jeans By Levi’s
8) Guillaume wears a sweatshirt by Acne Studios. T-shirt by Dior Men. Jonathan wears a jacket by Acne Studios. T-shirt by Dior Men

Realisation literally means the act of becoming fully aware of something as a fact. For Ella Eyre, the 26-year-old British pop sensation with a BRIT Award and a double platinum number-one single under her belt, who earlier this year returned with her new single, New Me, the greatest moments of realisation have always been when she is performing live. “There is nothing like hearing an audience singing your words back to you,” she says. “To witness and know you have inspired any form of emotion in other people with your music is the greatest reward.”

In order to stay creative in her everyday life, five years since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album Feline, which took her around the world on a mission to find herself both as a solo artist and as a person, she has now found a routine: she enjoys waking up early and being physically active in the mornings. “Exercise is a really effective way for me to channel any pressure or frustration and leave with a sense of accomplishment,” she continues. “So I have learnt over the years that the more time I give to myself before anything or anyone else, the more present and engaged I am with what I need to do. If I leave the house in a fluster about something I have not resolved, I will often carry that feeling with me all day.”

In terms of inspiration, she believes that most of her writing deals with significant moments in her life. She points out that she thinks the music tends to have a mood directly linked to what she was feeling at the time. For instance, her first album was written during and after quite a bitter break up. “I think you can tell how much younger and angrier I was back then,” she says. “As a fan and a listener myself, I look for music that comes from a personal place, so it is important for me to do the same as an artist.”

However, as a child she never thought being an artist was possible. She did not know anyone in, or anything about the music industry. It was not until she was 16 and studying musical theatre that she came to the realisation, for the first time, that she did not want to be on stage as a character, performing songs she could not relate to. “I wanted to be myself, write my own stories and perform them in my own style. I think it is normal for anyone to have doubts and insecurities about the longevity of their career but I know I could not or would not do anything else.”

In the wake of her father’s sudden passing in 2017, she experimented with sounds in the US, found healing and limitless inspiration in her father’s homeland, Jamaica, and returned to London full of confidence and a hard drive bursting with hits. “So many!” she bursts out when asked if there have been any specifically memorable moments of realisation in terms of song ideas that she could feel was actually taking shape. “But one of my favourites was a song I wrote in Jamaica, called ‘Rain in Heaven’. I was hosting a writing camp out there and we kept referring to where we were as heaven and on one of the days it rained constantly. I posted a video on my Instagram saying ‘It even rains in heaven’ and from that came the song. It is about thinking you were in the perfect relationship and realising that even something so perfect can go so wrong. It’s not released yet but it’s quite possibly my favourite song I have ever written.”

She elaborates that the specific moments of realisation in terms of her songwriting tend to be different for every song. “Sometimes you have a good feeling from the start, and that level of confidence allows the song to write itself. Or when you are laying down the vocals and you start to hear it coming together properly. Sometimes the moment of realisation is not until weeks later when you listen again with fresh ears. Sometimes I have a tendency to self-sabotage the creative process, so often I have not realised the potential of a song until I have taken myself away from it.”

One of the greatest lessons she has learnt as a songwriter is that her mindset can be the maker or breaker of her own ideas. “Songwriting can be like therapy and I know I use it all the time to release tension,” she reflects. “But sometimes I would put too much pressure on myself to squeeze creativity out of what I was feeling which just encouraged more frustration. So now I just write things down whenever they come to me, with no structure or rhythm and come back to them when I have a clearer, more open mind.”

The only thing that has occupied Ella’s mind recently is the coronavirus. “Social media in isolation is a whole new level of intense and with Covid-19 globally confining us within the walls of our own homes, it is so hard to think of anything else when there is very little to distract us from it,” she says. “I have very quickly learnt to avoid it for most of the day because I want to be productive, but it is extremely hard to enforce that, being locked away in the most comfortable space I know.”

As Ella has grown and matured as an artist, so too have her ambitions. Hits are great but she is now more interested in a long, stable career than she is about hitting the number one spot. Already an industry veteran and a much-loved star, her future in the pop pantheon seems secure. So is there finally anything creative left that she still wants to realise? The answer is yes. She says there will always be more to creatively realise and she thinks that is a good thing. Otherwise she would have no idea what her next album will be about!

Team Credits:
Words by Jonatan Södergren
Photography by Nick Thompson
Styling by Fernando Torres
Production by Alexandra Georgette Oley
Makeup by Kristina Theodoris using Trish McEvoy
Hair by Alisha Dobson
Talent: Ella Eyre
Hair Assistant: Poppy Hughes
Stylist Assistants: Lena Mistry & Ondrea Walker

Fashion Credits:
1# Earrings Stylist’s own, Blazer and Shirt by Acne Studios
2# Dress by Edit, Sunglasses by J.Lindeberg, Earrings and Necklace by Rouleau London
3# Top by Ida Klamborn, Suit and Gloves by Mulberry, Shoes by Nike and Earrings by Topshop
4# Set by Rouleau London, Gloves by Humana Sweden and Earrings Stylist’s own
5# Top and Trousers by Stine Goya, Denim Bra and Waist Belt by Weekday, Sneakers by Nike and Earrings Stylist’s Own
6# Dress by Acne Studios, Maxi Dress and Boots by I Love Seasons and Earrings Stylist’s Own

Ella Eyre: @ellaeyre, ellaeyre.com, Spotify

Atlanta indie hip-hop artists Olu and WowGr8 met on the first day of school. Bonding over a mutual love for music that does not follow the rules, they have remained friends long after the school burnt down. (True story.) Now, and together as EarthGang, they have toured the world supporting headlining acts such as Billie Eilish and Jaden Smith. Having signed to J. Cole’s Interscope imprint Dreamville in 2017, they have released three EPs and now they have just released their first major-label album, Mirrorland.
So, first things first – what do they see when they look in the mirror? “God, generations of ancestors and a good time,” says WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot). “A perfect work in progress,” claims Olu (aka Johnny Venus). “I think the more we are compassionate about the things we are afraid or ashamed of in ourselves, the more we learn about humanity and life in general. I see a person who is trying to be better every day and that is all that really matters. A while back I had a crisis moment where I had to decide to start living life in an aware state. I used to just be on autopilot and try to follow the crowd. But deciding to be my true self has revealed so much more. In the future I hope to see more of what I see today: more patience, more goal setting, more truth. Greatness is built one day at a time.”

Digital living
The digital world has had a profound impact on both of them. “My whole life I have always been a student of the internet,” says WowGr8. “It has grown and evolved as I have done through the phases of my existence. The digital has had a major influence on my life and my art, from the type of music absorbed and all the way to the different foods I am willing to try and everything in between. Even the way that I understand the consumption of art is strongly influenced by the digital world because it is a world that has a rippling impact through modern human life as a whole.”
For Olu, the digital world has opened up the actual world to him. “With the creation of downloading, sharing, streaming, social media, posting, and so on, I have been able to see places and people and listen to cultures in a way that was just not possible before. We can literally connect with people across the world and give them our story and find common ground. Then we can actually travel to these places and further cement these bonds. It’s beautiful! At the end of this year I will have visited four continents and countless countries. Next year we are going to Asia! That is all possible because of the speed of the digital world. The real beauty is people get to tell the truths about their home. I have seen Africa in ways that I never thought possible simply from knowing someone or following someone’s page.”

Travels in time
If they had a time machine, WowGr8 says that he would like to go back to the time just before Europeans decided to attempt colonising the planet, stop that whole process and come back and see if the world is better or worse today. Similarly, Olu would go to any time where people of colour and women were not oppressed. “We tend to think our world has always existed like this because this is all we see. But I know there was a time when those of us who have been overlooked and hated for our cultural knowledge, gifts and customs were once respected and lauded for the same thing. I believe that time was beautiful and prosperous for humanity as a whole. I would love to go there.”
On a slightly different note, speaking of which musical trends they are into at the moment, Olu continues, “African music is coming to the forefront now. When I say African music I am talking about a vast array of music from Ethiopian jazz, to Afrobeat, to South African rhythms, to choral singing. So much of this music has travelled across the world to Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, London, Toronto, Mexico, etc via slave trade and migration. It is beautiful that despite everything we are still connecting people of all backgrounds and inspiring everyone to move and dance and celebrate.”

Going viral
“Going viral in today’s market is often seen as the best free promotion for a product,” says WowGr8. “We live in an age where we have seen viral videos translate to short and long term success. It is really all about what you do with it.” So does something happen with the performance when it takes on a life of its own online? Hell to the yes! At least according to Olu, who regards it as a seed being planted. “The viral aspect is just the root taking form and the branches spreading out to feed people. Take our performance on Colors [the global new music platform] on YouTube, for example; our goal was perform an unreleased song in its purest sense and to express our truth. Our supporters and fans sharing the video took it to the next dimension. The beauty of it was that our essence was spread across the world and people got a chance to see us in one of our most divine states.”
However, the benefits and the dangers of any new technology are two sides of the same coin. “You have the potential to reach billions of people with everything you create,” says WowGr8. “It is all about your message. The energy you put out directs your path.” Olu also sees some of its dangers: “Falsehood, hoaxes, scams, cap, any form of deception that used the internet as veil. A person can be an influencer or any other title that comes with a significant degree of internet power that does not necessarily translate to financial power, talent or even work ethic.”
So, is there anything we can do in order to not become slaves to our smartphones? WowGr8 might just have the perfect solution. “Put your phone down. Or just throw it away.”

Team Credits:
Words by Jonathan Södergren
Photography by Chris Rinke
Styling by Fernando Torres
Make Up and Hair by Carla Curione
Photography Assistant: Luca Trelancia
Talent: Olu and WowGr8 of Earthgang @earthgang; dreamville.com

Fashion Credits:
#1, 2 & 5 WowGr8 wears Top by J Lindeberg, Glasses by Ambush, All jewellery artist’s own
#2 WowGr8 wears Boiler suit Stylist’s own, Glasses by Ambush, All jewellery artist’s own, Olu wears Top by Humana, All Jewellery artist’s own, Bag by L’homme Rouge, Glasses by Gucci, Trousers by Fila
#3 Tracksuit by Adidas, Glasses by Ambush, All jewelery artist’s own, Shoes by Off white
#4 Coat by 032c, Trousers by Whyred, Glasses by Gentlemonster x Fendi, Necklace by L’homme Rouge, Shoes by Comme des GarÇons x Nike
#6 Top by Humana, Trousers Artist’s own, Glasses by Gentlemonster x Fendi, All jewellery artist’s own

Team Credits:

Photography by Daniela Gyllensten
Styling by Amanda Ljungkvist
Hair & Make-up by Sara Eriksson
Model: Adina Baker (at Mikas)

Fashion Credits:

#1 Dress by Stine Goya, Top by J.Lindeberg, Boots by Rodebjer
#2 Polo by J.Lindeberg, Vest by Rodebjer, vintage earrings 
#3 Dress by Totême
#4 Shirt by J.Lindeberg,, Boots by Ganni, vintage tights
#5 Dress by Stine Goya, Top by J.Lindeberg
#6 Blazer by J.Lindeberg
#7 Dress by Totême
#8 Blazer & Shirt by J.Lindeberg, Earring 1 by All Blues, Earring 2 by Céline 
#9 Long sleeve top by Totême, Vest by J.Lindeberg, Pants by Baum und Pferdgarten, Boots by Ganni 
#10 T-shirt by Totême, Tights from stylist’s archive