With her surrealist, nostalgic and erotic tones, French-Swiss singer-songwriter Charline Mignot – better known as Vendredi sur Mer – has become an internationally acclaimed artist loved by fans and critics alike for her distinctive and soft voice, her cross-genre aesthetics and theatrical music videos. Lyon-born and Paris-based, Vendredi sur Mer started off studying at the art academy and working as a fashion photographer before she kickstarted her music career at the age of 22, gaining millions of views for her sensual and vintage-looking music videos such as Ècoute chérie. We were happy to meet up with Charline in Berlin to chat about her creative process, fashion and her latest Album „Métamorphose“.
Œ: What’s the story behind your artist name Vendredi sur Mer?
Charline: I chose the name Vendredi Sur Mer because I wanted something different, something unique. I wanted a name that allowed me to keep my privacy, and I thought that these three words worked perfectly together and sounded nice as well, so I kept them.
Œ: How did you become interested in arts and music?
Charline: I have always loved Arts since my childhood. My mum was painting, my father too. It was just as a hobby, but they had this very artistic side. My mum had a Nikon camera so I started to take pictures really early on, and on my father’s side it was the music. He was listening to so many different music genres… In the end, my parents truly passed on their love for Arts in many forms!
Œ: Your music is quite vulnerable and personal. What’s the creative process like and how do you get inspired?
Charline: I get inspired by my life, my sadness, happiness, and so on. If I write a song it’s because I need it and music helps me sometimes. For example, on this album “s’il est” is one of the most private song I ever wrote. And this one was not easy to write nor to sing. I think I have developed this vulnerability in photography, too, but in a different way. I mean, I was sharing stories but through the photographs of other people and people’s stories behind the camera, haha. With music, I feel like it’s very different, because I am the only one sharing and representing my texts on stage and in my music videos.
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Œ: Which musicians would you love to collaborate with?
Charline: I don’t know… I love Charlotte Cardin (from Montréal, Canada) so maybe one day…. Who knows!
Œ: Where do you buy fashion ?
Charline: I have a stylist that helps me find and get the perfect pieces. I also love secondhand shops, and I love owning “big pieces” which I feel like is the most important, like a beautiful coat for example, you know?
Œ: What role does fashion play for yourself and your music videos?
Charline: The image is very important for me, it’s half part of the music. So, with a different style you can be who you want – a princess, a punk, a frog, or anything you want to be, haha!
Œ: Tell us about your most recent album Métamorphose.
Charline: I wrote this album at the end of 2020, so basically when the world was really chaotic. But going to the studio was a good moment. I made this album within three or four months with Sam Tiba, who produced it and helped me find all the musicians I needed: Myd, Owlle, Canblaster and many more.
This album is more personal than what I’ve done in the past, it’s darker maybe. But also very rich, so many inspirations, instruments, references are different.
Œ: Thank you, Vendredi sur Mer!
Have a listen on Spotify or check out the music video of “Monochrome”.
Talent – Charline Mignot aka Vendredi sur Mer
Photography – Debora Spanhol assisted by Anton Kravchenko
Styling – Hanna Schmidt assisted by Won Hyung Song and Saskia Schiemann
Fashion – William Fan , A Fat Future and Asterisk
Hair and Makeup – Nina Luckat
Words – Carolina Schmidt
