What is your name?
My name is Guillaume, but my artist name is ‘Aslove’. It comes from a Jimi Hendrix’s album, called ‘Axis Bold As Love’. I fell in love with this album during my childhood, and I decided to create my nickname with ‘As’ and ‘Love’.
Where are you currently based?
I’m based in the east of France, 3 hours from Paris, not far away from French Alps. I live in the countryside, even if I lived in Paris for a few months when I first signed my record deal with Universal Music. I decided to come back to my native region in order to work on my first album.
Your brand new ‘Preface(s)’ EP, which looks set to be one of your biggest triumph’s to date, where and and when did you record?
The three songs on this EP were some long time demos. I finished them and turned them into real songs these past months. I have composed and recorded everything from my own home studio, excepting for ‘When You’re Crazy’, which was recorded in a big recording studio in Paris to explore more things.
Why did you decide to release a 3 track EP ?
I wanted to showcase my different influences and the faces I want Aslove to show through music. That’s why I named this EP ‘Preface(s)’. It’s also the preface of my future album, which will be composed under my different musical influences, from black music to Pop music, with both a touch of Dance Music and more chilled vibes.
The EP kicks off with ‘So High’ which features US vocalist Norma Jean Martine, what influenced this track and how did the collaboration with Norma come about ?
This song represents my ‘Pure Pop’ side, as I like to call it. I have always been sensitive to big pop songs, like the ones Max Martin and Dr. Luke for example. I was lucky to get in touch with Norma Jean Martine thanks to Hugel, a french DJ-producer I really appreciate. She was the perfect voice for this song. She recorded in Los Angeles and we had to drive our studio sessions through the Internet. So I had to get up at night to give Norma my instructions… (laughs)
‘When You’re Crazy’ showcases your diverse production abilities which combines with Calum Venice’s vocals. Please tell us a little about that this track is about and why you chose to work with Calum on this track in partiuclar:
From the birth of this song and the final cut, many things changed. After several months of doubts, I decided to change the voice and the top line I had from the beginning. While I was working on this new version, a young Scottish singer aged 19 (Calum Venice) sent me a message on Soundcloud saying he liked my songs a lot and wanted to work with me. That was the right timing and I asked him to try to sing on my song. The next night, he sent me a first test and I knew he was the voice I needed… I was shocked, it was just amazing !
‘Heart’ is a complete change of pace, showcasing Benjamin Man’s haunting vocals. What inspired this ‘Heart’ and how did you bring the track to life?
It was a year ago now, I liked playing the chords of ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ (Franck Sinatra) on my guitar and I was looking for an accapella to play over it. After a few minutes of research on the internet, I came across an acapella recorded by a 17-year-old Chinese singer, Banjamin Man. Out of curiosity, I went around his social networks and Soundcloud. Then, I found a piano-voice song he composed by himself, with some strong lyrics. It was beautiful and I got in touch with him, asking if he would agree me producing a real song with it. ‘Heart’ was born.
Your first ever release ‘Put Your Records On’ hit over 6 million streams worldwide, what do you attribute to the success of your first ever release?
Well, it’s amazing! I think this success is due to the fact that this song is a cover from a great original song. ‘Put Your Records On’ was quiet huge during the 2000s but no one really remembered this song from Corine Bailey Rae. It’s the unconscious that tells us that we know this song from somewhere, without knowing where and how. When I found Mia Wray’s vocal cover of the song on Youtube, I knew I could turn it into something really fresh. Mia is a really nice singer from Australia, she needs to get famous ! I’ll probably create new songs with her, maybe when I’ll work on my album.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment, I’m listening a lot to a great French artist called MYD. He’s signed to Ed Banger Records, the record label of Justice, Cassius and Breakbot. I love his music, his style and his madness.
You’ve remixed high profile artists such as Katy Perry and Carla Bruni, how did you first get into remixing and how do you decide how you are going to remix each track?
When I began uploading my music on Soundcloud, it was nothing but covers and unofficial remixes. That was something I was good at. So when I signed with Capitol Records (Universal Music), they knew they could have me remixing some of their artists. But I certainly didn’t expect remixing Katy Perry 4 months after signing with them. It was a great opportunity for me and I’m glad to see my ‘Bon Appétit’ remix was approved by such a superstar ! I love remixing because I try to change everything from the original, I see it like an exciting challenge. In general, I only keep the vocal part, most of the time, I even change the harmonies and play new instruments with a total freedom. That’s what I did for Carla Bruni as well. I was really happy to work on her ‘Miss You’ rework from the Rolling Stones because it was one of my first covers as Aslove. So it was a great challenge to officially remix her song in a totally different way from the cover I first made a few years ago.
When and where are you playing next?
I’ll be touring a lot in 2018, especially in France and Europe. Deejaying is really something I love to do. You know, I’m not only a studio geek, I really enjoy spinning music on stage.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
My favorite food should be a good Burger. I also love French food for sure, and I cook Italian food very often. I love to hangout in Paris’s smallest rock pubs…
Featured Photo Credit : Guillaume Malheiro
