« All panache” or how to transcend a struggle. Having left to eat fries in Brussels, Melvin and his sweetheart stayed for hours in a carafe at a motorway rest area in Belgium. This mishap turned into a song. More than a disappointment, the artist shares the poetry of a suspended moment. Passionate about traveling and meeting new people, the musician from Saint-Savinien has no shortage of projects. The couple is preparing to open a traveler inn in Grandjean, between Saintes and Saint-Jean-d'Angély.
What is the story of “All panache”?
It's the story of a journey. A few years ago, I suggested to my girlfriend that we hitchhike, without money, towards Brussels, with a crazy and funny goal: to eat fries there. Everything could have been perfect, but at that time, we were not in the same energies. As I say in the song, she needed a vacation and I needed an adventure. We found ourselves at a highway rest area, in the middle of the night. We had lost a little of our panache…
Did it end well?
Yes ! The song doesn't say it, because it just zooms in on that moment, where the energy was a little low. We arrived in Brussels the same evening, we were accommodated with the last people who picked us up. We sat on a bench and there, a gentleman sat next to us. He asked us: “What are you doing here?” » We explained it to him, he found it funny. He had just bought a tray of fries, he gave them to us…
The clip was filmed in a resort in France.
Logan Charpentier
You feature yourself in a music video, with your partner. Did you replay this moment?
Exactly, we rebuilt it on a motorway rest area, somewhere in France, I can't say where. The clip was shot by Logan Charpentier, Sophie Artois and Leya Cybart.
Is hitchhiking without a penny really reasonable in 2024?
I don't know why but for years that I've been doing this, I feel perfectly safe. I'm not at all afraid of what's going to happen. If someone feels that it is not reasonable, I tell them not to do it. But if we feel confidence in the unknown, if we think that people, taken separately, have a basis of empathy when we ask for help, I think that travel is a direct way to access that. I've made about fifteen trips like this over the past ten years and I've only slept outside twice, because I decided to. I leave with a sign that says: “Anywhere.” I filmed one of these trips, I made a film about it called: “Heading anywhere”.
“I've made about fifteen trips like this over the past ten years and I've only slept outside twice, because I decided to. I leave with a sign that says: “Anywhere”. I filmed one of these trips, I made a film about it called: “Direction Anywhere”. »
Why focus the song on the moment when things go wrong?
What often interests me in travel is the unexpected. Sometimes it feels good, sometimes he has a gray face, and at the same time, that's what gives relief, contrast. When someone picks you up, they become a savior! In a group, these somewhat low moments create bonds and mutual aid. I had these images in mind for the music video.
You are leaving for another trip, to Africa.
Yes, I am going to cross Senegal with my sister. The first idea was to travel with her. Our planets have aligned. This is the third time I've been to Senegal, I've made connections there.
Why did you launch a fundraiser?
When I go there, it is not uncommon for friends and relatives to offer to give money to support projects. We decided to structure it. We were counting on 400 euros, we are at more than 1,100 euros on HelloAsso. It is open until December 31. We leave with a 30 kilo suitcase filled with equipment for a school and a maternity ward on a remote island. We will also visit an orphanage and a market gardening project and we will give them the money from the kitty directly, to finance projects. This money will under no circumstances be used for our personal expenses.
“What often interests me in travel is the unexpected. Sometimes it feels good, sometimes he has a gray face, and at the same time, that's what gives relief, contrast. In a group, these somewhat low moments create a bond, mutual aid”
What happens to Melvin in the clouds, in all this?
Other tracks have already been recorded, including one which will be released with a music video too. They will end up on a disc during the year 2025, a priori a five tracks. The last one, “Primitif cool”, dates from 2021.
How is the project going?
Well, we have around forty dates per year. I like to vary between intimate places, very attentive, and larger rooms. We opened for Yves Jamait, Tiken Jah Fakoly, we never got bored! I mainly tour with François David, and sometimes with Léo Danais on drums and Logan Charpentier on sound. I also run workshops to discover world instruments with schoolchildren and people with mental disabilities, another way of sharing music that I really like.
Do you also travel with family?
Yes, three of us took a trip with our seven-year-old daughter to Senegal last year. With my darling, Sandy Merlet, after renovating a barn in Grandjean, we are in the process of transforming the house next door into a traveler's inn. The Camino de Santiago passes close by. And in the cooler season, we would like to organize intimate concerts, workshops and artistic residencies…
