“At 19, hit by a car, I fell into a coma and music helped me heal”

In The Essential Melody Gardot, the artist looks back on his eighteen-year career, and announces eight concerts at the Olympia, in Paris, next summer.

Madame Figaro. – How did I select the twenty-four tracks for this album?
Melody Gardot. – I listened again to the songs from my seven albums as well as those from my live shows, which turned out to be moving because I relived magical moments that I shared with great musicians. Like double bassist Charlie Haden, with whom I recorded If I’m Lucky. I was very lucky: music entered my life following a terrible accident. When I was 19, I was hit by a car and slipped into a coma. When I woke up, my legs were paralyzed. This is where I discovered the therapeutic virtues of music. She helped me heal. The choice of these songs is based on its power of resilience.

Is jazz still in fashion?
Jazz is not a monolithic musical style, because it draws on all genres: from gospel to blues through song, pop, rock and hip-hop. Jazz is above all a manifesto of freedom. Musicians from younger generations, even rappers, use it more and more today because it is a reflective mirror of our society.

My personality?
I am very demanding. To be respected in a professional environment, women of my generation had to be bold. Nobody gave us any gifts. We won our rights because we asserted our skills. I am part of an army of dominant women who have been able to prove their legitimacy, while claiming their femininity.

My attitude in an interview?
An interview is a performance. Aesthetics are an essential part of it and I can spend hours on a hairstyle, which is why for years I wore wigs, which are part of the game of transformation. It amuses me when I hear that to be authentic, you have to present yourself naturally. This is false. Art is a complex exercise in staging. From there, we can access total exposure.

I have an image of a pop jazz diva

Melody Gardot

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The ideal outfit for an interview : comfort or dressed?
Glamour. I favor fabrics that slide against the skin, like silk and cashmere. I often wear heels, which highlight the ankles, and small diamond earrings, which brighten the face. And I spend a fortune on lingerie, because even if it can’t be seen, it makes me beautiful.

Are you in seduction mode or warrior mode?
Neither. I try to ensure that our minds remain open, that we accept feeling destabilized. Our time places too much emphasis on the need to find an answer to everything. On the contrary, art must use emotion to encourage us to ask questions, to pay homage to uncertainty.

A misunderstanding about me?
I have an image of a pop jazz diva, as if I only lived surrounded by splendor. But I did long night bus tours, sometimes with twenty musicians on board, and I was the only woman. The life on the road is not glamorous. We can’t imagine the extent to which a musician’s existence is made up of sacrifices. We live in a different way, and building a family is complicated.

I am part of an army of dominant women who have been able to prove their legitimacy, while claiming their femininity

Melody Gardot

The last time I was proud of myself?
I never am, but I am touched by the looks of others. Two years ago, Roselyne Bachelot told me that I was going to receive the Arts and Letters medal. I cried with joy. I had the impression of participating in the greatness of a country that I love deeply and to which I arrived alone young.

The Essential Melody Gardot, Decca. In concert at the Olympia, in Paris, from June 26 to 29 and July 3 to 6.