With his album Café Crève, Brav swaps his rapper costume for that of a singer-artist

See my news
Follow 76actu

The new album from Le Havre, Brav, Coffee Crève was released Friday, September 13, 2024 on all platforms and in Fnac stores. We find his unique voice, identifiable since his first album, ten years ago!

But in this album, Brav claims singer artist and more (only) as a rapper. He fully assumes his lifelong inspirations from Brel to Renaud via Stromae or Gaël Faye. A few days before his concert at La Cigale, on September 27, he gave an interview to 76actu.

The last time we heard from you was a year ago? You were preparing this album released Friday, September 13th “Café Crève”. How did you set up this project?

Brav: The very first single from this project was released then yes. I wanted to put the meaning of the word album back at the heart of my work. What I mean by album is a kind of continuity, coherence, from title to title even if the common thread is not obvious because some titles are not necessarily linked to coffee but the idea was to work on this intensity content even if some pieces are more like long coffee than espresso. I wanted to make songs with a theme, very specific subjects, tell stories like the great French songs of which I am a great fan.

Portraits take pride of place

Speaking of stories, in this album you give pride of place to portraits with totally different characters. We could all have met these people one day… without necessarily looking at them.

Brav: I am very observant of people. Djidji or Dolly in my album, these are people I really knew, I tried to transpose my feelings without necessarily wanting to reveal everything about them. I also wanted the people who listen to them to be able to project themselves into their own image that they have of them. My favorite pastime is to sit in a café, observe people and imagine a discussion that I could have with them.

“I don’t want to be in a specific register but precise in what I do”

Ten years separate your first album from this one and it’s a whole different world?

Brav: I clearly assume my part of French song, that’s why today it’s very difficult to qualify me. I come from a working-class neighborhood, Mont-Gaillard in Le Havre, I started as an author but what was being done was rap, it was the tool I had to be able to express myself.
I was identified like that. But in reality I am more of a French singer artist than a rapper. People are discovering this side of me today. Since I had a very strong identity, I didn’t want to change costume too quickly, it had to happen slowly so that people could find a kind of logical continuity.
Today I am in the lineage of Gaël Faye, of Stromae with his French text side. For me the greatest rappers are people like Renaud or Jacques Brel. Today, I fully assume it.
I don’t want to be in a specific register but I want to be precise in what I do and it doesn’t matter how it is interpreted.

You also have a duet in this album, who are the artists you worked with?

Brav: There’s Shy’m on the song “Nirvana”, with whom I had already done a duet (“Hate Me”) and to whom I wrote songs. The song “Liverpool” with Youssef Swatt’s, the winner of the last season of Nouvelle Ecole on Netflix. The artist Josia on the song “Cours”.
Ludovic Louis, a trumpeter from Le Havre, who has worked with Lenny Kravitz, is also accompanying me and the singer Cäroline. And it is impossible not to mention Matthieu Mendes, a composer who comes from the world of song, he managed to put windows in my small dark room.

Do you sometimes come back to Le Havre?

Brav: Yes, I still have family there. In reality, I’m still a bit of a tourist in Paris, I come here because that’s where all my work is, but I’m from Le Havre. People have the impression that I come from somewhere, but my accent is definitely from Le Havre!

After the launch of “Café Crève”, it’s time for the legendary Cigale stage on Friday 27…

Brav: This is my first time playing there. We are almost full, it’s going to be a great party. I will be with Tiers-Monde, my childhood friend, for the first part. It will be a family affair, a sort of reunion to take stock with all those who have followed me on where we are.
We will obviously find pieces from the last album, I am very happy, people discovered me through “Café Crève”, it’s starting very well.

A concert in Le Havre, is that possible?

Brav: Yes, it’s totally imaginable, everything has to be done. In reality, after setting up my label, finding distributors, what I’m missing today is a promoter. La Cigale is also a way to invite professionals.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to My News.