When she looks at everything that is happening on the planet, Klô Pelgag would like to have a little magic wand to solve problems in a few seconds. The singer-songwriter and young mother used this post-pandemic despair as a creative driving force for her new album, Abracadabra. The Journal discussed it with her.
You launched your previous album, Our Lady of Seven Sorrowsat the very beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. How would you describe this adventure?
“Tumultuous? It was lots of things. But it was perfect like that. It sets her apart from the others. The shows were fun. It was difficult, but that’s life. Hopefully the next tours will be less disrupted by something outside! […] I did the Quebec festivals during a pandemic, in bizarre contexts. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a normal festival tour. It’s like I don’t remember it anymore.”
You made it yourself Abracadabra for the first time in your career. Why did you make this decision?
“Initially, that wasn’t my intention. But the person I had been working with forever was somewhere in her life where she couldn’t do it. It was a difficult moment to accept. Interpersonal relationships, I am very sensitive to that. […] Afterwards, my friends encouraged me to do it on my own rather than looking for someone else. It led me to challenger and to go even further in practice. […] But the times when I went into the studio with other musicians, that was really where I breathed the best. I am still someone who likes to work in a team, who likes to see his friends.
Our Lady of Seven Sorrows received widespread praise upon its release. How did you begin the creative process ofAbracadabra?
“It’s always dizzying to start again and find yourself with nothing. It’s exciting and dizzying at the same time. You can do anything. You also want to be able to go beyond what you have done so far. There is a little pressure on yourself. […] It is certain that there were moments of doubt, of anxiety, of difficulty. Also, having lots of hats on this album was very demanding. But it made me feel alive. I feel like I’ve been somewhere else. I have a feeling of accomplishment. I am proud of what I did. I kicked my ass!”
Album cover “Abracadabra”.
Courtesy Benoit Paillé
In a video to announce Abracadabrayou said the album represented “a desire to still believe in something.” Is this related to what we experienced during the pandemic?
“No, it has even more to do with now, in fact, what is happening today with the post-pandemic, which I find even more violent than the pandemic as such. Ambient violence, people’s distress, people who have difficulty buying groceries, people who lose their homes, who find themselves on the street, who start to consume, genocides, inaction, lack of empathy and this feeling of helplessness that I really feel very strongly, personally.”
“That’s where the album title comes from. I have a plea, the tone of desperation, to say “abracadabra”, without believing in it so much, without thinking that it will work, but to say it in case it works. People who try to help, we have difficulty. Everything else is magic.”
Does being the mother of a four-year-old girl affect you even more when you look at what’s happening on the planet?
“Most likely. When you’re all alone, you tell yourself that at worst, you’ll die and it doesn’t matter. You had a good life, that’s okay. Having a child is a big responsibility. It is also being the link between life and a new human being who discovers life. It’s being the person who propels that person into the world. This world, you hope that it will be good, that it will be welcoming, not too difficult. I think that motherhood is a great moment of grace and grandeur. At the same time, there are also moments of anguish and anxiety. We hope his life goes well. Abracadabrait’s also about looking for the things that are magical in themselves in life, without always hoping that someone will bring you something magical for you without effort.
You are known for your grandiose and colorful shows. What can we expect from the tour Abracadabra?
“I don’t know, we’ll see! But it’ll be cool. I think there’s going to be some good music. We’re putting on the show. I’m not going to start doing magic tricks, gang [rires]! But who knows what can happen after two weeks, maybe I will change my mind.”
L’album Abracadabraby Klô Pelgag, is on the market. The author-composer will begin her Quebec tour in February 2025 and will visit, among other places, Quebec (April 26, Impérial Bell) and Montreal (1is May, MTelus). For more information: klopelgag.com.
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