Stacey Kent – Summer Me, Winter Me

By starrymag | November 20, 2023

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) The first thing I’d say is that my sound is that it is my sound. When I sing, I don’t shift gear to a produced voice. This kind of gear shift is most evident in classical singing, but there are singers from other genres who use it, too. When I sing, my singing voice is continuous with my speaking voice. Descriptors I would use are focused, expressive, warm, mellifluous and perhaps most important, distinctive. My old friend and jazz commentator, Humphrey Lyttelton, after hearing me sing for the first time, said my voice has “the invigorating tang of vermouth.” I always liked Humph’s way with words.

I also have a low register voice with a high timbre which makes people often hear my register as being higher than it is. Singers who sing along with me have often said in surprise, “How do you reach those low notes?”

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I think the biggest influence on my singing, from an aesthetic point of view, is João Gilberto. It’s the quiet intensity of his singing that has inspired me since I first heard him when I was fourteen years old. There’s enormous emotional depth to his singing without any drama or emoting. I relate to this. As a youth, it struck a chord because I was an emotional person without being terribly dramatic. I still am.

I recorded an album early on in my career, paying tribute to Fred Astaire. He’s not considered one of the singing “greats,” but his delivery of lyric and his ability to transition seamlessly from speaking lines, to delivering verses and into the chorus is remarkable. I think I appreciate singers whose singing voice is close to their speaking voice.

 

Q) “Under Paris Skies” is the first (single) song off your upcoming album Summer Me, Winter Me. What made it the perfect debut track?

 

A) I’ve known the iconic song, “Sous Le Ciel De Paris” forages. But I came across an Andy Williams version of the song with an English lyric by Kim Gannon. It was so much fun that I wanted to play it. The arrangement is Jim’s and it’s been a great song to open our sets with, so I thought, why not make it the first single? I like first songs or opening songs to feel like an invitation to the audience to come with me on a musical journey. “Under Paris Skies” has that spirit.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think a lot of people recognize it before they twig that it’s a reworking of the iconic French waltz. We aimed to take it on journey with changes of time feel and texture, and it goes from minor to major, too, to add to it. It’s a fun, evocative swinger that takes a journey.

 

Q) What are some themes you’ll be exploring on this new album?

 

A) This is an unofficial requests album. (Our liner note explains more. I am inserting my note from the liner note here:

 

Summer Me, Winter Me — A note from Stacey 

“Which album is that song on?” is a question I often get asked after a concert at signings. Since our set list invariably includes a mixture of old and new repertoire, the answer is sometimes, “it’s not on any album.”  This album is therefore a collection of those songs. It’s a response to all those people who have said over the years, somewhat disappointed, “you haven’t recorded If You Go Away?” and so on. So, whilst not exactly a requests album, Summer Me, Winter Me is a response to that informal and unscientific sounding, a representative selection of some of your “requests”. I hope you are pleased with this selection and I look forward to seeing you at my next concert and to being able to say, “It’s on this album.”

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) Jim [Tomlinson] and his songwriting partners, my lyricists, Kazuo Ishiguro and Cliff Goldmacher, have a way of writing for me that is similar to how we approach arranging songs. We always put the lyric front and center. When songwriting, they always start with a lyric and the music follows the words. I think this way of working gives Jim’s songs a distinctive feel. But even when we are covering standards, Bossa or chansons, we are always asking the question, “How will the music enhance the power or beauty of the lyric?”

 

Q) The album features three original songs, one that was co-written by Nobel Prize winner and frequent collaborator Kazuo Ishiguro. What makes working with him such a pleasure?

 

A) Ishiguro is a wonderful person to collaborate with. He has a cinematic and storytelling approach to songwriting and so he manages to create mood and character in a lyric that is very stimulating and satisfying to sing. I don’t inhabit the character in the song in the sense of “acting” but I do channel the character’s emotional journey through the song. It’s a very rich and complex experience. In musicals, the songs belong to a plot line that explains the context of the characters and their emotional state. With Ishiguro’s lyrics, all of that is between the lines. Jim’s music seems to capture the arc of the narrative and allow space for all of the emotional nuance I want to convey with my singing. “Postcard Lovers” is a great example of this. The backstory of the protagonist is woven into the lyric in very subtle ways, and we feel like we’re glimpsing into someone’s private emotional life. Ishiguro’s lyrics also often involved characters reflecting on the past or projecting themselves into the future. He is brilliant at writing about memory. Ish’s protagonists live out their emotional lives through the medium of memory and imagination.

 

Q) Your husband is a producer. How much of a hand does he have in the production of your music?

 

A) Jim and I have been married for thirty-two years now and though we have worked together for all of that time, over the years, we have worked ever more closely. This is in part because our musical lives have converged as we have dedicated ourselves to our joint musical project. Everything that happens is a result of our working together towards a common goal. It is also in part because of the development of technology which has allowed Jim to be more and more hands-on in the production side of my recordings. For this album, Jim arranged and produced all of the sessions, as well as editing and mixing the album at our home studio. The mastering was done in France at Bione Studios with our friend and great engineer, Alexis Blanchart.

 

Q) Which track(s) on Summer Me, Winter Me hold a special place in your heart and what makes them so significant?

 

A) It’s hard to single out any one track or track since all of the songs on the album are there for a reason. I suppose if I had to pick out a few I’d say “If You Go Away” is special. The arrangement with the string quartet is based on an orchestral arrangement that Jim wrote. It’s an incredibly sad song and very cathartic. I also had to record Brel’s original “Ne me quitte pas.” Although the English version follows the French quite closely, it is starker and more intense as is the musical treatment.

“Postcard Lovers” is another. It first appeared on my live album, Dreamer in Concert. Jim was never quite satisfied with how it came out and so we went back to the drawing board and reworked it a bit. We are now presenting it in what feels like the definitive version. It’s such a beautiful lyric, we wanted the melody to arrangement to be just right.

Lastly, I’d pick out “Thinking About the Rain.” It’s a collaboration between Jim and Cliff Goldmacher. It’s a sad, wistful and bluesy waltz that talks about the feeling of loss at the end of a relationship. Cliff’s lyrics portray the protagonist being stuck thinking about the past. With Jim’s music, it strikes just the right balance of nostalgia and melancholy. While I love singing standards, chanson and Bossa, there’s something wonderful about introducing new songs to the world and songs that are written just for me.

 

Q) What emotion or message do you hope lingers with listeners who explore Summer Me, Winter Me as a whole?

 

A) Above all, Summer Me, Winter Meis a musical journey. It’s not a themed album and it covers a range of emotions. The title song suggests this. It’s an invitation to the audience to come along with me through all the seasons and situations of life. I suppose the album is one of those moments in my recording career that plants a flag in the ground and says, “Here is where I am right now.” When I look back at my recording career, I’ve been on a journey. I’ve never said, “Right, now I’m going to do something different”. My music has evolved from my early days as a swinging standards singer to something more complex and reflective. I’ve not abandoned anything or turned my back on my past, but I’ve progressively drawn more and more things into my musical life whilst at the same time becoming more selective. I choose my repertoire very carefully.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I love being part of the world. I’m answering these interview questions from an airport in Asia while waiting for a flight to take us to Europe where we perform in another thirteen countries before heading home. What’s wonderful about touring is that the kind of music I perform speaks to what is universal in people. It’s all about the struggle to live happy and fulfilled lives and surround ourselves with people we love. In a world where we are encouraged to focus on our differences, I’m meeting people on a level where we are all share in the human condition.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) There are lots of people I could think of. The world is filled with voices I love and with whom I think we’d make a good blend. Fiona Apple is one. Harry Connick Jr., Corinne Bailey Rae, Macy Gray, James Taylor and Sílvia Pérez Cruz, who is one of my favorite voices today, and the list goes on. I’m lucky to have already collaborated with some of my heroes, like Marcos Valle, Dori Caymmi and Edu Lobo. There are a lot of people I would have liked to have sung with who have already passed, like Kenny Rankin.

Next year I’ll be touring with Danilo Caymmi. Danilo and I are touring a project right now called Um Tom Sobre Jobim, celebrating the life and music of Jobim. Danilo worked with Jobim for many years, so it is an honor to be part of this music first-hand and also hear so much of the history first-hand instead of just from the history books.

In the classical world, I have been asked to collaborate on a project next year with Vannina Santoni and Benjamin Garzia. Often classical musicians come to our concerts, which thrills me. And I love cross-over projects like the one I did with the Quatuor Ébène.

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) When this interview arrived, I was actually in this airport lounge watching Bobby McFerrin in Israel. I’ve seen this many times. It’s pure joy and I recommend everyone watch it.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I would say thank you for the gift of allowing me to share my music with you and for letting my songs into your hearts. Sharing is a declaration of love. As the title songs say, “in the silence, quietly whisper me, forever me with love.”