5 Questions with Uèle Lamore
5 Questions with Uèle Lamore
Uèle Lamore’s most recent project is a cinematic reimagining of Puccini’s operatic legacy, where she strips away traditional formalities and rebuilds the music in contemporary sonic language. This ambitious work blends orchestras, electric guitars, modular synths, and jazz improvisation, culminating in both an album and an immersive experience featuring a 26-piece string ensemble. Drawing on her background as a Paris-based Franco-American composer and her history of collaborations with artists like Alfa Mist and the London Contemporary Orchestra, Lamore challenges the boundaries of genre and classical music itself. In this interview, she shares her inspirations, pre-performance rituals and who she’d love to trade places with for a day…
What’s a song or album you’ve had on repeat lately that people might not expect from you?
I’ve had a song on repeat all summer called ‘Uchquduq’ from a soviet Union-era band called Yalla, originating from Uzbekistan. I discovered it randomly while watching YouTube documentaries, and this band came up, and the story behind the track, which is really interesting. From what I gather, they played it on TV, and the song really put the region of Uchquduq in the spotlight and shone a new light on the Uzbek people. The song is super cool as well, opening with sounds of wind and desert ambience.
Do you remember the first piece of music that made you think, ‘This is something I want to pursue’?
I think it was many pieces of music, as well as becoming familiar with more examples of artists whose careers I could relate to. But I think the first artist that I found really cool was Miles Davis ‘Kind Of Blue’ era. It was so different from what I had seen and heard before, and I wasn’t somebody who came from jazz at all. Just the way this guy stripped everything back and did his thing, and basically influenced all genres to this day, and his fashion style as well. Afterwards, in a more serious context, I would say Ryuichi Sakamoto is my biggest inspiration in music. I really admire all the different things he has done while always staying true to his own sound and style, while living a simple life dedicated to music and enjoying life.
“Watching horror and sci-fi movies inspires me because their music scores push the boundaries of sound and texture in exciting ways.”
Do you have any pre-performance rituals that help you get into the right headspace before a show?
I get really stressed before a show; I have serious stage anxiety. It has gotten way better, though. I started Muay Thai about four years ago, and it really, really helped me with my nerves. Sparring and all with people that are better and bigger than you teaches you not to panic and to keep focus. Helped with keeping my breathing and heart rate in check. It has really had super beneficial effects on my music life, and now I actually enjoy doing shows.
So my ritual is to just before a show to imagine I'm about to spar the baddest guy at the gym, the one that scares me the most, because I know how good he is and is going to put me on my butt every 30 seconds. I clear my head and get myself relaxed, then picture the show I'm about to do and treat it as a sparring session, I shadow box a littl,e and then it’s time to roll!
If you could swap places with any artist from a completely different genre for a day, who would it be and why?
That’s tough, but I would say if it were for just a day, I would swap with Adele just to experience being an absolute icon of a diva and being able to actually sing (I have the worst voice ever).
“I really admire all the different things Ryuichi Sakamoto has done while always staying true to his own sound and style.”
When you’re not making or conducting music, where do you find inspiration — books, films, fashion, or everyday life?
I do watch a lot of movies, especially horror movies and sci-fi. I think that the music scores coming from these genres today are some of the most interesting, and they are pushing the research of sound and textures to the max, which is very cool. There are also a lot of recording and mixing techniques coming from movie composing that can be applied to making records, especially stuff that helps you create big sounds with not much.
I'm also very curious about music that is not Western European or North American. See what other countries around the world listen to, what they dig. And I often discover super cool artists by doing some research.
Apart from that, I find inspiration by just living a regular life. Hanging out with friends, sharing stories, having a good laugh, going out… Spending time with my friends who are also producers, composers, sharing experiences and ideas, hanging out in the studio to just talk and listen to stuff without having an agenda. In the end, for me, it’s people that I find to be the most inspiring.
