Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Blanche

Since bursting onto the scene, Belgian singer-songwriter Blanche has racked up over forty-one million streams worldwide. She’s captivated listeners with her avant-garde dark-pop sound. Today she makes her highly anticipated return, having spent the past few years writing and crafting her new album EMPIRE. Pop Culturalist caught up with Blanche to chat about the release.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Blanche: I didn’t really discover it. It’s always been there. I grew up in quite an artistic family. My mom is a painter. There were drawings painted all over the walls in my childhood house. My brother is a singer as well. So yeah, my surroundings just got me there.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Blanche: I guess you can say what kick-started it all was the fact that I grew up with a brother who was always singing. I just wanted to copy him. Then so many things happened. [laughs] There have been so many steps that had to be taken and so many important people and things to get this career started. It would be unfair to so many people if I named just one.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Blanche: Probably when I wrote my first song. It was such a special moment. It was after this huge roller coaster with Eurovision and City Lights. We were like, “Okay. Now that this is done, what’s next? Can I write anything?” I never really did that. There were a lot of questions like would I want to sing songs people wrote for me? In June 2017, one month after Eurovision, I took part in a writing camp. I was writing my first song and I remember the exact place. It came so naturally. It felt so easy. I felt so inspired and happy to discover I was able to create my own little stories with music. I was so proud. I knew this was really the start.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Fences.” What inspired the track?
Blanche: The track itself inspired me. I didn’t originally write it. I received a demo track from the Feather, with an acoustic guitar and a melody. It was a beautiful song. It directly inspired me as a long journey, someone evolving, moving forward to a better version of themselves. It’s about diving into this world for the full experience, which you have to go through thinking with your heart, feeling things, and empathy. We can go against who the world tells us to be and think about ourselves first. If everybody was brave enough to do that, I believe we’d be in a better place. I know it sounds cheesy, but yeah, I’m a bit naïve.

PC: It comes off your new album EMPIRE. Tell us about EMPIRE.
Blanche: A pop album that talks about feelings by someone who’s not sure what she’s feeling most of the time. I’m experimenting with different vibes. Some songs are more personal. I’m talking about my own experiences with feelings. Then there are other songs that you’ll find me putting myself in someone else’s shoes and how they feel. I talk a lot about honesty with yourself. I hope I could inspire people to be more honest with themselves—allow themselves to feel things. I explore the different paths of relationships between people, what can get in the way, how we can help one another, how we’ll destroy one another with what we lived before, etc. All these different possibilities—all these stories that make us who we are—that will write our life. It’s an album which you’ll be able to dance, cry, chill, and think to.

PC: What did you learn about yourself while putting together EMPIRE?
Blanche: That I’m strong and independent. I can lead my own project. But also that it is important to trust people to do some of the things for which I don’t have the skills.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2020, what does the year hold for you?
Blanche: Well, fingers crossed: an album that people will love and will listen to on loop. I’ll probably start working on some new songs.

I’m not sure if I can hope for any gigs. But if gigs can take place, I hope I’ll be able to fill places up with people who are coming to escape and we can all sing together.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Blanche: Lo & Leduc. They’re Swiss-German rappers. [laughs] My boyfriend, who is Swiss, showed it to me, and I like it, even though I don’t understand what they say.

PC: First album you bought?
Blanche: Probably one of Adele’s.

PC: First concert you attended?
Blanche: I could lie and say something that sounds super cool and indie. But I went to see a French singer that was really famous at that time. I was like ten.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Blanche: I wouldn’t say any albums changed my life yet. It’s more like there are albums I’ve been listening to on loop while my life was changing, so I have a really strong connection with it. Otherwise, there are albums through which I discovered new styles of music and made my tastes evolve. But I mean, I’m twenty, and there are probably some albums that are gonna change my life and I don’t know it yet.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Blanche: Royal Albert Hall

PC: A must-have on the road?
Blanche: Your best friends as a team.

To keep up with Blanche, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream EMPIRE today.