Interview with “STEVANS” singer Yvan Franel
Take the class of Fred Astaire, blend it with Michael Jackson’s groove and add a touch of Daft Punk’s electro vibe…and you’ll have a taste STEVANS’ original sound. Over the course of three albums, the group STEVANS, which was founded by French–Swiss musician Yvan Franel, has left its mark on the musical landscape: songs that are still in our ears and on our lips (“Monday’s wedding”, “The Backyard”, “When the Light is Gone”, etc.), concerts on the world’s biggest stages (Paleo Festival, Montreux Jazz, London, New York, Paris, Hamburg, to name just a few), prestigious supporting act gigs (Deep Purple, Kaiser Chiefs, Rita Mitsouko), work with talented artists (Will Jackson, Serge Morattel, Yann Rouiller)…STEVANS has forged its own unique path on the way to the release of its fourth album.
Can you tell us about your journey and your passion for music? How was STEVANS born?
My mom “pushed” me to take piano lessons when I was around 10 years old. At that time we were living in Indonesia. After that, we moved to Greece, where I took 3 years of piano lessons at the conservatory because I loved the instrument. In the early 90’s, I discovered Metallica, Guns’n’Roses and Nirvana, so I decided to stop the piano and start learning the guitar and drums, on my own this time, without a teacher. By the time I graduated from the École hôtelière de Lausanne in 2005, I had assembled enough demos and ideas to start my own band, STEVANS.
You were born and raised in Switzerland but have travelled the world for concerts. How did all these trips influence and shape the artist you are today? What was your favorite location / country thus far?
Traveling is part of the interest of being a musician. Having toured the world with my parents throughout my childhood, I had to find a way to go back on tour…but this time with my band. Touring in South America as well as China made us realize that our music could also be exotic to some people. We love to go there because the audience’s reaction is very pure — they don’t cheat or lie to us. Playing in the U.S. at the Mondo Festival in New York is also a great memory: so many bands, so much competition, it is a real motivation to improve.
What was your craziest experience on stage?
I would say when we opened for Deep Purple at the Montreux Jazz Festival. We were supposed to play 30 minutes, but as soon as we finished, Ian Gilan, Deep Purple’s singer, asked us to go back on stage and play few more songs, because he liked it! What an honor! Another crazy experience was in China, just after our Beijing show: a man came to us and told us: “you see that woman at the bar ordering drinks? She is my girlfriend. Tonight, we felt so many positive emotions during your concert that I feel now is the right time to propose. When she comes back to us, would you be willing to be there while I propose…?” We agreed, of course, and 3 minutes later he was on his knees, and….she said YES! Very romantic…
What is your song writing process?
I usually first try some chords on the piano or the guitar. Then I start to sing a melody, with no precise words; I sing “yogurt style” as we say, inserting random words. Sometimes a voice melody will influence the choice of the next chord, etc.,,… Recently I experienced more songs starting with a voice melody, to which I gradually added some instrumental harmonies and chords. Our new single, “Fred Astaire,” illustrates this perfectly. A simple rhythm can also be the beginning of a song — anything is a good excuse to start a song. It is a very exciting process: it is like doing a puzzle, and building it step by step. The next step is the arrangement and production of the song in the studio, and, possibly, the live show!
Your mother tongue is French, but you mainly write and sing in English. What motivated this choice?
I think the main reason is that all the songs we heard (while living abroad) on the radio were American/English hits. Also, my parents don’t really listen to French music.
2020 is a special year to say the least. What was your biggest challenge as an artist? And as an individual?
The first challenge was to accept, in March, that our 5-week tour in South America would become a 12-day tour…resilience, as always in this career, is the main quality to have. Fortunately, I had some great inspiration during the first lockdown, which has allowed me to now start producing a number of new songs. But let’s face it, we will have to be able to perform on stage again soon, because that is the main goal for an artist: LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!
What long-term changes do you think COVID-19 will have on the music scene?
I believe it will be a bad memory, and then things will go back to what they were. It is human nature to want to be part of a crowd, sweating, singing out loud, and sharing the amazing emotions of a live show. An obstacle such as COVID-19 won’t be able to take that from us…for too long!
What is next for STEVANS?
Becoming big stars in the U.S. thanks to the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC, of course, what else? Jokes aside, we will release a new version of our single, “Fred Astaire,” in English and in French, in January 2021. I am currently also working on a new project under another name besides STEVANS, which is also very exciting.
Find out more about the band on their official web page and Instagram profile!
