INTERVIEW. Lala&ce: “We have to go for it”, the artist confides on the occasion of the release of his new album Solstice

The rapper presented her new album in Montpellier. – FILIP KOLUDROVIC

Lala&ce came to present her new album, Solstice, at Rockstore on March 28, 2024. It’s the first time that the rapper performed in Montpellier. She tells us about her journey and the creation of her dystopian and universal album.

Solstice is your third album, how did you start rapping?

I've been making music forever, but I've been doing it seriously since 2019. But before that, every day, I went to friends' houses, we learned in DIY mode [Do it yourself, Do it yourself -even]. I recorded and mixed my first mixtape on my own. That’s how I learned and really started to love music. I can make a sound from A to Z if I want to.

What would you have done if you hadn't played music?

I was studying finance and wealth management, nothing to do with music. I got my license and I had to do a master's degree. That’s when I chose to stop and do rap. Now, if I had to stop, I think I would do architecture. It’s a bit artistic and I find it stylish. I think it’s a great job.

What do your loved ones think??

At first, they didn't know that I was making music, I was doing it in secret. Or maybe they didn't take it seriously. At first, my mother took it badly that I wasn't continuing my studies and that I was staying in London to rap. If I had listened to him, I wouldn't be here . Now, my mother is my fan “number one”. She started listening to rap, she gets information, she gives me advice. She tells me who I should collaborate with, and who I shouldn't.

What did this bring you ?

It brought me freedom, to be in symbiosis with myself and to be more comfortable with who I am. And I see that it liberates the people around me: my friends, who experience all this with me and through me when they accompany me, but also my family. I see them more open, less judgmental.

Thursday, you caused a sensation at the Rockstore. Do you like the scene?

I really like the scene, it’s another way of defending the project. People see a little of you, of your person, it’s a kind of communion. The public is full of love, it’s going very well. They are caring. I didn't think I would have so much love, so sincere, to have such a beautiful audience. In Montpellier, the public was there in any case.

How did you imagine your career when you started rap??

I didn't imagine it would go so well. I always told myself that I had to continue, that I could bring something different to the musical landscape. Not just by who I am, my sexuality or whatever, but also by my music. I told myself it was important to do it.

Can everyone listen to Solstice?

I think everyone can listen to what I do. I have seen my audience evolve, I see more and more mixtures, I see older people who listen to me. I receive messages from people who are 40, 50 years old. This shows that it’s a universal language.

What did you want to say with this album?

I spent a year and a half on Solstice. I tried to revolve around more topics than in my previous pieces. It was a bit of a challenge, it felt good to change discs. I wanted to try to talk about myself, my position in society, the fact that I always feel a little on the margins. But I found a family, friends, loved ones who surround me. People who think in color, who are a little awake.

What difficulties did you encounter ?

It’s a tricky job because it’s difficult to find well-intentioned people. These were human resources difficulties. I also had doubts. At times, I didn't really know where to go. I wanted to make an album but I didn't really know how to do it because I had never done it. This was before I found the Solstice story. There were doubts, but I like it. It's part of the journey.

Being a woman has sometimes blocked you?

There will always be problems for women in this industry. I hear “you're a woman, you can't do this, you can't do that…” since I was little. At the beginning when I was asked: “What's it like to be a woman in rap ?” I replied : “It doesn't matter.” Over the years, I saw that there was a difference in treatment. There are rappers who are more reluctant to collaborate when you're a girl. I have already talked about it with other female artists who feel the same way. We have to fight a little more but I think we shouldn't get stuck, we shouldn't listen too much to what people say. We must not internalize all this, we must go for it.

Can your rap change society?

I think I could change a few things that aren't right. I think that offering something different on the music scene is already moving the culture forward. But I wouldn't say that I can change the world or impact very big decisions, there are very few people who can do that. I follow the news, but not a lot. I think you have to have a good way of consuming information, sometimes it can depress you. I'm not burying my head in the sand, but I'm trying not to get too involved because I have the impression that this is news that we can't change much about. So I try to do good around me, as much as possible, and not get too depressed.

You did a freestyle (Grunt), at the PCF headquarters. Why this place ?

We thought about it with my artistic director. I wanted to do it in a grand place, but wear a houdi. The fact that it is at the PCF headquarters is not really a political message, even if there is perhaps a bit of that.

What are you going to do now?

I don't know what I do next. You have to do the tour, the festivals… I'll probably do something for the summer solstice. It can go in lots of different directions. I think in the short term at most, or even in the medium term.

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