It was a really strange relationship in that way, because she was very judgmental in general, but she really liked my music. I think she understood it in a way that other people didn’t because she knew me so well. She knew all the references, she knew all the jokes, she knew why I was singing things the way I was singing them. It was really special. So I think in that way, I was not hesitant to write about her. I was more hesitant to let it go and put it out in the world, because I didn’t want to lose that connection that we had through the music. But it’s also true that I don’t know if I’m going to be able to write about her again. I think that’s a little bit of a one-time thing.
How did her passing influence the sound of Love, Guess Who??
I don’t know if it did, to be honest. I think it probably influenced the lyrics more than the sound. The sound was more influenced by what I was listening to at the time. I was listening to a lot of Brazilian music and music from the ‘70s and ‘80s in general, like a lot of soft rock and yacht rock. I was really into the idea of making really soft music, and I think that’s what the sound of the record ended up being. I wanted to make something that was really smooth and comforting, because I needed that. I needed some comfort, and I wanted the music to be comforting to me. So the sound of the record is less influenced by her passing, and more influenced by what I needed at the time.
But the lyrics, I think, are very much influenced by her passing. I think I needed to process that experience, and writing about it was a way to do that. It’s a way to keep her memory alive and keep that connection that we had through the music alive. So I think in that way, her passing definitely influenced the lyrical content of the record.
Therapy
In another one of your updates about the album, you mentioned that you started therapy for the first time. How did that experience shape the writing and recording process of Love, Guess Who??
It was the first time I had ever gone to therapy, and it was really intense. I went twice a week for almost two years, and it was really a life-changing experience. I think it definitely influenced the writing and recording process of the album because it forced me to confront a lot of things that I had been avoiding for a long time. It made me more open and vulnerable, and I think that comes through in the music. I think the album is more emotionally honest and raw because of therapy.
Therapy also helped me understand myself better, and I think that helped me understand my music better. It helped me see the patterns in my behavior and my relationships, and that gave me a lot of material to work with in the lyrics. I think therapy made me a better songwriter because it made me more self-aware and introspective, and that’s really important when you’re trying to write about your own experiences and emotions.
So I think therapy was a huge influence on the album, both in terms of the content and the process. It helped me grow as a person and as an artist, and I think that’s reflected in the music.
Asghar Farhadi’s films
You’ve mentioned that Asghar Farhadi’s films were an influence on the album. Can you talk about how his work inspired the sound or themes of Love, Guess Who??
I’m a huge fan of Asghar Farhadi’s films, and I think he’s one of the best directors working today. I love the way he tells stories and explores complex emotions and relationships. I think his films have a really unique way of capturing the nuances of human interaction, and that’s something I tried to do with the music on this album.
His films are often about family and relationships, and I think that’s a theme that runs through a lot of my music as well. I’m interested in exploring the dynamics of personal connections and the ways in which people relate to each other. I think Farhadi’s work has a lot of depth and complexity, and that’s something I aspire to in my own music.
His films also have a really naturalistic style that I find really inspiring. They feel very real and authentic, and I think that’s something I tried to capture in the sound of the album. I wanted the music to feel intimate and honest, like you’re having a conversation with someone you care about. I think Farhadi’s films taught me a lot about storytelling and emotional depth, and I tried to bring some of that into the music on Love, Guess Who??
Milton Nascimento’s music
You’ve also mentioned that a Milton Nascimento song influenced the album. Can you talk about how his music inspired you and how it’s reflected in Love, Guess Who??
Milton Nascimento is one of my favorite artists, and I’ve been listening to his music for years. I love the way he combines different genres and styles to create something totally unique and beautiful. I think his music has a really spiritual quality that I find really inspiring.
There’s a song of his called “Clube da Esquina No. 2” that I was listening to a lot while I was working on the album, and it really stuck with me. I love the way it builds and evolves, and the way it captures a sense of longing and nostalgia. I think that song really influenced the sound and mood of Love, Guess Who??
I wanted the album to have a similar sense of depth and emotion, and I think Milton Nascimento’s music helped me find that. His songs are so rich and textured, and I think that’s something I tried to bring into my own music. I wanted the album to feel like a journey, like you’re being taken on a musical and emotional adventure. I think Milton Nascimento’s music taught me a lot about how to create that sense of movement and progression in a song, and I tried to bring some of that into the music on Love, Guess Who??
I knew a couple of his songs, but ‘Minas / Paula E Bebeto’ really stood out to me. It’s this beautiful medley that transitions from one song to another seamlessly, and it just has this really lush, beautiful, almost spiritual quality to it. And I think that kind of music really captures the feeling I was trying to convey with the album – this sense of connection, vulnerability, and beauty. It’s just a really special piece of music that I kept coming back to during that time.
And at a certain point, I just started feeling like I wasn’t making anything for myself anymore. I was making things for other people, for an audience, for a label, for a scene. And I think that’s where the love kind of started to fade, because it wasn’t just about me expressing myself and having fun anymore. It became about meeting expectations and trying to fit into a certain mold. So, in a way, I did fall out of love with music, or at least with the process of making music.
But rediscovering Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges, and really diving into their music, brought me back to that place of pure joy and passion. It reminded me of why I started making music in the first place – because it felt good, because it was a release, because it was a way to be myself without any limitations. And I think that’s what this album is about for me – it’s about rediscovering that love and that freedom in music, and just letting myself go back to that place of pure expression and emotion.
So, in a way, this album is about falling back in love with music, but it’s also about falling back in love with myself and with that part of me that just wants to create and be free. It’s about letting go of all the expectations and pressures and just allowing myself to make music that feels good and true to me. And I think that’s the most important thing – to always come back to that place of authenticity and joy, no matter what. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length. Autre Ne Veut’s album Love, Guess Who?? is now available through Rebel Bodies Music.