Jorane unveils HEMENETSET, the multi-faceted, collaborative and ambitious work she has been crafting for the past six years, which will come to life on disc on September 17 via L- A be and on stage in April 2022, on the 6th and 7th at the Grand Théâtre de Québec and on the 21st at the Théâtre Outremont in Montreal.
Jorane reveals a large part of the most ambitious project of her career today with her 11th album, HEMENETSET. Explorer of sound and creator of a rare form of freedom, Jorane takes listeners on an 80+ minute musical journey that centers around the concept of instinct and is the soundtrack to her upcoming show. HEMENETSET translates Jorane’s natural instinctive strength, at the very source of her unique voice, the one that pierces the master code and allows her to express herself without being confined by the laws of language.
Co-produced by Jorane and Marc Bell (Troublemakers, Moment Factory), HEMENETSET is a modern symphony, a true odyssey. Jorane, who performs vocals, cello and harp, is in perfect harmony with the 10 musicians who have been with her since the project’s beginnings: Geneviève Clermont (violin 1), Vanessa Marcoux (violin 2), Lana Tomelin (viola), Sophie Coderre (cello), Mathieu Désy (double bass), Martin Lizotte (piano and synthesizer), Geneviève Toupin (vocals), Chloé Lacasse (vocals), André Simard (modular synthesizers), Marc Bell (synthesizers, programming, percussion). All creative artists in their own right, these hand-picked musicians are actively involved in the work that Jorane leads with a masterful hand.
“Listen carefully…”, suggests Normand Baillargeon, about the work presented on stage during a residency at Place des Arts, “Each of the talented musicians you will hear is a cog in a singular machine designed and orchestrated by Jorane: a machine to produce and convey meaning.”
The concept is rooted in multiple inspirations, both philosophical and artistic, that inspire the artist, such as the work of authors Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Abdennour Bidar, Jill Bolte Taylor and Emanuele Coccia. From these texts, Jorane draws on the need to reconnect with oneself, with others and with nature. Within the vast musical world that she unfolds, Jorane embarks on a quest for her deepest nature by taking different paths. From a deconstruction is born a reconstruction to which Jorane invites listeners, inciting them to abandon themselves to a metamorphosis, to imagine an “after”, to experiment a creative and liberating chaos. A concept that is in keeping with the current era, a period of independence, change, rebellion and transition.
The first single released last May, Les tectoniques, was warmly received by music lovers, earning a spot on several international music charts, including Tidal’s Classical Crossover, alongside Nils Frahm, Sigur Rós, Ólafur Arnalds and Nick Cave. The work is accompanied by an interactive and playful video, directed by François Blouin (Cirque du Soleil, Felix & Paul), a major collaborator of the project and created by the Ottomata Studio. It features a musical herbarium, in the form of a video game, where the flowers come to life under the participant’s control, a friendly nod to a phrase by Emanuele Coccia in which Jorane finds inspiration: “The world is above all what the plants have made of it.” Through its form and content, HEMENETSET fights against orthodoxy and rectitude and promotes a radical manifestation of freedom.
Divided into distinct works, HEMENETSET is the meeting of art, cutting-edge technology and ritual on stage. The result of numerous experiments and artistic encounters over the past few years, HEMENETSET brings to life a passionate artistic language and an approach that aims to deconstruct codes and imagine new methods of creation.
Jorane is inspired by the open-source spirit in her relationship with her collaborators, who are encouraged to join in the creative process: François Blouin as director, Atomic3 as lighting designer, Ottamata as programmer, Debra Brown as choreographer, Julie Charland and Iso as costume designers. Accompanied by her musicians, Jorane appears magnified, in a spectacular and comprehensive work.
