Lucine Fyelon returns to OKC Jazz Festival
Lucine Fyelon wowed audiences two years ago at the OKC Jazz Festival.
This Saturday, she’ll be back, bringing her unique, genre-bending flavor of classical/hip-hop/jazz violin music.
She’s a classically trained master violinist and can sing in eight languages. Fyelon’s even a YouTube sensation who has performed several world-famous artists.
Recently, I interviewed her about what’s going on in her music career, and she gave me her thoughts about coming back to play at the OKC Jazz Festival.
Q: You recently wrapped up a tour playing with Cirque de Soleil. Did you get inspiration from these different types of creative performers?
Lucine Fyelon:
One of my favorite things is to perform with dancers because I feel like it’s such an expressive form of art. By just looking at them, you just want to start creating music around the dance. Everything that’s unique and original inspires me.
Q: Your music crosses over so many genres: hip-hop, classical, jazz and pop. What led you to weave all these styles together?
Fyelon:
I started as a classical violinist, but at the same time I was listening to all different styles of music. So I began experimenting with all these different kinds of music, and by doing so, I ended up creating my own style of playing. I just like music that comes from the soul, and that’s the type of music that I like to play.
Q: You’ve performed and recorded with Madonna, The Foo Fighters, will.i.am, Miley Cyrus and Lauryn Hill. What’s it like to collaborate with them?
Fyelon:
I think for me it’s very interesting to see them on stage and to realize they’re just people. You can get so star-struck, but then you see what hard working human beings they are. It’s amazing to see their strong work ethic.
Q: You’re also an actor, appearing in a number of TV shows and movies (including five seasons of “GLEE”). If you had to pick one, would you choose playing, singing or acting?
Fyelon:
I am not an accomplished actor. I think that’s more of a hobby that I did. But singing and playing I think are the same to me. I could never pick between those.
Q: Let’s talk about your solo work. What’s going on right now that you’re excited about, and where do you want things to go with your music career?
Fyelon:
I have an album coming out in May, which is my first album. I’m so excited about it. I’ve released quite a few singles, but I’m excited this is finally happening. I feel like it will always be part of me, no matter what happens in life. I don’t know what’s going to happen five years from now — God knows. Hopefully it’s going to be good, but I’m just happy to be able to do what I love. We’ll see where it takes me.
Q: I want to talk a little bit about jazz and improvisation. Do you incorporate improv into your live performances?
Fyelon:
I improvise all the time in performances — not as much in my original songs. I think the melody is so important. But when I play a cover, I improvise all the time.
Q: What do you like about playing for a more intimate audience as opposed to playing for an arena audience?
Fyelon:
First of all, people can see me better, and I can see them as well. That creates a connection with the audience. It’s a closer experience, and I’m happy to be able to see people’s reactions. I’m excited to get to play more of my own stuff. It’s really an amazing feeling.