Step into the vibrant, eclectic world of Sans Soucis, an artist whose creative journey is as intriguing as their unique moniker. Named after a childhood nickname bestowed by her Congolese grandmother, Sans Soucis embodies a carefree spirit and a deep connection to their roots. In this exclusive interview, they share the whimsical inspirations behind their genre-blending sound, their transformative visual aesthetics, and the profound personal experiences that shape their music.
Well, first of all why Sans Soucis? It means “no worries” in French, but what it means to you personally?
It was the nickname my Congolese grandma gave me as a child and I can’t even explain it myself, but it seems like everyone thought I was a very self-sufficient, cheerful kid. Creativity has always been a driving force since I was a child, whether that meant doing art, dancing, making sounds or being creative with the ways I would look for joy when the environment around wasn’t always favorable.
Today Sans Soucis to me means remembering that child and protecting their energy everywhere I go. Being playful with my music and striving for that precious authenticity that we are so connected to when we are really young.
Your music mixes so many genres—if you had to describe your sound using only food items, what would they be?
In this order: Coffee, dates with peanut butter & cocoa, green apples & lime, lavender tea
Sans Soucis wearing Syndicate Kyiv
What’s the funniest or weirdest fan interaction you’ve ever had on social media?
One person shared a dream with me. I was performing all covered in yellow ink and as I took this person’s hand from the crowd, we started dancing together and she got covered in yellow ink too. Quite flattering to bring some yellow joy into someone else’s dream.
If you could have any mythical creature as a pet, which one would you pick to join you in the studio?
Definitely a unicorn. Who wouldn’t want a unicorn in their life?
If you could teleport anywhere in the world to find inspiration for your next song, where would you go and what would you do?
If the Democratic Republic of Congo was a safe place to travel to, I would go there and spend time in a rural environment to reconnect with my Bemba ancestors and my stolen indigeneity. I would probably spend most of my days singing and recording percussion and drums in the middle of nature.
What’s your go-to karaoke song, and do you absolutely nail it or just have fun with it?
Halo by Beyoncé since 2010 really. I would love to say that I just sing it for fun, but that would be a lie. I take karaoke very seriously and you don’t want to witness that…
I really love how you transform visually in each of your music videos, is an aesthetic choice or more of a journey in search of your creative-self?
Thank you! I think it’s a bit of both. As a person, I am transforming all the time and so my artist self is.
Our identities are never fixed and one of my biggest values while doing music and creating a visual world for it is to build consistency when it comes to quality and strive for authenticity when engaging with means of representation.
In simple terms, I need to be artistically aligned with where I’m at in life and the inspirations I draw from when working on all things visual and ideally, I would like these pieces to be able to stand proudly next to those inspirations.
Sans Soucis wearing Syndicate Kyiv
‘Sexed & Sexual’ your latest single is fire, but why the need of burning a car and why some parents still “don’t think anything at all” (I relate to that)?
Thank you! Actually, as much as I hate patriarchy and white supremacy, this wasn’t my idea.
This was something a former partner of mine vocalised when I shared some sensible information about abuse I’d experienced in childhood with him. Little did we know, he was in a similar position towards me at the time. That’s why the lyrics goes “he wanted to burn his car, he didn’t know he was driving that car”.
«I hope whoever is willing to undertake the path of parenting a child in a time of climate, humanitarian and geopolitical crisis will also consider the challenges of dealing with these issues within their own communities first. We don’t need more children with unmet needs in the world.»
Now this line has a way more profound meaning to me, but literally, that’s how it came about.
As for parents that “don’t think anything at all”, thanks to therapy, that’s no longer my concern but I hope whoever is willing to undertake the path of parenting a child in a time of climate, humanitarian and geopolitical crisis will also consider the challenges of dealing with these issues within their own communities first. We don’t need more children with unmet needs in the world.
That mood switch at 2:22 almost feels like I ended up in a Cocteau Twins or CocoRosie song, absolutely unexpected, what was the inspiration?
When I make music I like to draw inspiration from my feelings and at that point I literally felt like a person that had hectically swirled around a room for the whole song and fell on the floor exhausted, in pieces, but still putting them back together one by one.
I wanted that moment to feel vulnerable, cringy and daring (lyrics), glitchy (sampled synth) and with a Disney nod (orchestration) to the patriarchy that loves to infantilize people who upset white men.
What’s next for Sans Soucis?
I have a whole album campaign ahead of me. My album is coming out in October this year. I am very excited for you to listen to it, hopefully in one go <3
