Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Diego Indraccolo and Peter Kent
London-based artist HEZEN became known to the world with her vocal feature on Icicle’s Drum & Bass smash ‘Will You Be Mine’. Delivering a smoky and enticing performance, that was only a small window into what she had to offer.
Growing up in a multicultural household in Paris, her music touches on a wide array of topics from social to political, presenting songs that are not only sonically wooing but brilliantly thought-provoking.
Hezen’s 2017 EP Stigma was an utterly moody presentation of dark electronica and experimental pop that was hauntingly beautiful, as her seductive vocals hypnotically reeled in the listener with trance-like qualities. With the nocturnal production coupled with HEZEN’s memorable songwriting, the result was a consistent and impactful record, making it an insanely strong debut.
Back with her latest single ‘Bring Your Alibi’, HEZEN further expands her sound into ambitious electronic pop territory whilst simultaneously addressing the issue of sexual harassment. Fusing striking lyricism with an infectious musical backing, she is undoubtedly what the pop world needs right now.
Growing up in a multicultural family, what sort of music were you exposed to early on?
HEZEN – It’s not very original I’m afraid, but the same as a lot of French kids my age I imagine… We did play a little bit of zouk at home sometimes, a genre of music very popular in Martinique where my mum is from, but I was mostly exposed to the music my dad was into, which was a lot of UK and US pop and rock classics, as well as a lot of classical music and chanson française. His parents were Jewish refugees from Poland and Belarus and they only spoke Yiddish and Russian at home in Paris, so I assume he bathed in Yiddish culture growing up, but I think the Beatles won most of his heart back then!
Were you already recording music prior to moving to London?
HEZEN – I was. I think I started at around 14 or 15, but back then it was just guitar and singing, with a lot of backing vocals. I used to put my (badly recorded) songs on Myspace, when it was still a thing. I started experimenting with electronic production shortly before I moved to London. But it’s really once I came here, more than 8 years ago, and thanks to all the wonderful music I discovered then (the Prodigy, Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, Burial, but also the UK club scene with Drum & Bass and the tail end of Dubstep) that I really started to have a clearer idea of what kind of music I wanted to make.
Did studying politics have an influence on the way you approach writing songs and if so, how?
HEZEN – Definitely, in the themes I’ve been interested in. I specialised in political sociology. Although, shockingly, feminism might have been mentioned in class as no more than an anecdote (this is France we’re talking about), writers such as Foucault, or Bourdieu, who focused a lot on the reproduction of structures of power (how social order and hierarchy is maintained over time), had a huge impact on the way I understand the world, my place in it as a woman, and therefore on my lyrics. It made me, rather painfully, open my eyes on the various forms of violence and limitations I was subjected to because of my gender. I’ve been using songwriting as a mechanism of empowerment and catharsis since. My first EP, Stigma, is named after a book by sociologist Erving Goffman that resonated deeply with me, and all the songs in it tackle feminist issues which have been very dear to me since my studies and personal awakening.
Many people may remember your vocal work with Icicle back in 2014. One of the killer tracks that you two recorded was ‘Will You Be Mine’. How did that collaboration come about?
HEZEN – I’m so glad you remember it! At the time I started working on my music with mix engineer Alex Evans, and he’s the one who sent my music to Icicle’s manager. I was sent a first track, more trip hop than his usual Drum & Bass work then, which became ‘Superimposed’. Jeroen and his manager liked it a lot, and sent me a second track of the album, which became ‘Will You Be Mine’.
Your Stigma EP was a great offering of dark pop and electronica. One of the tunes that I’m curious about is ‘The Girl You Want’. It has such a haunting feel to it. What was the motivation behind that song?
HEZEN – Thank you so much for your kind words. ‘The Girl You Want’ is my favourite song of the EP. In it I wanted to talk about the male gaze, its shaping of the female mind and body. It was actually inspired by another book by Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, in which he frames out the theatrical performance that applies between two individuals, in an attempt to control the impression the other person has about oneself. Applied to feminist issues, it can explain how the male gaze and the objectification of the female body is bound to create expectations about what a woman is meant to be, from a man’s perspective. ‘The Girl You Want’ is about the performance of being a woman to meet those expectations. I’ll let you watch me, I’ll pretend I don’t see you but I know you are always watching and everything I do I do it to match what you want me to be, because you only hold the power to define me or not as a woman. You only, define what I am, and unless you watch me I am nothing. Yeah it’s dark AF…
Your latest cut ‘Bring Your Alibi’ was inspired by the various sexual assault and misconduct cases that have sprung up in droves over the past couple years. Often people have a habit of blaming the victims with questions such as “why didn’t they leave when certain men started making sexual suggestions?” How do you address those types of questions and remarks?
HEZEN – “Just…Google it, maybe?” Or watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s recent episode “He Said, She Said”.
I’m all for debate and taking time to explain my point of view to someone who genuinely is interested in the topic. The thing is, when it comes to victim-blaming, and considering the scale of the problem, of epidemic proportions as the #metoo movement revealed, I wonder how much the people asking this question actually are interested in the answer. I wonder to what extent they are not just using it to voice their discontent about the fact that things are changing but they liked the way things were thank you very much. Because the odds of them not knowing someone close to them who’s been a victim of sexual assault and who’s never reported it are, sadly, pretty slim. They could just ask them. But that would require them actually giving a shit.
To me ‘Bring Your Alibi’ is quite empowering – a bold statement that no longer will victims remain silent about these situations. What do you want people to take away from listening to the song?
HEZEN – I’m really glad it’s the effect it has on you. It was exactly the point. I guess I wanted to capture my own feeling of empowerment that rose during the #metoo movement, especially in the last couple of years. I remember feeling so hopeful about the future, and felt like we were living something historic, a change of paradigm. It was incredible and I am so grateful I got to live it. Bring Your Alibi has a very cheeky tone, but a very serious message. The time I would have stayed silent is over. You don’t think I can do this? Watch me.
Are you currently working on another EP or even an LP? If so, what can we expect in terms of sound and content?
HEZEN – I will be releasing 3 singles before the summer, part of an EP called safe & bound. ‘Terrible Animals’ comes out next month, and ‘Whole’ shortly after hopefully. These two songs are a bit more self-reflective and personal compared to ‘Bring Your Alibi’. I really like them and can’t wait to share them.
I’m now working on what’s coming after that, although I don’t know what shape it will take, EP or LP. All I know is I’m planning to release singles, regularly, and shortly after safe & bound. It’s too early to say, but it looks like it’s getting more pop, and more experimental too. Expect more political topics…I’m super excited about it!
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