AIDA

AIDA shares ‘Tu Me Rends Fou’ with her fans
Super talented and powerful vocalist AIDA originally from Paris has been astonishing audiences with her stage presence and sexiness! Her first video entitled ‘Wanna Know’ was a great introduction to this underrated singer songwriter. But the industry is catching up quickly as Aida is now being approached by major players. Who will be the first to take this 21 year old artist on board?
In the mean time… chew on her latest video ‘Tu Me Rends Fou’ and then enjoy watching her first video ‘Wanna Know’. - ElleXRays

Elle Ray Chats with: AIDA (November 3, 2015)

I am so honoured to be interviewing this gem! And had a blast performing and working with her. Vibrant, sexy, funky and cool…or … Crazy Sexy Cool (an all in one TLC).

ElleXray presents you AIDA ! She is not only and awesome 20 year old singer, but a dancer and a model. Africa, and France should be proud and Canada should be lucky to have her. Check out her music on Soundcloud and expect her 1st EP “My Retrospective” produced by Mastoids Production to come out soon. Also check out her video on Youtube if you haven’t done so yet.


Let’s get to know you. Tell us about you Aida! You sing, you dance… How’d you get into music?

Hmmm… I got into music because of my mama. I realized I had some kind of talent around the age of 8.
Where you living in Montreal?

I was living in France then. I was born in Paris and have been living in Montreal for 6 years now.
My mum would always play some Mary J Blidge, Aretha, Erikah Badu… and I remember telling her “ah this sucks mama I don’t like your music”. But the more she played it, the more I subconsciously internalized it. And now, I love and look up to all the artists that she use to play when I was a kid. So yeah back in the days I use to tell mama I did not like her music but that’s what I listen to now.
I was watching live performances on TV and was amazed by fireworks and the dancing and the big stages with all the stuff happening. I wanted to do that too, so I pictured myself doing that, be on a big stage all by myself. It gave me the drive to become a singer.
By the way… I did not realize how much bodywork it takes to be a good singer, the breathing, the exercise, the vocal training… I love the challenge.
You are very dedicated! I also loved your latest release WANNA KNOW. Congratulation on the release of your first Video!

Thank you!
I thought it would be a good introductory song.
It gives people an idea of who I am, it has a nice vibe and current.
[WANNA KNOW YOUTUBE VIDEO]

Where does our style come from?

I like to try new things! As an artist I see myself as a Mainstream hipster with a bit of retro. I also like to show sexiness, you know. As a woman I think we all like to show how sexy we can be.
Ah is that like a French thing?

Yeah I’m not gonna lie, French girls are…Sex is not a Taboo in France. We don’t mind talking about sex. Since I moved from Europe, I noticed that when it comes to sex, in France, we don’t mind talking about it. But we don’t show it in the way we dress or in the way we act. But in North America, I find that girls show sexual appeal more in the way that they dress in their body langue. And I saw that north american girls mostly look for that one guy, that stable relationship, and are less opened to the one night stand experience. I guess it’s part of the culture.
aida-and-ellexray-interview
You perform often at Music Therapy. Why do you think people like to go there?

The fact that it happens every Fridays! That’s one thing. A lot of event in Montreal happens once a month.
You get to meet so many new artists… some I have never seen or heard of and they are amazing… like Hanorah!

What’s next?

More videos coming out and The second EP in 2016 will be very different from the first one. Don’t want to say to much about it.
Give us a clue!

Naaaaah… ok… it’s going to be slower in terms of vibe, and not as funky, but big!
What’s your ultimate goal?

To be sign by a label, I would love to produce music and act, and I’d like to help my dad with his dream to create a sustainable public transport system in Africa, he went through a lot because of people letting him down and taking advantage of him. And that’s not easy especially when it comes to money… can’t denied there is a lot of corruption.
Thats is very humanitarian of you. It’s all about giving back.

Yes. definitely.
Tell us something no one knows about yourself.

I don’t like it when people pick their nose. They do it in their car all the time when they think no one is watching. I don’t like beer but I like it with coke. I eat my oranges with salt.
What?

My sister introduced me to that. you have to try this… it accentuates the flavours. What else…Oh I know….I HATE my toes. I am really self conscious about this. I don’t like them, and if I had the money I would get surgery and make them smaller.
Aaaaahhhh nooooo Aida nooooo!

Yes, my second toe is too long!

Well ladies and gents, now you know more about the beautiful Aida. Come and see her live, and maybe compliment her on her toes, cause I think their fine. - ElleXRay

AIDA

AIDA is a Montréal based singer/songwriter originally from Paris. Introducing her debut EP “My Retrospective”, a sound full of Funk, House and Pop with a pinch of Soul. - This Is My Experience

Not too long ago, AIDA leaked the second track off of her upcoming EP, which is titled My Retrospective. Since then the track has become very popular and now that the EP is even closer to it’s official release AIDA has decided to share some insights into the making of the song as well as the video.

The song was personally written by AIDA herself and has some significant relevance to her circumstances at the time. She began writing the song imagining a type of scenario where the boy who she really liked for a very long time had finally come out and admitted that she “drove him crazy.” In fact, the french translation for the title of the song “Tu Me Rend Fous” is “You Drive Me Crazy,” for those of you who are not familiar with the French language. In the song, she would have always believed that he felt some type of way for her but that he simply didn’t know how to express it to her.

While writing the song, her motives of what the song should mean had altered slightly. It started off as a story that pertains loosely to her life, however during the creation process she came to the realization that showing one’s emotions and feelings should not be looked upon as a weakness but rather as an strength of personality. It dawned on her that she needed to drop the facade that she had built up as a defense mechanism over the past years and be her true self with no restrictions and she needed to communicate that to her fans.

The visuals associated with the track, which were just released a few days ago, are meant to highlight that second lesson learnt from the track. The video achieves this goal through the display of AIDA as a woman oozing in confidence and who couldn’t be more comfortable in her own skin. She hopes to inspire the younger females in her audience to strive to become strong, independent and confident women.

With the release of her EP coming very soon we can expect to see (and especially hear!) some big things leading up to it!

Stay tuned… - This Is My Experience

Listen to the music of Aida - a French Montréal based singer songwriter, originally from Paris, who is all about her funk & house (with a sound packed full of energy and soul). Stream her latest releases below. - Afropunk

Produced by: Mastoids production.
Directed by : Fatty Soprano.
In collaboration with: Andy Michel, Red Factory, Antoine LaRochelle and Nelz makeup.
Starring: Starring: Shari De Lacruz, Tracy Rodrigues, Daphne Lore, Elle Ray, Meghan, Judith-Aisha Dortelus Parades, Arthur W. Kamara, Brian Mendez, Jason Vallée-Buchanan and Lyndz Dantiste - Afropunk

La chanteuse de Montréal et originaire de France, AIDA, nous présente son nouveau vidéoclip très funky et sexy, « Wanna Know. »

À Lounge Urbain on adore ce clip réalisé par Fatty Soprano qui ne laissera personne indifférent sur la piste de danse. Le producteur Mastoids produit ici un excellent titre funky avec une pincée de House et de Soul qui mets en valeur la superbe voix d’AIDA. Une artiste à découvrir ! - Lounge Urbain

Meet Aida, the talented Montreal based singer from Paris with a unique style. Her first EP, My Retrospective, features the songs Tu Me Rends Fou, Closer and many others, which I had the pleasure to discuss with her. After a lengthy catching up chat around some Starbucks coffees, I was able to learn more about Aida the singer and songwriter. Read On!

Can you tell us who Aida is?

Aida: I am originally from Paris and I moved to Canada 6 years ago. I always wanted to go to the USA because I used to be a big fan of R&B and soul music, and I wanted to explore the country that these styles originated from. However, since it is more difficult to get in the USA, when my mother had the opportunity to come to Canada, I followed her to eventually make my way to the states.

HC McGill: When did you discover your passion for music?

Aida: I would say around the age of 6 or 8. I remember when there was a talent show at my elementary school, I would always want to perform, and I enjoyed seeing people sing and dance along with me. Also, you would always see me singing, whether it is in the shower or when I walk down the street.

HC McGill: What artist had the most influence of your music?

Aida: Mariah Carey for her ability to hit the really high notes, Madonna for her live performances and her groove. She was also very revolutionary, with her different messages and her fashion sense. Janet Jackson for her dance moves, Erika Badu is also one of my idols. And when it comes to soul music, I admire John Legend; he has an amazing voice as well.

HC McGill: How would you describe your style?

Aida: When I first started, my style was closer to mainstream R&B, which was what was popular at the time. Just think of Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child. However, when I moved here my producers made me realize that Funk suits me much more so I begin to experiment with all these different music genres to come up with my own style. Basically I mix Funk, R&B, Electronics... a bit of everything.

HC McGill: Let’s talk about you most recent music video Tu me rends. The video is so much fun to watch and the visuals are amazing. Could you tell us what it was like to shoot it?

Aida: The idea was to have a girls only party but also to create the girl power image as well. And yes, it was super fun to shoot! The location we used was the apartment of a photographer that I know, and I knew it would be the perfect place. It went with my idea I had for the clip, which was a retro and colorful party. It took only 8 hours and I really enjoyed the experience. The girls were amazing and the dancers really gave the video the perfect touch I was looking for.

HC McGill: As a song writer, where do you get your inspiration and what is the process?

Aida: Sometimes there is nothing for months, but then it comes in super random places; for example, in the metro when I am looking at people, it inspires me a lot. But most of it comes from personal experiences. I’m an emotionally impulsive person so I always try to pour these emotions into my music, which can be hard. There are times when it comes naturally, and other times when it is more challenging.

HC McGill: I must say that I personally love the lyrics and the beat of the song Closer. Could you tell us more about it?

Aida: Closer is about something that happened to me and my mother a year ago. This guy she met was mentally unstable and he ended up being a danger to her and to me as well. I wrote the song because I could tell that my mom knew that something was not right, but she didn’t know how to get out of the situation. So when I said “it might be closer than you think,” I simply mean that all the answers you’re looking for are right here, you just have to follow your guts. The song was for me as well. I get frustrated because I am trying to break into the music industry, but I sometimes feel like I am a ghost, and I really want to be known; however, with time I realized that I needed to be patient, the answers will come eventually. All I have to do is to work hard.

HC McGill: What is the highlight of your career so far?

Aida: To have met my producers and to have been able find my signature. The fact that now I could put a song out and that some people might recognize me is what artists struggle with the most, which is why I am happy to have finally gotten there.

HC McGill: What is the most challenging aspect of being an independent artist?

Aida: I am not going to lie…the money (laughs). The money to fund the music videos, for publicity, for the managers, those are the things independent artists struggle with the most. But networking and consistently putting new music out is a great way to overcome these challenges, which is what I am working on right now.

HC McGill: According to you, what makes you an outstanding artist?

Aida: (Laughs) I would say me. I have an interesting style and I can interest females who are into fashion. But also my vocal abilities, they are not perfect but I always work hard to improve them and to be the best that I can be. I also have to add that I write 90% of my songs, and I do get help since I am not a native English speaker, but I definitely think that writing my own songs is another one of my strengths.

HC McGill: Which song are you the most proud of?

Aida: Can’t Get Away. I love the beat and the Rock and Roll touch of it. I am actually working on the video so I am really excited about it.

HC McGill: What would be your dream collaborations?

Aida: Nicki Minaj (yes, it is surprising but she has an amazing flow), Draft Punk, Stevie Wonder, Disclosure and Justin Timberlake

HC McGill: Are you planning to just stick to or you are interested in other things too?

Aida: I have always wanted to start my own record label, and to find and help new artists. Something totally not related to music would be to help develop my dad’s country, Congo. He always had these crazy ideas about developing this country and I would love to help this dream come true.

HC McGill: Any upcoming projects you wouldn’t mind sharing with us?

Aida: I am currently working on my second EP and it is almost ready. Plus, in May I will have a showcase in Montreal with other artists, but the details are not out yet. I also have two upcoming shows in New York which is really exciting for me!

Make sure to follow Aida on Soundcloud and Facebook to get updates on her music and upcoming shows. - Kapinga Kalombo for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill)