KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Site officiel : http://www.kttunstall.com/
KT a grandi dans la ville universitaire de St Andrew (“un bel endroit mais trop protégé, on s’y sent un peu comme dans une bulle”). Elle a toujours su qu’elle avait été adoptée à sa naissance : “J’ai grandi tout en sachant que j’aurai pu avoir un million de vies différentes. Ça donne un côté mystérieux et ça permet de s’imaginer tout un tas de trucs.”
Son premier album, ‘Eye To The Telescope’, est le fruit de cette imagination débordante. Et d’expliquer : “Mes chansons examinent et explorent des sentiments, des situations ou des histoires bien précises. Ce sont des chansons de la vie ordinaire, semblables à une conversation que je pourrais avoir avec quelqu’un, c’est un peu comme un extraterrestre qui serait venu sur terre prendre quelques échantillons de vies humaines pour les réunir sur un disque.”
KT a passé son enfance à crapahuter et dormir sous la tente avec ses parents bourlingueurs. La musique n’avait pas vraiment sa place dans cette existence jusqu’à ce que son frère découvre les joies du hair metal. “Assise de l’autre côté de la porte de sa chambre, j’enregistrais la musique qu’il écoutait.”
Son premier album fut la bande originale du film ‘Une Histoire Sans Fin’, mais son disque préféré demeure fort heureusement ‘Hunky Dory’ de David Bowie. “J’ai vraiment été touché par le son de ce disque, son côté barré,” dit-elle. “Quand j’étais gamine je lisais beaucoup de livres de science fiction. Mon père était physicien et souvent, quand nous étions petits, il nous emmenait, mes frères et moi, dans son labo. Nous jouions avec de l'azote liquide et des générateurs Van de Graaff. Il avait les clés de l’observatoire de l”université de St Andrew et nous avait réveillé en pleine nuit pour voir la comète Halley. Cela explique en partie pourquoi cet album s’intitule ‘Eye To The Telescope” (l’œil sur le télescope).
KT, une enfant très dynamique, se met au piano, puis à la flûte, tandis que progressivement elle travaille sa voix singulière. “Je pense que c’est grâce à une cassette d’Ella Fitzgerald que l’on m’avait donnée que j’ai appris à chanter – elle a été mon professeur de chant.” Vers 15 ans, KT commence à écrire ses propres chansons : “Ce n’était guère que des sottises à l’eau de rose. Une logorrhée de niaiseries. Mais je m’y croyais.” A 16 ans, elle se met à la guitare, apprenant par elle-même avec le livre d’un musicien de rue. Dès lors finis les trucs à l’eau de rose, KT a une révélation musicale.
Assoiffée d’expériences et d’indépendance, elle obtient une bourse pour la Kent School dans le Connecticut, en Nouvelle Angleterre, et assiste avidement aux concerts de The Grateful Dead et 10,000 Maniacs. Elle intègre également une communauté hippie, forme son premier groupe, The Happy Campers, et donne quelques représentations informelles. “Après avoir pris le micro régulièrement pendant deux semaines, j’étais devenue leur ‘invitée spéciale venue d’Ecosse!’,” raconte KT.
KT suit ensuite des cours de musique au Royal Holloway College, où elle essaye en vain de former un autre groupe. “Je suis arrivée à remporter le ‘Battle Of The Bands’ avec un joueur de mandoline! J’étais en compétition avec onze groupe gothiques et j’ai gagné.” Après avoir vaincu les gothiques, KT revient à St Andrews et se plonge dans la scène locale qui a engendré The Beta Band et Fence Collective,forme un groupe avec Pip Dylan de Fence et peaufine sa culture musicale en suivant un régime de choix à base de James Brown, Lou Reed, Billie Holliday, Johnny Cash et PJ Harvey.
Quelques années et quelques groupes plus tard, KT amorce un nouveau tournant. Elle retourne à Londres, où les choses commencent à prendre enfin tournure. Elle noue des relations professionnelles et se lance dans différents projets. Elle démarre une collaboration avec le producteur/auteur-compositeur suédois Martin Terefe et Jimmy Hogarth, un natif des Orcades basé à Londres, ainsi que le londonien Tommy D. Avec plus d’une centaine de chansons sous le coude, elle enregistre son premier opus entourée d’un nouveau groupe et de Steve Osborne, producteur légendaire ayant collaboré avec U2/New Order/Happy Mondays.
“Steve a rempli les fonctions de producteur et ingénieur – il a tout fait. Il m’a même invitée chez lui, dans sa famille, afin que nous puissions prolonger notre collaboration. L’enregistrement a été réalisé dans un excellent petit studio, situé dans les bois à Wiltshire. C’était la maison d’un handicapé. Pour enregistrer les voix on se servait de la pente reliant la chambre à la salle des commandes, de sorte que je pouvais monter ou descendre à ma guise. C’était super cette manière de travailler, sans sophistication. Il a une petite cabane dans le jardin où tous les groupes du coin viennent enregistrer. Ça rappelle le film Deliverance.”
Vraisemblablement sans les psychopathes, ni les duels de banjos. “Je ne voulais pas d’un studio trop équipé car c’est en cherchant à être inventif que l’on fait de la musique intéressante. Tom Waits a déclaré que si on veut restituer le son d’un coup de pied dans un carton, il suffit de le faire.”
Un côté lo-fi, viscéral, qui lui a été inspiré par les chuintements et craquements des premiers enregistrements de blues. “Dans l’ensemble je suis plutôt quelqu’un d’enjouée et d’optimiste, mais j’aime les musiques plutôt sombres et je serai toujours attirée par ça. C’est un album positif, avec aussi bien entendu d’autres aspects sous-jacents.”
Depuis la fin de l’enregistrement de ‘Eye To The Telescope’, KT n’a cessé de tourner notamment en première partie de Joss Stone, puis en Europe chantant avec le groupe de ‘hip-hop klezmer’, Oi Va Voi, qui a mis le feu à la scène Avalon à Glastonbury. “Il faisait un soleil magnifique et je suis montée sur scène avec une collerette bleue turquoise, une robe sexy et des bottines toutes boueuses et ce fut mon meilleur concert, si riche en émotions. Dans certains mails que j’ai reçus, les gens me racontent qu’ils ont pleuré et ils m’assurent n’avoir pourtant pris aucune drogue.”
KT est impatiente de canaliser toutes ses énergies dans sa propre musique. “Je ne sais pas exactement ce qui m’a motivée,” dit-il. “Je ne me suis jamais posée la question. Je n’ai jamais envisagé d’autres plans. Pour moi c’était la seule voie envisageable, de toute façon
She's waiting like an Iceberg
Waiting to change,
But she's cold inside
She wants to be like
the water,
All the muscles tighten in her face
Buries her soul in one embrace
They're one and the same
Just like water
Then the fire fades away
But most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world
to me
On comes the panic light
Holding on with fingers
and feelings alike
But the time has come
To move along
Then the fire fades away
But most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world
Can you help me?
Can you let me go
And can you still love me
When you can't see me anymore
Then the fire fades away
most of everyday
Is full of tired excuses
But it's too hard to say
I wish it were simple
But we give up easily
You're close enough to see that
You're.... the other side of the world
Ohh.... the other side of the world
You're.... the other side of the world
To me.
Blind to me trying to be kind
Volunteering for your firing line
Waiting for one precious sign
The flicker of a smile
You should try it just once in a while
It's simply too easy to do
And you might not see it through
Are you proud
To have founded a brand new behaviour
With haired and hurt as your saviour
But nobody's choosing to follow
So you choke back the tears
and you swallow
Men who have ruined your life
You consume them with minimum strife
But now you have got indigestion
The antacid comes as a question
Find yourself another place to fall
Find yourself up against another brick wall
See yourself as a fallen angel
Well I don't see no holes in the road but you
Find another place to fall
Are you alive
Is there a young woman hiding inside
Does she know that we're trying to help her
Is she totally frozen with fear
If you let her come out for a day
She might even like it and stay
But it's gonna take you to invite her
Coz you seem so determined to spite her
Find yourself
There isn't much more I can say
For I don'[t understand the delay
You're asking for friendly advice
And remaining in permanent crisis
Affection is yours if you ask
But first you must take off your mask
When you're back's turned
I've decided I'll throw it away just like I did
Find yourself
I'm getting soaked to the skin
Trying to find my umbrella
But I don't know where to begin
And it's simply irrational weather
Can't even hear myself think
Constantly bailing out water
But still like I'm gonna sink
Coz I'm under the weather
Just like the world
So sorry for being so bold
When I turn out the light
You're out of sight
Although I know that I'm not alone
Feels like home
You say you feel like a natural person
You haven't got nothing to hide
So why do you feel imperfection
Cut like a sword in your side
Coz you're under the weather
Just like the world
And I need somebody to hold
When I turn out the light
You're out of sight
Although I know that I'm not alone
Feels like home
Coz I'm under the weather
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm
Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me
I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on a wire
Suddenly I see
And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see
Suddenly I see
Don't want to stand in line
Don't want to fall behind
Don't want to get caught out
Don't want to do without
And the lesson I must learn
Is that I've got to wait my turn
Looks like I got to be hot and cold
I got to be taught and told
Got to be good as gold
But perfectly honest
I think it would be good for me
Coz it's a hindrance to my health
I'm a stranger to myself
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophoes
Bring me to my knees
Well I must be my own master
Or a miniature disaster will be
It will be the death of me
I don't have to raise my voice
Don't have to be underhand
Just got to understand
That it's gonna be up and down
It's gonna be lost and found
And I can't take to the sky
Before I like it on the ground
And i need to be patient
And i need to be brave
Need to discover
How i need to behave
And I'll find out the answers
When i know what to ask
But i speak a different language
And everybody's speaking too fast
Miniature disasters and minor catastrophoes
Bring me to my knees
Well I must be my own master
I've got to run a little faster
I need to know I'll last if a little
Miniature disaster hits me
It could be the death of me
Floating on an ocean and confused
Winds are whipping waves up like sky scrapers
And the harder they hit me the less I seem to bruise
Oh when I find the controls
I'll go where I like
I'll know where I want to be
But maybe for now I'll stay right here
On a silent sea
On a silent sea
I was happy in my harbour when you cut me loose
Floating on an ocean and confused
Oh when I find the controls
I'll go where I like
I'll know where I want to be
But maybe for now I'll stay right here
On a silent sea
On a silent sea
I'll stay right here
On a silent sea
On a silent sea
Oh when I find the controls
I'll go where I like
I'll know where I want to be
But maybe for now I'll stay right here
On a silent sea
Water comes
You cool me down
When I'm cold inside
You are warm and bright
You know you are so good for me
With your child's eyes
You are more than you seem
You see into space
I see in your face
The places you've been
The things you have learned
They sit with you so beautifully
You know there's no need to hide away
You know I tell the truth
We are just the same
I can feel everything you do
Hear everything you say
Even when you're miles away
Coz I am me, the universe and you
Just like stars burning night
Making holes in the night
We are building bridges
You know
When you're on your own
I'll send you a sign
Just so you know
I am me, the universe and you
I've drugged it in its sleep
There isn't many memories
I'm comfortable to keep
This ball keeps rolling on
It's heading for the streets
Keep expecting you to send for me
The invitation never comes
Each time I turn around
There's nothing there at all
So tell me why I feel like
I'm up against a wall
But maybe it's a false alarm
And every answer sounds the same
Just colours bleeding into one
That doesn't have a name
Maybe I can't see
Maybe it's just me
Now the curtain's coming up
The audience is still
I'm struggling to cater for
The space I'm meant to fill
And distance doesn't care
No distance doesn't care
Each time I turn around
There's nothing there at all
So tell me why I feel like
I'm up against a wall
But maybe it's a false alarm
And every answer sounds the same
Just colours bleeding into one
That doesn't have a name
Maybe I can't see
Maybe it's just me
I'm trying to put this thing to bed
I drugged it in its sleep
Remember what you said
Are you comfortable to keep it
Keep it
You are the way you are
Doesn't take a genius to realise
That sometimes life is hard
It's gonna take time
But you'll just have to wait
You're gonna be fine
But in the meantime
Come over here lady
Let me wipe your tears away
Come a little nearer baby
Coz you'll heal over
Heal over
Heal over someday
And I don't wanna hear you tell yourself
That these feelings are in the past
You know it doesn't mean they're off the shelf
Because pain's built to last
Everybody sails alone
But we can travel side by side
Even if you fail
You know that no one really minds
Come over here lady
Don't hold on but don't let go
I know it's so hard
You've got to try to trust yourself
I know it's so hard, so hard
Come over here lady
Let me wipe your tears away
Come a little nearer baby
Coz you'll heal over, heal over, heal over someday
That you keep calling me all of the time
everyday
Oh honey
Don't want to be following and falling behind
If you're gonna be walking away
And I don't know
Why I wouldn't follow
Wouldn't follow
You got me looking up
Even when I'm falling down
You got me crawling out of my skin
You got me wondering why
I am underneath this big old sky
Stopping the loving getting in
Stopping the loving getting in
Now you say it's easy
That you been falling for all of my charm
And getting lost in my smile
Never ceases to amaze me
When I'm chancing my arm
That I still do it with style
And now I hope
You'll be with me tomorrow
With me tomorrow
You got me looking up
Even when I'm falling down
You got me crawling out of my skin
You got me wondering why
I am underneath this big old sky
Stopping the loving getting in
Stopping the loving getting in
You got me looking up
Even when I'm falling down
You got me crawling out of my skin
You got me wondering why
I am underneath this big old sky
Stopping the loving getting in
I look over my shoulder
To see what im leaving behind
Pieces of a puzzle
And wishes on eyelashes fade
Ohhhh how do I show all the love
Inside my heart
This is on you
As im felling my way
Through the dark
I and I use to talk
With honest conviction
With how I predicted my world
Im going to leave it to star gazes
To tell me what your telescope says
Ohhhh what is in store for me now?
It’s coming by
And I know that’s its true
Coz im felling my way through the dark
Try to find light on someway
Try to find light on somewhere
Im finding im falling in love
With the dark all over again
Ohhhh what do I know
I don’t care were I start
And troubles are few as im feeling
My way through the dark
Through the dark
Feeling my way through the dark
Well my heart knows me better
than I know myself
So i'm gonna let it do all the talking.
I came across a place
in the middle of nowhere
With a big black horse and a cherry tree.
I fell in fear, upon my back
I said don't look back,
just keep on walking.
When the big black horse
that looked this way,
said hey lady, will you marry me?
But i said no, no, no, no-no-no
I said no, no,
you're not the one for me
no, no, no,no-no-no
I said no, no,
you're not the one for me
And my heart had a problem,
in the early hours,
so it stopped it dead for a beat or two.
But I cut some cord,
and I shouldn't have done that,
and it won't forgive me
after all these years
So I sent her to a place
in the middle of nowhere
with a big black horse
and a cherry tree.
Now it won't come back,
cause it's oh so happy
and now I've got a hole
for the world to see
But it said no, no, no, no-no-no
I said no, no,
you're not the one for me
no, no, no, no-no-no
said no, no,
you're not the one for me
(not the one for me, yeah)
Said no,no, no,no, no, no, no
you're not the one for me
Said no,no, no,no, no, no, no
you're not the one for me
Big black horse and a cherry tree
Ii can't quite get there
cause they've all forsken me
Big black horse and a cherry tree
i can't quite get there
cause they've all forsken me
