Porcelain id, a rough diamond that will break you into a thousand pieces: “I’ve been listening to Arno almost forever”

Paris Match Belgium. Why this name, Porcelain id?

Porcelain id. Four years ago, my friend Nard Houdmeyers released a superb piece called “Porcelain Dog”. I was looking for a name for my solo project and the sensitivity that emanated from it spoke to me, I identified with it. So I stole the “Porcelain” and added “id” to mark my quest for identity, my own path.

When did you realize that making music would be your destiny?

I saw a video of Michael Jackson for the first time when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was the music video for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough“. This experience completely changed me and, since then, I have continued to cultivate an obsession with performance. Later, during my studies, I also found a real passion in writing. The two combined mean that I will never be able to stop creating sounds, having an artistic project.

In search of melancholy

What is the quality that most characterizes you and your musical project?

Authenticity, without hesitation. I’ve seen artists change to please in the industry and I just can’t be like that.

If you had to present your world to someone, what would you tell them?

I would tell him that it is above all a reflection on melancholy. Even on my more energetic, more nervous pieces, there is always a poetic and sentimental finality. Then, I would add that I am always armed with my guitar and my voice, trying to make humble folk, tinged with soul, electro and even pop. Always unpretentious, with the idea of ​​sharing what I experience, what I feel.

As for your influences, I think it goes a bit in all directions… No?

(laughs) Yes, indeed, I have a lot of very varied inspirations! I am obviously obliged to cite Good Iverwhich was extremely important for me in the search for melancholy. Kings of Convenience Also. I also listened a lot Nick Cave, to the point of becoming obsessed I think. I also think of Tyler, the Creator for my side, outside the boxes. There is also Kanye West which had a lot of impact. Bowie also. I also have a guilty pleasure Mumford & Sons (laughs). Yes, I can also be very ‘cheesy’ in my musical tastes!

Could you name a song that touches you in an inexplicable way?

The first thing that comes to mind is the title “The Pure and the Damned” byOneohtrix Point Never and Iggy Pop. It’s a song that sums up my world well. It’s so slow, deep, strong. Anything sung by Iggy Pop, anyway, is almost legendary. This title comes even closer to my idea of ​​melancholy. It’s not something sad but an appreciation of what life is, of its power. I would add that the song is taken from the soundtrack of the film Good Time of the Safdie brothers, with Robert Pattinsonand that you absolutely must see it because it is so beautiful.

Is there a French-speaking artist that makes you dream?

Arno, obviously. I’ve been listening to him almost forever, I love his phrasing and his quiet strength. It actually breaks my heart that I never got to meet him. I had a song that should have come to him through mutual friends, but fate decided otherwise. I really wanted to perform it with him just once.

You have just released the single “Man Down”, a track from your first album scheduled for February. Can you tell us what about this project?

He is very lively, energetic I would say. And it contains all my musical passions, from the pop of my childhood to the experimental electro of my adolescence, including of course the folk which mainly influenced me. It doesn’t fit into a box, and I hope that very different people will find things in it that touch them.

Porcelain id, November 17 at Fifty Lab