Who's that fille?

Camille/vigin Records © Khalil

The trigger of what promises to be a transatlantic triumph? Her second solo album, named "Le Fil" [Translation? "The Thread," as in "train of thought"], came ninth out of a 100, on Brit music critic Charlie Gillet's "Best CDs" list, published in the Observer Music Monthly last December. On May 5, exactly a year after "Le Fil" hit London's record stores - going on to win her two Victoires de La Musique [or "French Grammies]...

Camille features in "Later with Jools Holland," the mythical BBC television program with an unplugged / recording studio feel. Prior to that, she'll also appear on Gillet's "Saturday Night" show.  Why, Le Fil ? Because, from one eccentrically romantic track to the next, this ecstatically experimental record [Out in the USA chez Narada, on June 6], hangs on a single note. An ironically re-juggled si or "B," with a "Melancholy Baby" edge, as in "bourbon"  - on the rocks.

 Spotted by global movers and shakers, at the Midem music market in Cannes, back in 2005, Camille [short for Camille Dalmais] was on the Riviera to promote "Nouvelle Vague": a post-"French Touch" CD, based on reprises of English lyrics by late '70s to mid '80s rock punk / new wave bands. She stole the show during an "after" at the Hôtel Gray d'Albion, with a barefootin' rendering of Dead Kennedys single "Too drunk to fuck." Her part in this franglais compilation? Four songs, including "Too drunk...," plus a Bonnie & Clyde-like cover version of The Clash hit "The Guns of Brixton."

 Camille has stage presence, as"Live au Trianon" reveals. Recorded in concert (0ct 17-18, 2005), this mini "Best Of" combines the most eloquent compositions in "Le Fil" with gems from her debut offering, "Le sac des filles" that alluded to the contents of girls' handbags as a metaphor for emotional baggage, in catchy ditties such as "1.2.3" picked for Cacharel's worldwide perfume campaign.

 Occasionally likened to Björk - whom she describes as "La diva! There's a before Björk, and an after Björk!"  - she's as hyper-creative as her Icelandic "big sister."  What do they have in common? "She's popular yet marginal, and multi-voiced. The voice is a monster! For a singer... It's such fun to play with its endless possibilities, blending them!"

 Playful is the word that springs to mind, when conveying Camille's rapport with the audience. Bursting into spates of double Dutch - reminiscent of the automatic writing of Surrealist artists, or the private language twins and siblings sometimes use - has become her signature [for instance, to express contentment, when receiving an award].

 A "natural anglophile," who started out humming chart-toppers, when spending the summer in England at the age of 14 and penning tunes of her own ["also in English"], Camille adds a smidgen of chanson anglaise to her tracklists. "It's a language we've always spoken, at home. That strikes me as having more of a ‘musical ring' to it, than French... I've even worked out why dabbling with English comes so naturally to me. One of my great-great grandmothers took refuge in England. She married an Irishman, whereas her sister stayed in France, marrying here. They were both Russian."

After attending the International Lycée in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, young Camille opted for literature at university, before majoring in political science. A fellow student at Sciences Po' recalls that she was "already a bit quirky, clever but somewhat detached. She told me - You know, this isn't what matters most to me, I sing!" 

 Since then, the sophomore has turned pro, becoming aware of industry constraints: "The French and US markets are the big priority. I already got to know the American public, on the Nouvelle Vague Live tour, last year. Americans warm to you instantly. But, if you hit them with an offbeat multiple-layered message, you're going to lose them. Basically, what they want is the showman in you! That's the culture they're coming from!"

As we speak, today's rising star is clearly looking forward to her stateside gigs. Bimbos, San Francisco (June 11). Joe's Pub, New York (June 13). Finishing with a diplomatic crescendo, at the French Embassy, in Washington DC (June 14). On June 12, she'll be at LA's Knitting Factory, "not quite as prestigious" as its NYC counterpart in Tribeca. However, as she sees it: "Whatever the venue, it's going to be a challenge to invent a special language, a way of communicating with American spectators. I'll have to introduce myself, reacting to their reactions, adapting my performances to an inside-out situation. Here, generally, I'm perceived as a singer whose work is nourished by Anglo-Saxon influences. In the States, it will be the other way 'round. They'll be seeing the French side of me. So, I'll have to meet them half way!"