Inese Ērmane launches solo project Damélie with a new take on Édith Piaf's song

Latvian singer Inese Ērmane, who won the song contest “Latvijas Sirdsdziesma” a couple of years ago, has announced a new solo project called Damélie. In it she presents French music classics with a modern sound and an unusual visual style. The first piece is a new version of “L’Accordéoniste”, a well-known song by French singer Édith Piaf, released together with a music video.

A different sound

Piaf's original is a waltz featuring an accordion. Ērmane changed the time signature, reworked the musical dramaturgy and the mood of the song, and dropped the traditional accordion. The sound was shaped by producer Gints Stankevičs.

The original song tells of a street girl who falls in love with an accordionist, but he goes to war and dies. The video, directed by Elvis Lācis, does not illustrate this story literally. It is staged as a theatrical performance in which dance, characters and costumes tell a story about identity, freedom, courage and women's strength. Ērmane created the video concept herself, while choreographer Beāte Svarinska built the dancers' story.

Six women come to life in the clip: Édith Piaf, Brigitte Bardot, George Sand, Josephine Baker, Joan of Arc and Coco Chanel. The video's message stresses that each of them challenged the notions of her time and left a mark on culture and history.

Plans

Damélie is Ērmane's alter ego and a new creative direction. She plans to interpret the repertoire of Joe Dassin, Édith Piaf, Dalida and other French legends, giving it her own sound. The singer also intends to write original songs: she speaks French, so she writes the lyrics herself and also composes.

“A woman can be many things – anything depending on how she feels at that moment. And that is her strength,” Ērmane explains. She adds that to create something truly interesting, one sometimes has to dare to step outside the familiar and embrace experimentation. She released the new version on her birthday.