Mary KilS is a brilliant artist who overflows with grace and humanity. She gives us a vibration glowing with love we can never forget. She multiplies everything with this intrepid persona, rocker with a thousand colors, indomitable vitality with explosive accents, poignant elocution, and always armed with magnificent lyrics. This gem that Francis Cabrel found that grew in the center of nature never ceases to astound us; some have referred to it as fire beneath the ice, while others have called it an unquenchable passion. The most beautiful values in the world are expressed in this singular voice, and the audience that adores them notices them. The eagerly anticipated new album from this talented artist “Des Ailes d’Or” will undoubtedly be filled with delights and emotions.
Her EP, ONE is a collection of five captivatingly unique songs that showcase the performer’s beauty and tenacity. Her voice is so crystalline, undulating within a strong and moving rock universe, and it exudes such sweetness and sincerity. Mary KilS accomplishes a very unique alchemy that unmistakably affects us.
ONE is a real promising jewel shared throughout the world and is currently being listened to with passion on the international airwaves in England, the United States, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, South Africa, China, Turkey, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Serbia, Chile, South Korea, Spain, Venezuela, Peru, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Colombia, Finland, France. Check out the EP and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all started?
MARY KILS: Hello Caroline, I am very happy to answer your question, especially since October is my birthday month.
I come from a village located in the heart of the Charentais vineyard, Le Petit Bois Durand in Châteauneuf sur Charente in France. My parents grew grapes to produce Cognac. I grew up singing. Singing gave heart to the work when we went to work the land. I went on stage for the first time when I was thirteen, at an end-of-school-year party. It was this first meeting with the public that made me want to be a singer.
2. Have you had formal training or are you self-taught?
MARY KILS: I learned on the job (laughs). The experience came naturally with practice when I formed different groups to accompany me.
3. What were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name “MARY KILS”?
MARY KILS: I discovered the Rock universe thanks to my brothers. My older brother, who was 9 years older than me, brought all the vinyl records from a jukebox. My other brother played the guitar…I loved all these new sounds, which for me were out of the ordinary! It must be said that at home we only listened to French songs (laughs). The first and strongest musical influences are Aerostmith, Scorpion, Metallica, Acdc, Pink Floyd, Elvis Presley, Johnny Halliday, Mickael Jackson…
Why Mary KilS? It is my pleasure to answer your question. I have this name because it unites my first name Marie with “le Kil” which is a measure of red wine, in honor of my roots. I added the capital S because this letter of the alphabet speaks to me. Its shape makes me think of the furrow that we trace throughout life.
4. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulation. How was it for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition to your own style, known as ROCK?
MARY KILS: When you discover something you love, you get excited. It is then that the work begins (smile), the exterior and interior work. I connect to my being, trying to be as close as possible to who I am, to radiate my style, to deploy and diffuse the magnificent energy of rock…it takes hours to go ever further, without straying from its true nature, in order to be able to transform it into matter, if I may say so, because music is sound and wind ( smile). What is also important are good artistic encounters. Those that allow me to create in good conditions, to work with musicians who are attentive, to make the arrangements that come closest to my personality and the universe that is chosen to carry the songs.
MARY KILS:
Music is universal. It can influence currents of thought and participate in the opening of fields of consciousness in many areas. For me, singing is a source of joy and sharing between all of us. I am sensitive to the environment of which man is a part;) and I think it is essential to respect nature, the earth that carries us. I hope to be useful when I sing, so that we want to preserve it, so that life is protected, as best we can.
6. Do you feel that your music gives you as much fulfillment as the amount of work you put into it or do you expect something more or different in the future?
MARY KILS:
Expressing yourself through doing your job is one of the most beautiful things in life. This year, I spent most of my time putting my songs into circulation on download platforms. Anyone who has gone through the self-production stage knows how much work it takes to learn the distribution environment, to understand how the independent music network works… activating the entire digital distribution system requires a lot of energy. and I’m very happy that I did. So that everything is well followed, I have a small team by my side, but being a producer cannot be improvised and I am far from having the build (laughs). Like any singer, I need to be available and focused for artistic work. For my next album which is already written and composed, I am looking for a production. I would like to enter the studio for the recording and be able to be on tour for 2023.
7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start and how do you shape the ideas into a full song? Do you usually start with a melody, rhythm or story in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
MARY KILS:
The creative process begins with a melody and a few words that settle and spin in my thoughts. The theme will unfold naturally. Sometimes there is only one sentence and the rest of the verses are made up of what is called a “yogurt”, that is to say “words whose phonetics carry the desired sound, to be close to the sounds of melody. When the melodic structure is done with the lyrics, I move on to the arrangement phase. It’s a job that I do with an arranger musician, before moving on to the rehearsal stage where the last small modulations can still take place.
8. With social media having such a big impact on our lives and the music industry in general, how do you deal with critics, detractors and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or just ignore?
MARY KILS:
In France there is an expression that says: “It takes everything to make a world” (smile). I think there is a place for everyone. Even a detractor or opponent of its raison d’être. Education and experience have prepared me for criticism, so I watch it when it comes. I try to see where the truth is in what is said. What aims to deconstruct belongs to the destroyer, so I leave it to him ;)
9. Creative work in a studio environment or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options are you most excited about, and why?
MARY KILS: My preference is live interaction with the public. I like to create the songs and deliver them on stage. What excites me the most is to feel the beauty of sounds that harmonize, which is revealed throughout the process of creation, it’s magic. I like when the universe of a song opens up…to feel the energy that is generated until the moment when we can finally offer the songs in concert, welcome the energy in the exchange, the love of the public.
10. Do you think it’s important that fans of your music understand the true story and message behind each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own way?
MARY KILS: I believe that beyond words there is a universal message, whatever the language, the language. The language of Rock has no borders, it speaks to us. Visual communication media are there to make known the theme, the universe of a song. I am the messenger of a message that is expressed at the heart of music that travels. Every life is unique, and we are free to feel and interpret a song however we want.
Thank You Caroline, Thank you Illustrate Magazine
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