[Karayib Focus] Gage, resilient passion

Gage is in my top 3 French vocalists. If you've been following me since the opening of my personal blog myinsaeng.com, you know how much I appreciate Gage (please stop smiling). If you discover him with this article, I'll give you a brief summary.

Précédemment dans Focus Karayib. Gage est un artiste qui fait partie de la bande-originale de ma vie. Depuis une quinzaine d’années, sa musique joue en arrière-fond dans ces moments d’introspection où je m’interroge sur le sens à donner à ma vie. Non pas que ses chansons décrivent ce que je vis à ce moment-là… mais d’une façon ou d’une autre, je me retrouve à l’écouter. Parfois juste le temps d’une chanson promotionnelle, parfois je passe plusieurs mois avec ses premiers tubes. Mon premier Focus Karayib en avril 2016 était sur sa collaboration avec Stony qui m’a fait le redécouvrir. Mon second Focus Karayib en novembre 2017 était sur mon premier concert de lui (une soirée épique où j’ai pu faire un selfie avec lui ! mais la photo est perdue à jamais parce qu’on m’a volé mon téléphone). Mon troisième Focus Karayib en novembre 2018 était un portrait de l’artiste que je voyais en lui.

I know people are always surprised or don't understand when I say I'm not a fan of his music in general. I really separate the artist from his discography. It's not his music itself that speaks to me, it's the passion he expresses every time he sings that I find fascinating. I got into the #mercrediavec [t/n : Wednesday with] because I was stunned at how many people contacted me with a "did you see that Gage does The Voice 8?” Whatsapp, Twitter, DM Instagram, I got the question on all the social media I use. And sometimes it even came from people I hadn't spoken to in six months. No one around me has any interest in Gage, so I spare them the analyses I do in my head about the trajectory of his atypical career. But you're going to read until the end, aren't you? And because I'm nice, I'll give you the short version.

#mercrediavec vs. The Voice

I am very precise about my musical tastes. If I can't hear the synergy between the lyrics, melody and arrangement, I debate with myself to decide if I like the song. While Gage was doing "The Voice" where he was asked to do covers, I thought it was the perfect time to make a clear list of the songs I like. So I listened to every album, every single, every collaboration released between 2005 and 2017. On my instagram, you can read my detailed opinion on ten tracks divided between his three albums. You won't find either "Trop Fresh" or "Pense à Moi" [t/n : “So Fresh” and “Think about me”] which remain, it seems to me, his most famous songs in the collective memory. I've been thinking for a long time (4 years) about why I don't care much about these two tracks which are plebiscited by the French audience and which, objectively speaking, have all the ingredients to please me. After listening to the intensity of "L'Homme d'une seule femme" [t/n : A one-woman Man] or "Je T'aime Quand Même" [t/n: “I Love You Regardless], I find it hard to go back down for a "Trop Fresh" or a "Pense à Moi". Even more so after hearing him live on his own songs and on covers. I still haven't gotten over his renditions of Sade's "Love is Stronger Than Pride" and Janet Jackson's "Any time, Any place", even three years after hearing them only once. I haven't watched "The Voice" because I don't like the concept that isn’t intended to highlight the candidates' artistic universe. What the industry and the media, and consequently the general public, find hard to understand and accept is precisely his universe where he expresses himself in his own terms and where he shines the most.

Artistic Logic vs. Industrial Logic

In addition to revisiting my memories, this discographic journey of #mercrediavec allowed me to appreciate his willingness not to limit himself to one music style. His title tracks do not match the versatility he shows on the other tracks of each album. With "Soul Rebel" (2005), he presents himself being comfortable in reggae as much as he can do pop R&B with a soul touch. "Changer Le Monde" [t/n: “Change The World”] (2008) allows him to pay tribute to Motown before turning to rock, afrobeat, zouk and even dancehall sounds in "Soul R.Evolution Vol.1". (2014). My favorite songs are on "Soul Rebel" but it is indeed "Soul.R" that breaks the tension between this image of the man always in heartbreak that the audience sees/wants and the charming man full of hope that he can be. The audience has known him as a young man in his twenties who flirts awkwardly and cries about the woman who cheated on him. In 2005, he stands out in a landscape where France shouts "Ma philosophie" [t/n: “My philosophy”] by Amel Bent (Nouvelle Star), escapes into Ilona Mitrecey's "Monde Parfait" and has fun with Crazy Frog. He stands out against the variety brought by the Star Academy and Raphael. He offers a groove different from the pop rock sound of Calogero and Mylène Farmer. He embodies an authenticity that M. Pokora, K-Maro, Tragedy’s R&B Bling Bling can only claim if compared with the Raï&B fever. Six years later, he embarks on a Soul R.evolution. Between two tracks where he turns into a seductive man, he recounts his hustling years that haven’t altered his passion for music. It’s the album showcasing the best the balance between artistic demonstration and expressing who he is as an individual. Except that in 2014, France will be in the mood on "Happy" by Pharell Williams, "Racine Carrée" by Stromae and "Kendji" by Kendji Girac (The Voice). Between Maître Gims, Black M, Florent Pagny, Johnny Halliday, the duo Alain Souchon-Laurent Voulzy, Indila is the only female singer in the top 10 most-selling albums that year. The industry hardly relies on the musical proposal of a thirty-year-old Gage with discreet charisma. Social networks are now an integral part of marketing strategies, celebrities are making a buzz, sometimes with orchestrated buzz... And Gage doesn't have the financial support system to shed light on him. But he continues to perform on stage in front of loyal fans. He tries to develop his universe. His singles "Rien n'arrive sans rien" [t/n: “No pain, No Gain”] and "Le ciel est la limite" [t/n: “Sky is the limit”] (2017) are announced as a prelude to a mini album that is still not released. Even after him being a competitor on "The Voice".

Gage vs. Gage

Gage explained in an interview how and why he ended up in this contest. I won't comment on what he said. His introduction segment makes you understand his motivations but also highlights the doubts and insecurities of an artist now in his forties (even if he looks stuck at 36). Yes, I said I didn't watch "The Voice", but I didn't say I didn't try... The ellipses about his musical activities during the years when he wasn't in the spotlight show the lack of consideration for the artist he is. #isaidwhatisaid I held on for the first minute of his audition on "All Night Long" before clicking on the red cross on the TF1 live feed. I wasn't the one who needed to be convinced that Gage has an exceptional voice and I wanted to keep my concert memories intact. At each of his performances, I received unsolicited comments from those around me. Every time they compared him to Gage from the "Soul Rebel" era, my brain translated into "he's in his comfort zone". In Gage's case, that comfort zone is wide because he can sing literally any style - even French variety à la Cabrel. But the paradox is that it becomes complicated to define his artistic identity. His vocal signature may be strong, but his musical approach remains unclear. Maybe he wasn't given the opportunity to explain it, maybe he didn't have the songs to do so... And maybe there were other events that prevented him from having the career he deserves. The answers to these questions only matter if he gives up his passion, if he gives up the artist he wants to be... Only Gage can know what Gage will do. "The Voice" was still an opportunity to see that there is an audience that wants to see him and wants to listen to him.

I write about it today because I went through a lot in October and so I listened to my #mercrediavec playlist again in the last few weeks. Of course, my problems are still there, but I tell myself that it will eventually pass and that I have to stay focused on my goals. I said I'll do the short version so I'll stop here. Gage's career has gone through several paradigm shifts in 15 years. If he remains passionate despite the disappearance of albums and the disappearance of the media to promote himself, why would the disappearance of live concerts get the last bits of his resilience? All right, see you in November 2022?