Stevy Mahy tells the story behind the "Tout Ce Que Tu Es" music video
Released in 2019, the song "Tout Ce Que Tu Es" (t/n: “Everything You Are”) is a collaboration between Stevy Mahy and LS. One year after its release, the music video has passed the million views mark on Youtube. This visual journey illustrates the love shared by a couple in our present time and in the an tan lontan Guadeloupe which we know so little of. Stevy Mahy, who co-directed the music video with with LS, tells us more about this music video.
LS was a guest at your “Renaissance Woman” show a few years ago, but this song is a brand new collaboration.
I knew that I wanted us to collaborate on a song that would be the reflection of this artistic encounter. We had indeed already worked on my show so we already had a common vision.
You produced and composed the song. Can you tell us about your creative process?
My creative process remained the same except that I had to think about LS and incorporate him into it. I start with a few notes, a guitar riff and inspiration comes, I write the text along with the melody.
You have always created multicultural music. This song is in French, Creole and Kikongo. How did you choose to incorporate these lyrics and why did you choose not to have English lyrics?
My language choices are not necessarily thought out. I just feel them. When I receive the melody, I usually know right away in which language I will sing it. For this particular song, French came first to me, then to highlight the intimacy vibe of the song, Creole came along for me and Kikongo for LS.
It’s true that the music video conveys this impression of being at the center of a couple’s intimacy. Can you explain the concept of the video clip? Can you explain to us the concept of this music video ?
LS and I came up with it. We wanted to share the idea of a love that crosses time, lives, generations. The love that would unite twin flames, unite two human beings that would find their way back to each other life after life. The idea was to create a contrast of time and place but always with a strong feeling in the background. So we wanted to make studio scenes, with mostly close-ups to emphasize the intimate and contrasting sequences shot outside in Guadeloupe, the Guadeloupe of the time of our parents.
I loved these outdoors sequences taking us back to the 40’s/50’s. Why did you choose this particular time era?
Because there’s something about this era that I’ve always found fascinating. A feeling of modesty, of gentle restraint. A love that slowly blossoms. The 70s is the echo of something else for me: the fight, the revolution, the struggle for freedom.
And why not keep going with this idea and jump into the future?
I wanted this to be the past so that we could take root in something strong, before projecting ourselves into the future.
After the Black romance films of the late 90s and early 2000s in the United States, the US film industry seems to be taking a renewed interest in the portrayal of Black Love today. In France, this isn’t the case at all, which makes this clip all the more precious in terms of representation. Is this an aspect you were careful about in your directing choices ?
Yes, it was important for us to represent '“ourselves”. Image, whatever we say, plays a "political" role, and when we have the possibility of taking control over the narrative, I think we shouldn't hesitate. We should tell our stories, we should portray ourselves with our own gaze. So yes, the Black love representation in this clip is intentional, even if I admit that this notion makes me uncomfortable. Do we really have to show our humanity, prove that we too are worthy of loving and being loved ? It is in this sense that the notion of Black love is delicate in my opinion, but we will continue to present ourselves in all our spheres, in all our potentialities as long as we wish.
Can you tell us an anecdote that happened while shooting the music video?
We shot the outdoor sequences in Guadeloupe, although the song wasn’t finished yet. That’s why we don’t lipsynch in these scenes.
Let's say a 10-year-old kid watch your music video in 2100. What do you want them to say?
Love does exist …
What are your upcoming projects?
I'm full of projects but I like to talk about them when the right time comes so I don't spread myself too thin. What I can say is that I'm working on new songs, I'm still working on my jewelry brand MOUN and I have a desire to get back behind the camera for other audio-visual projects.
Thank you for explaining to us the whole video making process. Here’s my bonus question: can you tell us about a music video which represents Guadeloupe the best in your opinion?
I’d say “On Sél Kou” by Sadik. It’s somehow raw reality. I think it describes well the paradox that Guadeloupe represents. It denounces as much as it’s full of love for the country and its people. I like that.
Thank you, Stevy Mahy ! You can follow her on Instagram @stevymahy . You can read my music video review here.