Artist of the Month: Magali Michaut

Present and tell about yourself and your act. Who are you?

Bonjour! I’m a French singer-songwriter living in Copenhagen since 2017. I come from France and I’ve been living abroad for over 12 years now, in Toronto, Amsterdam and now Copenhagen. I write French chansons, folk ballads. I’m a violinist by training but mostly accompany myself on the guitar or piano.

Briefly describe your journey as an act

I started to perform my songs in 2013 when I was living in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I did my first open stages and discovered the magic world of singer-songwriters. I liked it a lot, played a lot, did some writing workshops, including a Listening Room Retreat in Copenhagen led by Brett Perkins – who I introduced to Low-Fi later on. I recorded my first EP, Bonjour, in 2016 then moved to Copenhagen and started recording my first album in 2019 at Soundscape Studio with fantastic musicians. It is called “Impressionniste” and was officially released last May. I got some nice reviews and radio plays in France and it was even played on the radio station P2 here i Denmark! Sweet!

Who are you inspired by?

I’m very inspired by some French singer-songwriters like Pomme, Ben Mazué or Francis Cabrel.

Has one of your concerts been especially memorable, and why?

Each of my Low-Fi concerts has been a great moment. But if I have to talk about one, I’d probably say a concert with Rikke at Buus of Helk when the rabbit “Bettemus” comes to listen to us when we sing – so sweet. She has become a regular at the concerts there and today I would like to send her some kisses as she recently passed away.

What is your career setup? Do you have a manager, a booker, a mentor or do you do everything yourself?

Until recently I was indeed doing everything by myself, with mentoring on some aspects from Brett Perkins. And for the release of my first album, I got to work with more people progressively. I now have a manager in Paris. No booker yet, unfortunately, but at least I can use Low-Fi in Denmark and Sweden!

Soon you are going to Sweden to do a couple of gigs, what do you expect from that?

Yes! I very much look forward to that. I went to the first hosts, Annika and Johan, last year and I’m really excited to go back as it was a fantastic moment. And it’s also thanks to that concert that I met Roland who offered me to play. So I talked to him about Low-Fi and he is now a host as well.

Lots to come.

Why did you choose to become an artist on Low-Fi?

I love house concerts! It’s a format that goes very well with my songs, I love the acoustic and intime atmosphere, the direct link with the audience. And also it creates social interactions between people in the audience and that’s fantastic.

What is special about playing a Low-Fi concert as opposed to a “regular” concert?

Most people attending Low-Fi concerts are curious about artists they don’t necessarily know and they come to listen – which is a great gift for the artists.
And then we can shape the concerts with the hosts as we feel. For instance, I personally like doing a Sunday afternoon concert with tea and lemon cake – much better than beer and sticky floor on a late evening!

You can find Magali Michaut‘s music and upcoming Low-Fi concerts on her Low-Fi artist profile.