Rock Monsters Romania

It’s nearly the end of the year, but exciting projects are still available if you’re looking for them. One such initiative is SESAME.

The SESAME project aims to support the mobility of artists from regions surrounding the Black Sea, France, and the Republic of Moldova, fostering intercultural collaboration through music. Over the course of five creative camps held in Bucharest, ten bands come together for seven days to create, learn, and perform. Each camp concludes with a SESAME Live Session event, where the artists showcase their newly created music to a live audience.

We wanted to learn more about the artists participating in this year’s project, so we began our journey all the way in France. Our first guest is Nerlov, one of the two artists performing live at the first show in Control on November 19th.

Who is Nerlov?

Coming to Bucharest all the way from France and blending pop with raw emotion, Nerlov’s sound sits somewhere between James Blake and Deftones, but with a playful twist that lightens the melancholic edge. His lyrics can be bold and cynical, yet always delivered with a dose of humor, inviting us to stay “léger, léger” (light-hearted).

Survivor of the bands Vedett, San Carol, and Sheraf, Nerlov teamed up with Atom (C2C, Beat Torrent) to create tracks that are a mix of hip-hop and electronic vibes. On stage, he’s backed by drummer Simon Garnier, bringing the energy to life. After two EPs, “Je vous aimes tous” (2020) and “Prophéties” (2021), Nerlov was named a revelation at Printemps de Bourges. His new single “DPT” featuring Magenta dropped in February 2023, with more music and a fresh album released in June 2023.

To help the public get to know you: what is one thing people should know about you before reading this interview?

I’m a French Singer who makes pop songs in French. I like to search and explore different ways to make music, different types of music. I come from rock/metal music and I had some bands before my actual project NERLOV. I made Metal music, Electronic music, New wave, Cold wave, Garage rock… So my music right now is a blend of all of this.

If you could describe your musical style in one word and your local music scene in another, what would they be and why?

It’s “French Pop” for both because “Pop” is a generic word to say “music that everyone can understand,” and “French” because I sing in French. But the music is not especially French. How I write the music is more Anglo-Saxon, because it’s the music I ear the most.

What’s your favorite milestone in the process of creating a song—from the initial idea to writing, recording, and performing it live? What makes this moment special for you?

I love all the milestone and I guess, my favorite is when I finish to write the song and I steel in the excitement of create something new ! But, my favorite part in making music, is to perform in live for sure!

What impact has the support of friends, family, or fans, as well as your participation in camps, conferences, and workshops, had on your career so far?

It’s very important, especially from the fans. It gives me the motivation to continue despite the fact that sometimes it’s hard to be an Artist. Friends and Family are not very objective, but it’s important to feel that they have my back.

How did you hear about the SESAME Project, what motivated you to apply, and how do you see it impacting your career and presence in the European music scene ?

It’s my booker, Gauthier from FURAX who ask me if I would like to participate at this project. It’s very interesting to go out of your country and see how it works for other musicians in the world. I hope people will be curious and come to the show. I’m always happy to meet musicians from another countries. I would like to play everywhere in Europe and in the world by the way, to discover how lives the artists and where they play.

What challenges do you expect to face in this program, and is there anything you’re nervous about? What skills, knowledge, or qualities do you hope to gain or bring to the creative camps, and what’s your biggest goal for this project?

I hope we’ll have time to make 1 or 2 good songs. You never know if it will work, so yes, it makes me nervous, but it’s ok, we’ll see. I know that I can make songs quickly, I always know what I want to do and what I don’t want, but in this case, i will not be alone to decide, so I will be cool and let it flow. My biggest goal is to make a good song with Mahaya and seduce the public of Club Control!

What do you hope the Bucharest audience will feel during your performance? Is there a memorable concert moment from the past that you’d love to experience again?

I hope they will feel the energy and appreciate the show despite they don’t understand the lyrics. Maybe some of them will understand, but I hope that music will be enough in itself.

If you could give one piece of advice to upcoming artists who are reading this interview, what would it be?

Make music, find your way, and don’t listen too much to the music you want to do. If you are a rocker, listen to rap music.

Interview by Ana-Maria Corjos and Radu Mihai