Monsieur Adi has been a firm favourite here at Public Description. Our first interview was in 2013 while I had a weekly radio show. After researching different artists I stumbled across a slick and addictive remix done by Adi of a Lana Del Rey track ‘Born to Die’. From that moment I was hooked on Monsieur Adi’s music. I am not alone as he became a sought after musician, producer and remixer due to his elegant musical offerings.
Since 2010 he has been creating official remixes for artists such as, Ellie Goulding, Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, Bastille, Laura Mvula, and The Kooks. In 2014, he debuted his brilliant single “What’s Going On?” featuring vocals of A*M*E.
Adi has established himself as one of the most consistently creative and dynamic artists around
Public Description is thrilled to have caught up with Monsieur Adi for a short Q&A to find out how he has been coping during lockdown and what we can expect from him in the near future.
Elle: We have missed you at Public Description. How have you been spending lockdown?
Monsieur Adi: That means so much to me! Thank you. I have been working on some various projects. Luckily I had planned for it to be a quieter year.
Elle: What positive would you take from this period?
Monsieur Adi: The positive is that I have been able to get in touch with myself on a very deep level as well as
connect with my friends and family more, despite the social distancing.
Elle: Have you found it difficult during this time to be creative?
Monsieur Adi: At the beginning of the pandemic, I just completely shut down and could not create even if I wanted
to. My anxiety, something I have been dealing with, just multiplied heavily. But through some inner and
outer work, I was able to get back to it and am feeling happy.
Elle: It sounds like it was quite challenging for you for a while. I am so pleased to hear you over came this and are excited to be back. Is there any advice you could give to anyone else starting out right now during this time?
Monsieur Adi: Breathe, haha. Even after I have been in the industry for a while, it feels like I am just starting
out. I’d say never lose the fun and joy of making music if you can.
Elle:The suspension of live music under lockdown has been devastating for artists, how has this impacted you?
Monsieur Adi: To be honest, it has not impacted me so much as I prefer the production side of things as opposed to performing live and I had already planned to make it a really quiet year in terms of being out and about.
Elle: So the most important question is can we expect to hear new music from you soon?
Monsieur Adi:It’s funny… I said I was not going to make music to release ever again, but a year ago I was at a concert of the Soweto Gospel Choir in Amsterdam and while they sang “Amazing Grace”, emotions just flooded me and I said I have at least one album left in me. Ever since then I have been working on it. It’s different, but full of heart and soul.
Elle: Sounds intriguing. Any planned collaborations coming up?
Monsieur Adi: Yes, I am working on some projects for others which is super exciting!
Elle: Which artist and song do you play on repeat right now?
Monsieur Adi: I have “My Love” by Inez on repeat ! It’s so beautiful.
Elle: Is there anything about the music industry that you would like to change?
Monsieur Adi: I’d change how social media numbers are the measure used to determine an artist’s talent. I think it is very short-sighted. But I could also just be very old-fashioned, haha.
Elle: Lastly, what is the positive you will take from 2020 so far?
Monsieur Adi: It was the year that everything changed and I found myself after having lost that many years ago.
Thanks to Monsieur Adi for this interview.
