Sophia Djebel Rose - A Light in the Forest

We catch up with the French singer-songwriter while she's on tour in the most underground clubs of the old continent, to have her tell us about her career and the many mysteries surrounding the songs on her latest album, “Sécheresse“.

What does the winged horse in “Au Verger” represent?

Certainly Pegasus, a symbol of power, freedom and poetic force. Still, there's an ambivalence: in this quest, the risk of burning your wings is always just around the corner.

Today you play almost everything by yourself. But what was your first instrument?

I started with guitar, relatively late. At 23. Then I decided to dig deeper and explore my voice above all, which in a sense is my true first instrument. The possibilities are endless. And it's dizzying!

“I will drink air and feed on light,” you sing in “Sécheresse.” What do you mean by that?

Those words speak of self-denial. I believe our greatest strength is the ability to refuse. If what you're offered to eat doesn't satisfy you, you still have the option to fast.

A wild feeling often emerges in your lyrics, mixed with a reconnection to nature. Is that your approach to life?

Yes, there are a lot of wild animals in my lyrics: hares, deer; but also vast spaces: deserts, forests. Within this connection to the elemental there's a particular way of grasping time. Getting in touch with these immemorial figures is a bit like tuning in to eternity.

“Metempsychosis” implies the transmigration of the soul as a kind of motor suggestion. Why this reference?

Metempsychosis is a word I chose for the title of my first album. I think my soul doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the world, to animals, to plants. Everything stems from that.

In “Venus” you reference Botticelli's Venus. Tell us more.

I liked giving a voice to this female figure who is depicted everywhere as an icon but who never actually speaks.

Meaning?

She's a transgressive Venus. And then I love painting, but at the same time I'm wary of the image. There's something in the image that gets stuck. Something powerless.

Do you come to Italy often?

I've crossed the Po Valley quite often, in both directions. I also have a wonderful memory of a superb concert hall in Milan, the Studio Isciān. And in the future I'd like to be able to push a bit further south down the boot as well.

Why did you choose to sing “Blanche Biche” again?

Well, it's a medieval song from the French-speaking repertoire, of which there are many versions. But Véronique Chalot's is one of my favorites. For those who don't know the legend: it's the story of a young woman, Margherita, who transforms into a doe at nightfall and is killed by her hunter brother, who doesn't recognize her. I didn't choose to sing it - it chose me. It's a libertarian eco-feminist anthem that gives me strength.

Five albums you feel particularly connected to.

“Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes – Paix”: the title track is without doubt the most powerful in the entire French-speaking repertoire, both in its lyrics and its musical composition.

“La Tène – Vouerca/Fahy”: an instrumental album combining hurdy-gurdy, Indian harmonium and percussion. It's actually how I discovered the harmonium, which I still play to this day.

“Raoul Eden – Incarnation”: a truly majestic instrumental guitar album. Raoul helped me record my latest record while he was working on “Incarnation” itself. These are songs I heard being born, that I listened to onstage, and that I still love.

“Maalem Mahmoud Guinia – Maalem Mahmoud Guinia”: a Gnawa master and a legendary figure in Essaouira, Morocco, where I spent half of my childhood.

“Louie Lou – Ljusår”: another instrumental album (yes, again!) of organs and field recordings. She's a Swedish artist I discovered just a few weeks ago. The first thing that struck me was the cover art, which I find truly beautiful. The whole album is gorgeous.

Are there Italian songs you particularly like, on the other hand?

Off the top of my head, I'd say “Bella Ciao”. We even sang it in France at a recent demonstration.

(March 23, 2025)

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