Émilie Simon (born 1978 in Montpellier, Occitanie, France) is a French sing… Read Full Bio ↴Émilie Simon (born 1978 in Montpellier, Occitanie, France) is a French singer, songwriter and composer of electronic music.

She began her musical education at a French conservatory at seven years old. By age 18, she was studying Musicology at the University in Montpellier, France, and then obtained her Master in Musicology at the Sorbonne in Paris. Émilie was intrigued by the idea of combining her traditional musical education with new music technologies and studio experimentations. She developed these interests into unique skills at the cutting edge new technology music school, the IRCAM in Paris, which to this day remains the only center in the world dedicated to contemporary musical research and production, bringing science and art together in order to widen instrumentation and rejuvenate musical language.

Here she met Cyrille Brissot who she still works with today to develop and build specific instruments adapted to Émilie’s needs, both in the studio and on stage, including the “Brissot” - a breathtaking arm controller that allows her to remotely control, modulate and transform her live voice through a series of controlled effects. Émilie uses a variety of other new technology devices including Yamaha’s “Tenori-on” and a variety of other new hardware and software. Émilie uses this technology to give herself a wide range of versatility on stage, including being able to control everything – from beats to multiple instruments to vocal harmonies and modulation simultaneously while alone on stage.

Shortly after Ircam, Émilie Simon signed a record deal with Barclay/Universal France. Since then, she has written, arranged, performed and produced her two records and the original music for the French (original) version of March of the Penguins. There, Émilie used many diverse and inventive techniques including rubbing pieces of ice together to produce beats and sounds, and blended them with her electronic machinery and inviting lyrics.

Despite garnering best album honors in the electronic category at France’s
“Victoires de la Musique” Awards for her debut, and being touted as one of the most promising female artists, the Montpellier-bred chanteuse is quick to champion her independence as an artist over such acclaim. “[Awards] are nice, but it’s like a cherry on top, really,” the singer/songwriter insists. “It’s great when you have the feeling you are doing something important or that you’re understood. But it doesn’t alter the way I work in any way. I’m always thinking back on what I have done, because I don’t want to be redundant. I want to make music without rules, without anybody telling me what I have to do.”

Émilie Simon first made her mark on the U.S. in the fall of 2006 with her debut U.S. release, The Flower Book on Nov. 7, 2006. Her plush, artful soundscapes had already yielded her significant praise and awards in her French homeland, as well as acclaim across the rest of Europe and Japan. Singing in both French and English, Émilie allows her music to flow naturally, rewarding her with devoted fans worldwide. A year and a half after The Flower Book’s release, Émilie is currently residing in New York City and writing her next record. She will be performing shows in NYC this Fall to preview her new material. Having always begun the creative process in the recording studio, and then following with live performances, Émilie is trying a new approach. For the new record, she will let the songs breathe and evolve in a live environment before heading into the studio.

Alicia
Émilie Simon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Quand Alicia compose
Un bouquet de roses
Le monde est suspendu
A ses lèvres et pour cause
Elles sont d'un rose
Inattendu

Quand Alicia s'endort

Une plante carnivore
Veille sur son sommeil
Mais dans les bras de lierre
D'Alicia
On ne se réveille pas

Alicia dort
Alicia dort
Alicia dort
Alicia dort

Alicia dort
Un bouquet de violettes
Des serpents à sonnettes
Dansent dans sa tête
Mon doux venin
Une odeur de jasmin
Sur les joues pâles
D'une fille végétale

Quand Alicia compose
Un bouquet de roses
Le monde est suspendu
Mais dans les bras de lierre

D'Alicia
On ne se réveille pas

Overall Meaning

The song "Alicia" by Émilie Simon is a hauntingly beautiful and mysterious piece that tells the story of a girl named Alicia. The first verse describes Alicia composing a bouquet of roses, bringing the world to a standstill with the unexpected shade of pink that the roses possess. Later, when she falls asleep, a plant with carnivorous tendencies watches over her slumber, and those who find themselves wrapped in Alicia's embrace never seem to awaken. The chorus simply repeats the phrase "Alicia Dort" multiple times, emphasizing the importance of sleep in the story.

The second verse delves deeper into Alicia's dreams, painting a picture of snakes with rattles dancing through her mind as she sleeps. The sweet aroma of jasmine lingers on the pale cheeks of this seemingly plant-like girl, and her dreams are as vivid as her waking life. The song comes full circle at the end with a repetition of the first verse, leaving listeners to ponder the meaning behind Alicia and her story.

The lyrics of "Alicia" leave much to interpretation, but it is clear that the song is about a girl who is different, perhaps even otherworldly. The descriptions of plants and snakes give the song an air of mystery and magic, and the repetition of Alicia's name throughout the song creates a sense of familiarity and importance around the character.

Line by Line Meaning

Quand Alicia compose
When Alicia composes

Un bouquet de roses
A bouquet of roses

Le monde est suspendu
The world is suspended

A ses lèvres et pour cause
To her lips and for good reason

Elles sont d'un rose
They are of a pink

Inattendu
Unexpected

Quand Alicia s'endort
When Alicia falls asleep

Une plante carnivore
A carnivorous plant

Veille sur son sommeil
Watches over her sleep

Mais dans les bras de lierre
But in the arms of ivy

D'Alicia
Of Alicia