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.

Vu d'ici
Émilie Simon Lyrics

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Vu d'ici
La mer est mienne
Mais je prends
L'eau

C'est ainsi
Que vont et viennent
Les vieux ba-teaux

Je voudrais revoir la
Terre
Il y a longtemps que
Je suis partie

Je voudrais être en hi-ver
Être très loin d'ici

J'ai touché
Le creux des vagues
Le fond des
Mers

Sur les flots
Le vent divague
Je me laisse
Faire

Je veux enfin toucher
Terre
M'évader en douce

Je vous dirai comment
Vous faire
Oublier
De tous

Je veux enfin
Toucher terre
Revenir au port

Montre-moi comment faire
Pour trouver la porte

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Emilie Simon's "Vue d'ici" speak of a person who longs to find their place in the world. From a distance, the earth seems to belong to the singer, but they are adrift at sea and longing for a connection to land. The imagery of old boats going back and forth on the water mirrors the sense of aimlessness and repetition that the singer feels in their own life. The repetition of the phrase "je voudrais" (I would like) emphasizes the singer's desire for change and for things to be different from the way that they are now.

The second verse suggests a deeper exploration of the self. The singer has touched the depths of the ocean and allowed themselves to be carried by the whims of the wind. This journey has allowed them to feel connected to something greater than themselves, but at the same time, they are looking to come back to a sense of groundedness. They want to feel the solid earth beneath their feet and to find a sense of direction that will allow them to move forward in life.

The final verse speaks of a desire for guidance and support on this journey. The singer asks for someone to show them the way to touch land again and to find their way back to port. This can be interpreted as a call for help or a recognition that we all need others to guide us through life's complexities. Overall, "Vue d'ici" speaks to the human need for connection and belonging, and the ways in which we navigate the uncertainties of life in search of these things.

Line by Line Meaning

Vue d'ici la terre est mienne, mais je prends l'eau
From this perspective, I feel like I own the earth, but I am struggling against the unstoppable waves of the sea

C'est ainsi que vont et viennent les vieux bateaux
This is how the old boats sway and move

Je voudrais revoir la terre
I long to see the land again

Il y a longtemps que je suis partie
I left a long time ago

Je voudrais être en hiver
I wish I could be in winter

Et très loin d'ici
Far away from here

J'ai touché le creux des vagues, le fond des mers
I have felt the depths of the waves and the sea floor

Sur les flots le vent divague je me laisse faire
The wind wanders over the waves, and I surrender to its power

Je veux enfin toucher terre
I want to finally touch the ground

M'évader en douce
Escape smoothly

Je vous dirai comment vous faire
I will tell you how to do it

Oublier de tous
Forget about everything

Revenir au port
Return to the harbor