Émilie Simon is a French singer and composer born on July 17, 1978 in Montp… Read Full Bio ↴Émilie Simon is a French singer and composer born on July 17, 1978 in Montpellier. She began her musical education at a French conservatory at 7 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. Her debut single, entitled “Désert” was released in October 2002. 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.

Un nouveau monde
Emilie Simon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler
Leurs couleurs se dissiper
La nuit a duré une éternité
La lumière les a chassés

Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler, s'envoler, s'envoler
Vois les vaisseaux s'éloigner, s'éloigner
Un nouveau monde s'est levé

Les ombres ont détruit, anéanti
Mais le vent tourne aujourd'hui
Dès les premières lueurs de l'aube elles ont fui
Le jour a triomphé de la nuit

Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler, s'envoler, s'envoler
Vois les vaisseaux s'éloigner, s'éloigner
Un nouveau monde s'est levé

Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler, s'envoler, s'envoler
Vois les vaisseaux s'éloigner, s'éloigner
Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler

Vois les vaisseaux s'éloigner
Un nouveau monde s'est levé

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Emilie Simon's song "Un nouveau monde" describes a scene of spaceships taking off and their colors fading away as the night, which has lasted for an eternity, comes to an end. The imagery suggests a change that is about to take place, possibly a new beginning. The second verse explains that the shadows have destroyed and ruined everything, but the wind has turned today, and at the first light of dawn, the shadows have fled, and the day has triumphed over the night. Again, the lyrics suggest a turning point, a fresh start, and a new world.

The chorus repeats the first verse, emphasizing the spaceships flying away and the birth of a new world. The repetition could suggest that the change is happening, and the world is transforming. The repetition of the phrase "vois les vaisseaux s'envoler" (see the ships flying away) could also symbolically represent leaving the old world behind and moving towards a new future.

Overall, Emilie Simon's "Un nouveau monde" is a hopeful song that encourages the listener to look towards the future and not dwell on the past. The lyrics are filled with imagery, and the repetitive chorus creates a powerful and memorable message.

Line by Line Meaning

Vois les vaisseaux s'envoler
Witness the ships taking off

Leurs couleurs se dissiper
Their colors fading away

La nuit a duré une éternité
The night lasted an eternity

La lumière les a chassés
The light chased them away

Vois les vaisseaux s'éloigner
See the ships moving away

Un nouveau monde s'est levé
A new world has risen

Les ombres ont détruit, anéanti
The shadows have destroyed, annihilated

Mais le vent tourne aujourd'hui
But the wind is changing today

Dès les premières lueurs de l'aube elles ont fui
At the first light of dawn, they fled

Le jour a triomphé de la nuit
Day triumphed over night

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Emilie Simon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind