VOIE LACTÉE

It has been an amazing journey so far! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I do. And I am most hopeful Mylene does as she flips through the chapters of her artistic life.

Voie Lactée (The Milky Way) is a song # 9 from the tenth studio album Interstellaires (2015). Lyrics of Mylène Farmer. Music composed collaboratively by Martin Kierszenbaum and Mylène Farmer. Its chill and very pleasant song to listen. Although the lyrics are contrasted to the funky easy-going music, it is not the first time Mylene skillfully stiches the the melody which somewhat uplifting with the heavier semantics.

Programming, drums, percussions and keyboards: Martin Kierszenbaum
Guitars: Martin Kierszenbaum
Basses: Martin Kierszenbaum
String arrangements: Graham Preskett
Directed by Martin Kierszenbaum
Mixing: Jérôme Devoise

The reviews have finally given Mylene some break (YES!) and surprisingly favorable:

“It is better not to pay attention to critics otherwise we (as artists) lose our freedom.”  (Mylène Farmer – konbini.com – 11/12/2015)

“The songs City of love, Milky Way and Unfathomable will delight fans.” (Le Point – 11/05/2015)

“From the outset, the voice appears better controlled to deliver an optimistic message. The singer, who seems less tormented, ‘raises the veils’ to ‘start over in a better world’. A luminous world where love cures all ailments, as the artist sings in Milky Way, City of Love (“Love arises from nothing / Having no other wishes than the other”). Milky Way is with funk accents, effective, but with equally easy rhymes (caricatural), C’est pas moi , however, reminds the Pygmalion. A sign that the singer still knows how to surprise without causing an earthquake either. (Pure Charts – 06 / 11/2015)

“No hits, but harmonious pieces (the sweet Milky Way), smooth (City of love” (Ait-alire.com – 06/11/2015)

“The tubes in power are legion on Interstellaires, one thinks of the very funky C’est Pas Moi , very electro Pas D’Access , very rock Love Song but also Voie Lactée and the very beautiful Un Jour Ou L’Autre. ” (laparisiennelife.com – 06/11/2015)

“Rather well made, the album ends with three superb songs: the funky Voie Milée and City of Love as well as the piano / voice ballad “Un Jour Ou L’Autre.”, perfect for the reminders of her concerts. ” (Télé Moustique – 11/11/2015)

“The ballads, they fly away. Like the cover of I Want You to Want Me, (the Americans of Cheap Trick) or Milky Way.” (Le Matin Dimanche – 11/15/2015)

Perhaps, before I go on about the song Voie Lactée, it is appropriate to mention that the album Interstellaires was written by Mylene being forced to bed rest due to the unfortunate fall she has suffered in 2015.

One can wonder if the genesis of the Interstellaires album did really begin on March 16, 2015 when Mylène fell in the street (apparently led by her dog Liloup) causing her to fracture her fibula and tibia. which forced her to remain immobile for a long time. To overcome boredom, she will notably write lyrics for new songs.

Perhaps, that’s why a discord between the album inspiration(reaching for the stars) and the physical reality she had to cope with. It seems to be an ongoing dissonance in Mylene’s entire existence: the spirit flies high among the stars and perhaps galaxies while dense 3D reality keeps her grounded and restricted like a heavy anchor. Have you ever felt this way? I certainly have. In fact, it took me 50 years to get to the point of “marrying” those two realms within myself. I am often “on another planet” in my thoughts and in my spirit but have to be present here in the reality I have created. It is a beautiful reality for which I am enormously grateful but I am always aware of the restrictions and miss the other realm. Mylene is once again my spiritual Soul Mate, someone I have been strongly resonating with for many years. I hope it is the same for you, my dear supporters.

In 2015, Mylene also collaborated with a French photographer Sylvie Lancrenon on a coffee table book entitled Fragile. Featuring 90 photos of Farmer taken by Lancrenon, the imagery consists of intimate photographs of the singer covered in talc and clay, focusing on the juxtaposition of fragility and powerfulness. Perhaps, it is a legacy of her ancestor who was a sculptor and who she already dedicated her beautiful Redonner-moi

Mylène has co-composed with Martin Kierszenbaum nine of the eleven tracks. This is the first time that she has been so involved in the work of composing an album (she had composed a song for Anamorphosée in 1995, five for Innamoramento in 1999 and co-composed a track with Laurent Boutonnat on Avant que the shadow … in 2005).

So who is a big shot Martin Kierszenbaum? And why did Mylene chose him to collaborate instead of Boutonnat? He is kinda big 😊

He is also known by his pseudonym Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, is an important American music persona. As a songwriter and Grammy nominated producer, he worked with Lady Gaga, Sting, Madonna, Keane, Tokio Hotel, Far East Movement, Robyn, Feist, Flipsyde, Ivy Levan, Ai Colette Carr, Alexandra Burke, Natalia Kills, MFAO, Disclosure, Ellie Goulding, La Roux and t.A.T.u.

So Mylene went for the best to fill in Boutonnat’s absence.  I am not aware of what exactly happened between them at that time, I can only presume he was busy with his personal life having a full-blown relationship and a newborn daughter with Russian entrepreneur and artist Ilona Orel. Perhaps, his heart just wasn’t there for Mylene.

“It was fundamental to have Martin’s composition in order to sometimes be able to add melodies. It is still very important. The collaboration is this: it is really Martin who composes the music and sometimes I who arrive with a melody. ”  (Mylène Farmer – konbini.com – 11/12/2015)

For the musicians, it is Martin Kiersenbaum – who knows how to play several instruments – who has a central place on this album since it is found in the programming, on the drums, percussions, guitars, basses and keyboards.

He is accompanied for the additional guitars on Love Song, Interstellaires, C’est pas moi, Insondables by Sébastien Chouard who had already worked on the albums Point de Suture in 2008 and Monkey Me in 2012.

We find Jonathan Noyce already bassist on the album Bleu Noir (2010) for Love Song, One day or another, Unfathomable and C’est pas moi.

Mylène wrote the lyrics for nine of the eleven songs on the album. Not all of them, actually.

“The luck that I also have with Martin, apart from his great talent, is that he masters the French language. So when I sent him my texts – as soon as they were finished I sent him – it was important for the creation process, he immediately found a very particular atmosphere in the titles. So, he accompanied me in my words with an atmosphere. And we were able to build the album around that .” (Mylène Farmer –  MFM – 12/11/2015 ) I would agree – the album does create an atmosphere. It is celestial and not as Earth bound as  some earlier albums.

Mylène met Martin Kiersenbaum who will produce the Interstellaires album through her manager Thierry Suc who suggested to the composer and producer a possible collaboration.
“Of course I have loved Mylène’s music for years. I jumped at the chance and Thierry organized a dinner for us in New York. Mylène and I got on really well. ” (Martin Kierszenbaum – MFM – 12/11/2015 )

Martin Kierszenbaum joined Mylène in Paris to work together on the creation of these new titles.
“We kept it simple. I was at the piano and Mylène was near me.” “It was not hand in hand but one in front of the other. ” (Martin Kierszenbaum & Mylène Farmer – RTL – 10/11/2015 )
The songs are composed in acoustics and then in a second step the production work is carried out.

The album was recorded at the Guillaume Tell studio in the Paris suburbs.

The potential influences for this album are André Malraux for the song À rebours , Nietszche and Michel Onfray for C’est pas moi , the films Birdy and Interstellar.

Mylène had actively promoted the album with the interviews in the media (press, radio, TV) for the release of the album. Interviews are given to French but also American, Swiss, German and Canadian media.

A large part of the interviews were carried out over three days from November 8 to 10, 2015. Mylène received journalists in a suite at the Royal Monceau hotel in Paris surrounded by Sting and Martin Kiersenbaum in front of a large canvas showing the visual on the back of the ‘album. Journalists could cover any subject they wanted except those relating to private life.

Important milestone for the Interstellaires that is Mylène’s first album (!!!) released in the United States on an American label, Martin Kierszenbaum’s, Cherry Tree Records. It is offered on legal download platforms. It only took 30 years after the My mom is wrong to break thought to the American music market. Although it’s a small potato for the US music, it is a gigantic victory for Mylene! I am rejoiced for her!

“The primary goal of this album is absolutely not to conquer the United States. I knew Martin for his compositions, and I wanted to work with him. The point is that besides being a composer, musician and producer, he is also a label owner (Cherrytree Music Compagny, editor’s note). He simply had the kindness and the good idea to put me on his label. ” (Mylène Farmer – QMI Agency – 11/13/2015) Well, humble she is always and that is why I love her so much, but I still think deep down she is proud of what she had accomplished.

In fact to my joy, I have found reviews from the American music sources and they are much nicer than French critics

Metroweekly.com: “A hazy rubble of tremoring guitars and drums creates a shimmering opening on “Interstellaires.” Farmer’s expressive voice, like a bridge of sighs and coos, at once creates the kind of voluptuous and ethereal melody she has built her entire career on. As a result of retaining her rich tapestry of sound, its swirling distress is oddly comforting.”

“Farmer knows how to present her songs to an ever refined degree but it is to the expense of sounding distinct from previous works.”

Although the song that has gotten the most attention here in The States is Mylène’s duet with Sting on the re-imagining of “Stolen car” from his 2003 album “Sacred Love” (there was even an article in “Rolling Stone”), the entire album no doubt got the attention it aimed for (and if not intergalactic, but international for sure)

A poster campaign for the album from November 5, 2015 is offered in stations in France (1900 posters format 120 * 175 bus shelters) and in the Paris metro (4×3 posters on one hundred platforms). It will last between one and two weeks depending on the location.

The album went straight to number one on the Top Albums France and sold 109,971 copies in one week. There is only one week number 1 left in this ranking.

It became the twelfth best-selling album in 2015 ranking including sales of physical media, downloads and streaming. It was certified triple platinum by SNEP (300,000 copies – sales to stores) on December 23, 2015.

After one year of operation, Interstellaires has sold around 315,000 copies in France.

A fine journey but it nevertheless became Mylène’s studio album sold less than Cendres de Lune released in 1986. See charts here: https://mylenefarmerbook.com/studio-albums-performance-chart/

The time has changed, and people attention span is short. Younger generation has different music interests judging by my kids. There are clusters of amazing new stars and its wonderful. However, it is a challenge for Mylene and artists of her statue and era to stay afloat. I will not name others who sprouted out of 80s and no longer creatively active, but you can remember many of them, I am certain. That is why I want us all – the true loyal fans- to stay connected and be there for Mylene through the time by being her robust support system. You all know by now how important it is to her. I also want us to love her by really KNOWING her and not just by superficial appearance.

Would you be satisfied if someone told you they loved you only for the way you look?

That is why I do what I do. Every chapter is a profound journey to the fragment of her life with what was going on personally and creatively, with all the pain and inspiration, with all the inner searched and creative outlets. As much as she is always a bright star to me, I always see a human and a woman with passions and yearning for love, who is just searching for her path in the rough waters of life. She is a soul who is trying to live the earthy life in its fullest and freest way who loves so hard and who gives so much…

Lovely remix (with French words)

Voie Lactée (The Milky Way) is the galaxy that contains our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy’s appearance from Earth:

a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.

For the album cover, it is Mylène’s first collaboration with photographer Ralph Wenig

For this photo shoot which took place in Paris on September 09, 2015, the makeup was entrusted to Christophe Danchaud (yes the one i mentioned many times before) and the hairstyle to John Nollet.

The dress worn by Mylène is a creation by Yiqing Yin from the fall-winter 2012/2013 haute-couture collection, “Spring of Nuwa”.

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lyrics with translation

Pas le droit de s'en faire
Pas plus le droit de s'enfuir
Il m'faut des hop des hop
De l'air de l'air
Il m'faut des hop de l'air des terres
Longue vie aux morts de mes nuits
Qui font la nique à l'ennui
Qui surgissent sans répit
Sans aucun bruit
Longueur des jours alanguis
"L'a quoi bon" dicte ma vie
Une part de moi qui s'en va
Échec, échec tout laisser là
Comme les flocons d'air
De neige en hiver
Qui fondent au printemps
Me perd dans la voie lactée
Amour nu de mystères
M'y plonger dedans
Pas le droit de me taire
Pas plus le droit d'en finir
Il m'faut des hop des hop
De l'air de l'air
Il m'faut des hop de l'air des terres
Longueur et mélancolie
Même laissées là pour la vie
Déposer armes et fracas
Et puis comme ça tout laisser là
Comme les flocons d'air
De neige en hiver
Qui fondent au printemps
Me perd dans la voie lactée
Amour nu de mystères
M'y plonger dedans
C'est comme
Comme les flocons d'air
De neige et je perds
La notion du temps
Je vole dans la voie lactée
Amour nu de mystères
M'y plonger dedans
Comme les flocons d'air
De neige en hiver
Qui fondent au printemps
Me perd dans la voie lactée
Amour nu de mystères
M'y plonger dedans
C'est comme
Comme les flocons d'air
De neige et je perds
La notion du temps
Je vole dans la voie lactée
Amour nu de mystères
M'y plonger dedans


No right to worry
No more right to flee I need
hops, hops, air, air I need
hops, air, land
Long live the dead of my nights
Who screw boredom
Who arise without respite, without any noise
Length of languid days
"What good" dictates my life
A part of me that goes
Failure, failure leave everything there
Like flakes of air
Snow in winter Melting
in spring
Lost in the Milky Way
Hemmed in mysteries
Dive into it
No right to be silent
No more right to end it I need
hops, hops, air, air I need
hops, air, land
Length and melancholy
Even left there for life
Put down weapons and crash
And then like that leave everything there
Like flakes of air
Snow in winter Melting
in spring
Lost in the Milky Way
Hemmed in mysteries
Dive into it
It's like flakes of air
Snow and I lose
The notion of time
I fly in the milky way
Hemmed in mysteries
Dive into it
Like flakes of air
Snow in winter Melting
in spring
Lost in the Milky Way
Hemmed in mysteries
Dive into it
It's like flakes of air
Snow and I lose
The notion of time
I fly in the milky way
Hemmed in mysteries
Dive into it