Camille used to be an architect, but after a car crash decided that life is too short to not do what you love. So she became a singer.
And a colossal fan base of fervent followers are glad about that!
Camille is one of Ireland’s most exciting performers who enjoys a formidable international reputation for her dramatic interpretations of the narrative songs of Nick Cave, Brel, Waits, Bowie, Radiohead and more.
Just as much a storyteller as a singer, chameleon-like on stage, her performances are sometimes heartrending, occasionally mischievous but always spine-tingling, exhilarating carousel ride.
With her voice ranging from emotive rock to vulnerable whisper, Camille is fierce, playful and totally mesmerizing, transforming each song she interprets into a gripping theatrical experience. In this new show, The Carny Dream, she has been inspired by the strange, magical, dark and light world of Circus and dreams, asking herself ‘where are you now and what did you dream?’
The BBC refer to her as the Queen of the Fringe,and n 2015 she won the prestigious Helpmann Award for her Sydney Festival shows and a Best Music Argus Award at Brighton Festival.
She has previously won best music awards at Dublin and Melbourne Festivals and a Spirit of the Fringe at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She collects awards with ease!
And she comes here fresh from a sellout residency in New York: ‘The eccentric, dramatic singer people can’t stop talking about,’ declared The Independent.
Before she arrives at The Stables (on March 15), she went On Track with Total MK and explains the music, and the artists that inspire her...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
Moonage Daydream by Bowie through my sister wall, had to listen to everything of us afyer being blown away by that.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Physical, love to see the art work and the song order the musician had in mind!
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'
Took a while to know that, I had been an architect , I had bad car crash and pretty much thought I want to be a singer
Your best on stage memory...
Hard to choose, singing on Later with Jools, the Royal Albert Hall, singing with Shane McGowan ‘Fairytale of New York’ at London O2 while snow fell all around us while we danced.
And the worst gig you've ever done
Eek, there’s been a few over the years, being electrocuted on stage, falling over two monitors, when the stars do not align between audience and musicians, being heckled once, hated that burst into tears on stage!
What made you take up singing
Well I was never trained as a singer and to be honest am nervous of going on stage and audiences, but I love to sing the emotive songs of Jacuqes Brel, Cave, Bowie and become someone else. Not interested in reality think I prefer the fantasy of stage and inhabiting these different people in the songs they made. It’s a bit cathartic to be allowed to be so emotional rocking it out or singing a ballad.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
Into my arms by Nick Cave, bittersweet love song.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
Recently music I put to a poem The virgin at the Statue of Granrd speaks by Paula Meehan our Irish poet Laureate about a sad true story, it’s about 11 mins long and allowed you to bring the story to life on stage by being diff people in the song
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Tom Waits for his left of centre bonkers theatricality and strange lullabies, leonard cohen gor dignity, humour and spiritual charisma, Bowie for chameleon rocking out and Nick Cave for his black humorand preacher like performacnes, I’d try to be inspired by each on how they perform on stage, think they all have/had incredible stage presence nevr mind being brilliant writers.
Are there any current influences you look to
Other then the above, radiohead, arcade fire, pj Harvey, patti smith and of course the great prince.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Not really into house music or certain musicals
Finally, plug your show at The Stables in Milton Keynes - what can we expect?
The Carny Dream, it ahs been likened to an emotional rollercoaster, where I’ve been asked out of the twenty different people I become on stage which one is you?
There is dark and light, joy and sadness, the band never really know what I’ll get up to. There is a theme of circus and dreams that run through out and in the end a small love letter to Bowie, Prince and since his passing I will include Cohen with one of my favourite lines that really invokes the show: “there is a crack in everything that’s how the light gets in."
The show is quite rocky and theatrical and I like to bring people on a journey, it starts quite enigmatically and I unravel as the show unfolds!
Have a drink and enjoy x
For more information and tour dates click here
