« Quand Aliocha Schneider a composé les pièces de son premier disque, Eleven Songs, paru en 2017, il y a mis le paquet dans les émotions et dans les images. Le cœur brassait de grosses affaires, comme le deuil, dans un portrait plutôt métaphorique. Revoici le chanteur avec un nouveau recueil de chansons sur lequel il a entamé plusieurs virages, dont celui de la précision et de « la vérité des sentiments ».
Aliocha was born under a lucky star in Paris in 1993. Belonging to the talented Schneider family, the Montrealer by adoption quickly tried his hand at theatre, television, and film. The versatile die-hard fan of Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon wrote his first songs as a teenager, but kept them to himself for a time.
It’s a chance encounter in a cafe that changed everything. That day, Aliocha met the infamous Jean Leloup who, with the boundless enthusiasm we know him for, gave him the strength and opportunity to record his songs. With the help of the Wolf and his band Last Assassins, the artist recorded demos for a first EP-in-the-making, which his future record label Audiogram liked straight away.
Then came another decisive encounter: Samy Osta, the well-known French producer and sound engineer, who made his mark with bands like La Femme, Feu! Chatterton, and Juniore. It’s with his new accomplice that he established the signature sound that would make up Sorry Eyes, a first EP released in Fall 2016 on Audiogram in Québec and PIAS in France. From then on, Aliocha’s life wasn’t just going to happen in his two countries, but across both continents, namely thanks to a tour opening for the likes of Charlotte Cardin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Mike Flannery.
The scene was set for a first full-length the following year. Carried by a powerful piano, chiming guitars, and a folk sensibility in tune with his influences, Eleven Songs ushered in the beginning of a new era in the artist’s career. Thanks to millions of listens on streaming platforms, Aliocha had the opportunity to perform at many well-known festivals, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Great Escape in Brighton, Reeperbahn in Hamburg, the Printemps de Bourges, and FNAC Live in Paris, where he played for 15,000 people.
Buoyed by quite the impressive track record, the singer-songwriter released his second album on March 20th, 2020 in which he shakes off his most obvious folk influences. Once again produced by Samy Osta, Naked was recorded over a few months in Paris, harnessing the sparkling chemistry between the French producer and Québécois artist.
From the entrancing and bewildering opener The Party to a foray into psych Americana with Moon, through the bewitching soul diatribe Peggy, the surprising bluesy trap musings of Turn to Grey, the languorous Your Sex Is Perfect, and the sober folk lament Run Baby Run, Aliocha bares himself with poise and sensitivity, without shame or embarrassment.