Guillaume Ferran

"I know that you can do well with little. I'm not at all into overkill. Song and emotion come first".

He first experimented with this vision with his group Quadricolor, which became Griefjoy in 2013, where he was both singer, pianist and co-producer of the records.

"At the time, our songs were often too rich, but since then I've learned to put myself at the service of the songs and not try to dress them up at all costs to the point of masking their singularity under layers of unnecessary arrangements, although sometimes reassuring. You have to get to the heart of the matter. It's a mantra that was applied during the recording of Victor Solf's next album, for which Guillaume is producer and co-composer, and Camélia Jordana's fourth album, on which he played a part.

This taste for simplicity comes from his favourite instrument, the piano, which he has played since the age of four at the Conservatoire, from which he graduated with three prizes: classical, jazz and contemporary music. "I feel like I can say anything with the piano. It's become an extension of my brain, and it's an incredibly versatile instrument. He recorded two solo albums with the piano in 2017 and 2019, following in the footsteps of neo-classical musicians such as Nils Frahm and Max Richter. His compositions find their natural place when it comes to illustrating fiction films, series such as season 3 of Calls for Canal + or successful documentaries such as One breath around the world, in which freediving champion Guillaume Néry travels around the world underwater.

When he composes for film, Guillaume Ferran likes the music to tell a story that cannot be seen on screen. In his view, music has to be able to combine opposites. This could sum up his general approach to his work.