Angus and Julia Stone: “Obviously all our music is about love”

They evoke in us a sweet nostalgia, that of adolescence, of innocent summers
hum “Big Jet Plane”, “Grizzly Bear”, “Chateau”… If both have a
solo career, Angus and Julia Stone, brother and sister, always end up meeting again. In
witness “Cape Forestier”, a new album in which the duo invites its folk roots and multiplies itself
the beautiful, timeless love stories effectively.

Madmoizelle met them during their visit to Paris in April, in an apartment in the 3rd arrondissement. Always smiling, generous and in love with the French capital, where they happily spent a few days before starting the promotional marathon, they will return for several dates in France between the end of the month and June.

This is your sixth album together. What did you want to say when you started creating “Cape Forestier”, one of your purest records?

Angus Stone. The idea was to return home, where we started from. At our beginnings, us
we were little, we had left school, we were learning to write in the living room
record a piece, before sharing what we had created with the public. When we started recording this record, we found this feeling in our new studio, Sugarcane Mountain Studios. Julia and I have always been rooted in what we do, and that’s what got us to where we are today.

What does the title “Cape Forestier” mean?

Giulia Pietra. “Cap Forestier” is the name of a boat, a fishing vessel owned
one of our friends. We wrote the song as a thank you. She talks about ours
parents and grandparents, sailors and adventurers. It is a tribute to this group of people who took risks and set out with courage, without knowing what awaited them.

Once again, love songs are at the heart of your music. Let’s talk about “The Wedding Song”, a very beautiful ballad that you have been playing in concert for several years, and that you finally share in an album. What is the story of this piece?

Giulia Pietra. It’s a song that we’ve always played live, that we’ve shared with fans.
Many have sent us images of their weddings, with this recording playing in the background
as they walked down the hall. In the recording you could hear the crowd
we applaud and thought we should really give the fans a nicer sounding recording. Then we decided to make a music video with fan videos. It was amazing, we received videos of love celebrations from different cultures. Of the 500 videos received, we managed to integrate 80. Obviously all our music is about love…

You each have your own solo careers, but you always find each other in the end. What particular pleasure do you get from playing together?

Giulia Pietra. We both collaborate with many musicians, artists and
amazing producers, but with Angus it’s not the same as working with someone
other. I don’t know if it’s because we’re brother and sister, I think there’s something else
what… We have seen each other through so many experiences. Nobody knows me well
Angus knows me, he’s unique. There may also be something genetic in ours
voice. When we sing together in harmony, it’s very special, I have a feeling that
the vibrations move together.

You’ve traveled to the four corners of the world, you’ve even lived overseas, but you now reside at home in Australia. What’s so special there that you can’t find elsewhere?

Angus Stone. I think the beauty of Australia lies in its natural aspect, it’s a lot
vast.

Giulia Pietra. Australia is a bit of a lesson in humility. As you cross the Nullarbor, you
I can drive four hours without meeting anyone, it’s the desert with the sky open 180°
degrees in front of you. Storms cross the sky, even if they are not near us. I
I agree with what Angus says about nature: we are only a very small point in the world.
It’s the same with sailing, when you’re on the ocean you’re so vulnerable and you
you have no control, you just have to accept and be brave.

You have always toured a lot in France. In 2017 you gave the name to
poet Baudelaire to one of your pieces. What do you like about French culture?

Angus Stone. Baudelaire’s poem, “Enivrez-vous”, says that one must be drunk on everything, from
music, love… I really like this idea. I also love Paris, which I find very beautiful
with its parks where you can see people doing tai chi, others coming looking for one
moment of peace. There is a crossroads of cultures.

Giulia Pietra. We have the impression that French culture is very engaging. I feel
this feeling among the French, and I know it’s a stereotype, but there’s like a
sensuality and a way of being fully in touch with life. Sydney is a lot
different. When we go out in the evening we mostly see young people going to the disco. In Paris you can
passing 75-year-olds sitting outside at midnight drinking a glass of red wine. There is
an important cultural aspect in French culture that says life is for everyone. We feel truly connected to this culture and to the French people’s passion for art, music and love.

“Cape Forestier” by Angus and Julia Stone. Available from May 10th. In concert in Nantes on the 23rd
May, in Lille, on May 22nd, at the Olympia (Paris), on June 14th and at the Grand Rex (Paris), on June 15th.

Listen to Apéro des Daronnes, Madmoizelle’s show that aims to break down taboos on parenting.