At first blush, the mixture of hip-hop with classical music may cause some to struggle with imagining Sofiane Pamart’s music.
Yet the French pianist and rap artist has taken the world by storm and is now slated to bring his unique sound to Sidney when he appears at the Charlie White Theatre on March 23.
One thing is certain. The audience will be treated to a level of creativity not generally found within the confines of what’s usually expected in popular music.
This amazing artist’s international acclaim began when he was named a gold medalist at the famous French music school, Conservatoire de Lille. That fame has grown and his 2022 album LETTER (written while touring Asia) and his 2023 creation, NOCHE, (written during the several months he spent touring Latin America) have cemented his position as an international superstar.
There’s a spiritual clarity to Pamart’s music as his piano interludes come into play during his tracks, but there is also no way of defining his music or anticipating what will come next. While hip-hop and classical music are in many ways perceived as being at odds with each other, Pamart has somehow managed to find a way. He’s worked with world famous rappers and found a way to bridge the chasm that exists between rap and his classical background.
In a recent interview with The Harvard Crimson, Pamart explained the process.
“I understood that when I’m working with them (rap artists), I need to focus only on what makes them react emotionally,” Pamart said. “I needed to quit the classical world and the way they think to make my music more emotional.”
Pamart’s public entry to the musical world in 2019 came at what was perhaps the worst possible time. COVID-19 soon after brought the shutdown of live performances, much to the frustration of his newly developing fan base.
But Pamart was not deterred.
As soon as live shows were allowed, his first stop was the Montreux Jazz Festival, beginning his rise to renewed fame.
He has now released an album every year since 2019 and the title of his latest album PLANET sums up his musical goal.
“I didn’t want to play it for some of the people on this planet. I want to play it for everyone,” Pamart told the Crimson.
Tickets for Pamart’s Sidney concert are available at tickets.marywinspear.ca. Click here for your chance to WIN two tickets to the show!