Newcastle-born, London-based solo artist and composer Mezanmi (pronounced ‘mes amis’) enters a new era, with his upcoming album Always Upwards this week. Fran O’Hanlon (aka Mezanmi) previously released two critically acclaimed albums under the name AJIMAL amassing over five million streams and featured on BBC 6 Music, The Times and Radio X. He has supported Van Morrison, Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley to name a few and even created the opening credits of Mae Martin’s hit Netflix series ‘Feel Good.’ O’Hanlon was one of the winners of the 2020 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition and composed the original score for the short film ‘We/Us.’ His latest album sees a continuation of his collaboration with double-Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Guy Massey. (Spiritualized, Richard Hawley, Bill Fay)
Always Upwards is a stunningly accomplished ambient folk album, rippling with breath-taking vocals, searingly smart, literate poetic lyrics, poignant political commentary, emotive harmonies and intricate, tessellating riffs. The album spellbinds with its fusion of intimate electronic dream-pop and contemporary classical soundscapes, laced with insight depth and dark beauty. The treasure trove of collaborators includes the artist Sandrayati (Decca), Kieran Brunt of Shards (Erased Tapes) and Academy Award and Mercury-nominated actor and musician Jessie Buckley. With Mezanmi they have created sonic magic.
‘Always Upwards‘ draws on his own experiences and reflections as an NHS palliative care doctor and a fascination with the strains of our society’s increasingly precarious relationship with the world around us, in a culture that has come to expect and demand continual progress. It is filled with questions and self- examination but does not lose sight of hope. After featuring in our Tracks of the Week with the stunning ‘Two Strangers’ track with Jessie Buckley, GIITTV were delighted to chat to Mezanmi ahead of the release of his upcoming album.
Your new album ‘Always Upwards’ is achingly beautiful and covers themes that seem so darkly prescient in today’s political climate. Where did the name Always Upwards come from?
“A few years ago, I heard a talk about the emergence of superfast internet and the changes that would bring in our society. It was centred on the notion that everything will continue to get more immediate and convenient – and therefore better. It’s a very privileged viewpoint but I think it’s what many of us unquestioningly expect having experienced these huge technological leaps forward our whole lives. There’s just no real thought of things going the other way but of course it’s delusional to expect continual improvement or growth. At some point there has to be a pause or a regression – or a collapse.”
How does your experience as an NHS Palliative Care Doctor feed into your songwriting? Does it give you an existential insight into what really matters?
“It’s easy to get very wound up in this microcosm of making an album and to start taking yourself too seriously. My medical job is definitely helpful for stepping away from that. I also really love my work; I meet a lot of interesting people – often at very important times in their lives and it feels like a privilege to be trusted in that way. That does help to put things in perspective, for sure. In the same way, music gives me an important release from the medical side, which can get heavy at times, so I think the two balance each other well. Then it’s just continuing to figure out how to juggle them.”
You were successful before under the name AJIMAL. What made you decide to change your name. Does it represent a rebirth or change of direction at all?
“It felt like the right time to change from AJIMAL for a couple of reasons. The first was that the name had originally been used by a Haitian witchdoctor who was part of the Duvalier regime, which was a very brutal time in Haiti. The effects of that time are still felt today for a number of people and the more I thought about it the more it didn’t feel right to continue under that name. With the release of this new album, it also felt like the right moment to start something new. The music feels like a step forward for me but it’s not a conscious change in direction as such – it’s just music that it felt right to make. The name Mezanmi also comes from Haiti but isn’t linked to the same history. It’s a phonetic word, which is used all the time, pronounced like ‘mes amis’ in French and is used as an expression of surprise or joy.”
‘Mezanmi’ is a Haitian Creole word, which is used as an expression of surprise. As a medical student, O’Hanlon spent a sabbatical year in Haiti and was caught in the aftermath of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. O’Hanlon is of British, Irish and German descent and prior to his studies, he spent a year living in Paris working as a career. His love of languages drew him to Creole, which held a fascination as he learned about its phonetic spellings and origins in French; words that become musical and reveal their meaning when spoken aloud. Mezanmi (‘mes amis’) is a perfect example of the magic of this language.
Is song/ art an important vessel for reflecting life’s ills or a more palatable easily digestible way to reflect the darker aspects of the human condition?
“Most definitely. It can be a vessel for reflecting anything. I’m certainly not someone who feels the need to put every emotion or experience into song, but I think when that bubbles to the surface, it’s a healthy thing. Someone recently told me this Bertolt Brecht quote which feels very appropriate for the present moment: “Will there be singing in the dark times? Yes, there will be singing about the dark times”.
Was there a mission statement with this record? What are the key themes that you address in it?
“I like the idea of ‘beautiful noise’ and that’s a focus that I had in mind. In terms of themes, I tried to put my own failures under the microscope, whereas previously I’d shied away from that. I find it tempting to talk in the third person in songs when I’m being critical – to make out that I’m above the problem and exonerating myself, but actually I realised the words felt better when I owned up to my own failures and attached my name to them rather than hiding behind some notional other.”
It seems full of questions and self-reflection but with an underlying sense of hope. Do you think there is hope in today’s society despite the darkness?
“I think there has to be hope. It’s very easy to feel defeatist but that doesn’t do any of us any good. Feeling angry can be good, but only if it spurs us on to do something positive with that feeling. I think we can make differences in the world around us in small ways and that is definitely important. We have to try.“
Self- reflection in this album seems to hold a mirror up to society and encourages the listener to do the same. How important is self reflection to you in relation to this album? Is it important for us all to take responsibility in terms of the state of the world today?
“When I set out at the beginning, I didn’t really know what I had to say that was interesting. I think once I set out to be more honest about my own failures, it felt a lot easier to find things to write about that felt like a true perspective. I think it’s very difficult to truly take responsibility because it’s so difficult to comprehend life in anyone else’s shoes. We’re also constantly being bombarded with unrealistic ideas of success, happiness and beauty so we’re never satisfied with our lot and therefore we always think we deserve better than what we have. “
What are the key musical influences in ‘Always Upwards’?
“It’s a melting pot and Guy (Massey) and I often send each other things we’re listening to and enjoying. One of the bands I love that Guy introduced me to is Low. Double Negative was a game changer of an album for me and definitely shaped this idea of beautiful noise that I’ve been pursuing.”
Album opener, the haunting ‘ Steal Me Away’ seems to reflect on migration and the heart breaking stories of people risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean and the Channel. Was it important for you to address issues such as this in your album? Was it important to have the dual voices in that song- did that emphasise the sense of family or unity in the song? What was it like working with Sandrayati?
“Steal Me Away was the first song I wrote for the album and it felt right that it should be the opener. For quite a while, I only had the first verse and the line ‘steal me away’. It took a little while for the rest to follow. During that time I was reading accounts of people risking their lives to cross the sea in search of safety – and seeing the way they were talked about as a “swarm” or less than human. I wanted to try and counter that perspective with one of empathy. Having Sandrayati be part of the song was a wonderful aligning of the stars. I heard a song of hers on the Radio 3’s Unclassified and reached out to her. I sent her this song and wasn’t sure if it would go anywhere but she brought so much to it and it would feel very empty without her on it now. “
Similar themes seem to be addressed in ‘The Numbers’ exploring the dehumanisation of groups of people as a means of keeping an emotional distance and avoiding personal guilt or complicity. When the song says: “ It’s not me or my baby, or anyone I know… or anyone I’d care to know” it hits with a pounding force. Does your work as a palliative care doctor reinforce this? The key importance of ALL lives? Was this inspired by COVID ‘numbers’ or war or migration and the government’s heartless ‘small boats’ narrative or all at once?
“The Numbers is the song that took me the longest to finish, even though in many ways it’s lyrically very simple. Sadly, as time goes on, it becomes relevant to more and more examples. Originally, I wrote it about the killings of black men and women at the hands of police officers and gun deaths in the US, but it felt very appropriate during covid, particularly when conspiracy theorists and deniers started to emerge more and more. Fundamentally it’s about closing your eyes when you don’t want to see something that troubles you. It’s easier to ignore human suffering if you dehumanise the person who is suffering.”
‘To You, My Friends,’ was celebrated on John Kennedy’s ‘Best of 2023″ playlist on Radio X – It’s a clear message of how essential important people from all over the world are especially front line workers. It seems to dismantle the ignorant narrative on migration, emphasising the fact that migration is something any society cannot survive without.
“That’s exactly the message behind it. Working in the health service, I’m work with people from all over the world every day and without these people, all our public services and our way of life would collapse. We simply can’t have a society without migration. There are so many lies to whip up fear about migration that some people have lost sight of that.“
‘Again, Again,’ written after the murder of Sarah Everard. Can you tell us more about the sentiments behind this song. The line “And so I continue to sit behind my comfortable words and wait” it’s reflective of the whole of society. It’s a real kick to the solar plexus. Does it reflect virtue signalling in times of darkness?
“It’s exactly about virtue signalling and finding it easy to say “never again” when an atrocity like Sarah’s murder happens – but then never actually changing behaviour, so the words are worthless and hollow (“thoughts and prayers”). I’d written an earlier version which felt like it was pointing the finger but at the same time trying to exonerate myself. I had to make myself own up to being part of the problem.”
What are your favourite tracks on the album?
“Like Spun Gold ‘feels like we really pushed at the boundary of our own comfort, which I like. Lyrically it feels one of the best to me; I wanted to get the malice in there but deliver it poetically. I think it’s Guy’s favourite on the album. It just explodes in the instrumental section and we really leaned into that. I’m really happy with the way the whole album has come together and so far there’s nothing that I would change, which I think is a good sign..“
What are the ones you consider the most powerful, the darkest or the most profound?
I hope that the whole album takes people on a journey of those three experiences – All I Am And Am Not is probably the most personal song on the album. It’s written about that spiral of self doubt and panic. It’s meant to be a sort of mantra for trying to let that feeling pass when it overwhelms you.
‘Like Spun Gold’ is another powerful track “ With Gilded words, you duck and swerve so skillfully” “ Your greedy little eyes….leaning into lying” together with the dark glitchy soundscape has a dystopian vibe but it’s so very real nowadays. It’s smart and darkly poetic. Is this addressing politicians?
“Yes, there are a couple of notable politicians in particular who came to mine and inspired that one… I wanted to address it to them directly and make it sort of verbose and poetic but then also allow it to descend into chaos and noise.“
‘Two Strangers’ is such a breath-taking and achingly beautiful song. What was it like working with Jessie Buckley. How did you first collaborate?
“Jessie is just phenomenal. I met her after supporting her and Bernard Butler a couple of years ago and the whole band were so brilliant and welcoming. Jessie’s voice and her way of performing are just exceptional. We spoke after the gig and I was a bit blown away when she suggested singing something together. She came down to Guy’s studio for an afternoon it just fell into place perfectly. I was so happy she could be part of the song and now can’t imagine it without her on there.”
And how did you meet your other collaborators?
“I met Guy about 10 years ago when I won a competition to work with him. We then became friends and have made a couple of albums together. He’s an incredibly kind, supportive and creative person to work with and I feel extremely lucky to get to do so! Kieran Brunt (Shards) also appears on the album. I’d admired his work for a little while and just reached out to him. He added some extra vocal layers to Beautiful Town which bring so much out of the song. Manu Toro created the incredible album artwork and I went over to Madrid to work with him on part of it. It was such a joy to see that all come together and he’s a really amazing person to have collaborated with. “
Also how do you fit it all in working so hard on the front line as well as making such epic music?
“That’s very kind of you. It’s taken quite a long time to make this album but I think that’s been a healthy thing – not to have to rush and to give it time to develop so I could feel like it’s right now it’s finished. It’s always a bit of a juggling act… I’m enjoying the juggling though.“
Where can we get your record from and any plans to tour the record?
“There’s a limited edition pressing of the album on vinyl which is available to order now from my website (www.mezanmi.net) and will also be available at the tour dates I’m playing in London, Brighton, North Shields, Oxford, Glasgow and some others to be announced soon. We just got 100 copies pressed initially so there’s not many of them left.“
Always Upwards is out 22 November and Mezanmi is playing the following dates below:
NOVEMBER
20 – Paper Dress Vintage – London
22 – Folklore Rooms – Brighton
30 – Three Tanners Bank – Newcastle
JANUARY
26 – The Hug and Pint – Glasgow
Photo Credit: Alex Kozobolis
