INTERVIEW: Brand new single from Thomas Azier

Dutch singer, composer and producer Thomas Azier has spent the last twelve years making an impression in the European music scene, crafting a sound that’s travelled far beyond his early electronic pop origins. Across six albums, his creative output has gradually meandered towards increasingly experimental spheres, blending electronic textures with a more layered and emotionally complex musical style. Informed by years spent living in Berlin and Paris, his work carries a poignant, cinematic quality, balancing melancholy with a knack for dramatic composition.

It’s a sonic vision that’s found its way into film and fashion, with “Love, Disorderly” featuring in The Equalizer 3 and tracks including “Red Eyes” and “The Dreamer In Her” appearing in Yves Saint Laurent campaigns. Alongside his own releases, Thomas has written and produced for other European artists, while his work on stage has taken him through more than 600 live performances, with appearances at festivals such as Lowlands and Best Kept Secret, alongside the Montréal and Istanbul Jazz Festivals.

Throughout this journey, his music has continued to move between different forms, leaving behind the sharper edges of electronic pop in favour of an sound that now emphasises atmosphere, experimentation and emotional storytelling. His more recent catalogue includes albums such as Love, Disorderly in 2020, A Collection Of Broken Ideas the next year and The Inventory Of Our Desire which landed in 2023. Across these releases, Thomas has continued to explore the opportunities he sees by combining electronic music with more expansive arrangements.

His latest work takes that context further, bringing string arrangements into contact with pop music and allowing songs and instrumentals to form in the same cinematic space which finds a new focus in his latest single titled “Beluga In The Seine.” The track takes its inspiration from an extraordinary and ultimately tragic event that played out in France in 2022, when a beluga whale was discovered swimming in the Seine. Far from its Arctic habitat and significantly underweight, the animal was monitored by drones as plans were made to nurse it back to health and return it to the ocean.

After being lifted from the river, however, the whale died while being transported towards the sea and as such, the incident became an example of the difficulties marine animals face as climate change affects their migration patterns. The story carried an emotional impact for Thomas that extended beyond the circumstances of the rescue attempt; Belugas are social animals that depend on their pods yet this whale’s cries travelled along the river without an answer. The contrast between an inherently social creature and its isolation gave the event a tragic, almost operatic quality and by not viewing the story from an outside perspective, Thomas chose to imagine the experience from the animal’s point of view, giving the whale a voice through the song.

With Thomas on vocals, synths and drums for the recording, he’s joined by drummer Simon Segers and Adrien Pallot on synths, with a string arrangement by Janos Mijnssen. The inclusion of orchestral instrumentation provides a fitting setting for a story shaped by emotion, displacement and the absence of connection. Pairing tender vocal delivery with the tension of hurried strings and sparse percussive shots, the song flows with airy backing vocal textures and dreamy melodies, casting a dazzling musical experience that’s spellbinding and highly affecting throughout.

The single is accompanied by a short film directed by Jesper Boot, which brings together contrasting scenes to reflect the music’s visual and cinematic style. With upcoming tour dates across the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey, Thomas Azier is continuing to bring this developing musical world to the stage. “Beluga In The Seine” shows how his work seeks to move beyond commercial pop structures and by singing from the perspective of an isolated animal, he turns a tragic encounter into an exploration of belonging and the fragile connections that sustain life.

We caught up with Thomas Azier to find out more about his musical journey so far, his new single “Beluga In The Seine” and what he’s got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with Thomas Azier below.

Hey Thomas, how’s things?

Currently preparing for several shows, always a big thrill.

What’s your earliest memory of making music?

I’d say it’s demoing my own songs on a PC in my bedroom. Learning to listen and working with my voice.

Which artists do you draw most inspiration from?

People like Holger Czukay, David Sylvian and Mark Hollis. There was this specific period I found inspiring, coming from Germany as well as other territories. They were using a broader terrain, jazz, classical, early electronic music. There was a wave of musicians pushing against ‘schlager’ music which literally translates to ‘hits’.

I think what excites me is that they were trying to find a European voice, that definitely pushed back against the idea that music should be an anesthetic, numbing a crowd.

I feel we’re a bit in the same spot now.

How else do you find inspiration for your music?

I look at things, photographs, painting, cinema. Keep friends and people close who introduce me to new ways of thinking and seeing.

What do you love about the Dutch music scene?

I think the dutch scene is quite inventive, technology driven, historically good with programming. This might have to do with early computer chips on the market in the 80’s and 90’s. Many of my friends had computers in the mid-nineties.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?

Live for sure. I look for ephemeral moments, fleeting moments. Offline. I am doubting streaming of music. Maybe today music should exist only as an experience.

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

Well when I started I made sharp electronic pop music, longing for music that was a bit more complex in a way. I needed time to develop, listen, see, and study.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

I’d love to work with Jun Miyake, a Japanese composer and artist living between NY and Paris.

What message did you want to get across with this release?

In 2022, a Beluga whale was discovered in the Seine River in France. The whale was significantly underweight and far from its Arctic habitat. Monitored by drones, the plan was to nurse the whale back to health and return it to the ocean. After the whale was lifted out of the water, it tragically died on its way to the sea. This event, which is not an isolated one, is a consequence of climate change affecting marine animal migrations.

I somehow felt a connection to this whale and I drew connections with being and feeling displaced. Belugas are social creatures that rely on their pod, yet this one’s cries echoed down the Seine completely unanswered. To me, it felt like a story of operatic proportions.

What artist have you been listening to most recently?

A lot of Tohnstartssbandht. I love this track called HYMN.

What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?

I want music to be devastating. To stop you in your tracks. Almost in a violent way. I really dislike music that you can do the dishes to. Or ‘work out’ playlists, or ‘chill playlists’.

In my perfect world all of that goes first. I want music that breaks my head and my heart. That exhausts me. Where I have to sit down and listen, and that’s the only thing I can do.

I don’t know if my music does that, but that’s my aim.

What’s been your favourite live performance so far?

I saw a work by the godfather of minimalism: La Monte Young at the Bourse du Commerce in Paris. It was incredible. A three hour piece that flew by and put you in a state of flux/ flow.

Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?

I would create a festival where the room and the space is the main attraction. In there you’d find performers, instrumentalists, working with the space. Always solo, no amplification.

Short sets of 5/10 min each. Multiple times a day. Light changing. You can go from space to space. Vocalists, poets, musicians, field recordings. Just experiences.

Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?

Remain curious. Never stop researching. Find funding for your music in any way possible, even if that means part time other work.

Finally, what do you have lined up next?

I’m releasing my album next year, so I’m full time working towards that. My aim is to play as much as I can, in any way I can. With the current touring and musical climate this is a real challenge. So my goal is to remain afloat and keep doing this somehow.

Listen to Beluga In The Seine below