Bleunwenn
Bleunwenn is a mystical folk pop band hailing from Brittany. Combining traditional folk melodies with modern pop sensibilities, Bleunwenn creates a spellbinding experience that resonates with the soul.
How did you get started in music, and what was the inspiration behind your Bleunwenn project?
I started singing as a kid, and would record myself on tapes to improve. I was very shy and quite mutic so it has been a long and arduous journey. I wanted to learn the guitar very young but it wasn’t accessible to me so I taught myself when I was around 16 on my dad’s old acoustic. My grandpa was an accordionist and had an orchestra, that later on my dad played in as well. He has this very deep and powerful Breton voice. None of it was taught to me but I inherited it in my blood anyway. Like him, I have at times auditory visions of music when I sleep or daydream. Many of my songs started like that. I taught myself on the computer and the synth as well. Took many trials to achieve a song I was happy with, and i am still very much a student.
Bleunwenn started around 2020. It means White Flower in Breton. The main reason I make music is to crystallise moments and sublime life experiences, healing myself in the process. So the themes are quite intimate, but I accept to lay it all bare if it means a (very tiny and specific 😁) niche might resonate. I also wanted to bring together pride and hope for our folk, a use of the runes and of my ancestral tongue, colourful and fun sounds of defiance amidst the current Grand Guignol that is our reality. But really, I never conceptualised a specific sound or goal, I just let things come organically.
Pagan music is dominated by dark and obscure genres like neofolk, dungeon synth and black metal. But your music has a distinct pop influence. Tell us about the influence pop music has had on you.
It is simply what I had access to the most as a kid so that’s what feels the most natural. It’s quite naive in that way. I was always fascinated by the occult aspect of it though and how profoundly it can shape our reality, seemingly hijacking the collective unconscious. I studied it like a woman on a mission, artists’ interviews especially, to collect and integrate the essence of their craft and formulas to make my own potent counter-spells later, in a spirit of restoration. As I sing in “Kiss my Breton soul”: “I’m not just being harmonious, it’s a musical Arminius”. I always had a defiant outlook and knew from the cradle that music would be my weapon. I can feel my sound evolving however, so we shall find out where it leads…
Aside from pop, what are your other influences?
I’ve been listening to a lot of atmospheric metal, neo-folk and post-punk in the recent years. Traditional Celtic music. I also love dungeon synth and will always love classic rock from the 80’s and 90’s. I had a huge synthpop phase as well. I had many different obsessions along the years, electronica being another, so my influences are very wide. As long as it catches my ear…
How does paganism influence your music and your life?
It has been a return to myself in the most beautiful way. I contacted a deity a few years back to help me remove a blockage that was holding me back greatly. She delivered in an incredibly powerful way that transformed my entire life. There was no denying then that the Gods were not only listening but guiding and protecting me beyond measure, and that there must have been a good reason I made it, after overcoming such a myriad of obstacles. This wonderful return to my roots is one of my driving forces.
What are you working on now? Are there any plans to continue working on The Valkyries with Emma Sól?
I’m working on my second album that I hope will be out in 2025. Things might be planned but I cannot say more yet. The Valkyries EP is on hold for now, some songs are recorded but are missing parts. If it’s meant to be it will bloom eventually. I may or may not collaborate with certain someones as well. I have been recording a little cover in Breton during Yule. 🤫✨
Are there any books or movies that have had an impact on you, that you would recomend?
I enjoy reading Jungian literature as i can relate to his wide exploration of the subconscious. The human psyche has always fascinated me.
I had a dream a long time ago about a tree that was also a stairway, and i remember looking down at the shadow path underneath, afraid of what was hidden down there. Curiosity did not kill this cat. 🐱
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