Coeur de Pirate On Loving Liz Lemon, Covering Kenny Rogers And What She …

Listening to the dreamy and sophisticated French indie pop of Coeur De Pirate, it’s hard to imagine that the singer/songwriter also known as Béatrice Martin would have much of anything in common with the Snuggie-sporting, Teamster sub-wolfing and night cheese-working Liz Lemon. It turns out, though, that Martin is a huge fan of “30 Rock” in general and Tina Fey’s smart and unapologetically dorky alter ego in particular. She even sees a bit of herself in the character.

“I love Liz Lemon!” Martin enthusiastically confesses to Huffington Post Canada. “She’s like… everybody, inside of us, is kind of Liz Lemon.”

The dearly departed NBC sitcom is just one part of the singer’s greater televisual obsession, though. “I’m so into TV shows. I love everything. I watch everything,” Martin says before launching into a list of her current viewing habits.

“The Wire” is all-time favourite of hers. She’s up to date on “Game of Thrones,” but admits she’s still a little stunned by the infamous Red Wedding. She hasn’t started “True Detective” yet, but she’s really looking forward to it. She gushes about “Parks and Recreation” and throws in a “Treat Yo Self” for good measure.

She also enjoys the Radio-Canada medical drama “Trauma.”

So when the producers of the show asked her to be the latest Quebecois female artist to cover a collection of popular English language songs for a “Trauma” soundtrack, she leapt at the chance to follow in the footsteps of Ariane Moffatt (seasons 1 and 2), Pascale Picard Band (season 3) and Martha Wainwright (season 4).

“I liked that they used women from Quebec to punctuate every season. I think that’s a great idea. Plus, it’s always cool when they have good music in television series. It’s just good,” Martin explains. “So I said yes. No hard done, just doing some covers.”

Selecting the specific covers that would make up “Trauma: Chansons de la Série Télé, Saison #5,” released this past January, was a collaborative effort between Martin and the producers, who began trading emails about what songs both parties wanted and, in some cases, what they could actually afford the rights for. There was, Martin admits, at least one song she really wanted that would have blown the budget for the project.

“I wanted to get Lou Reed, but Lou Reed was too expensive. Couldn’t get it, but that’s all right.”

They could, however, secure the rights to a number of Martin’s favourites, including “Slow Show” by The National, “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones and “You Know I’m No Good” by the dearly departed Amy Winehouse. Which was both an exciting and intimidating prospect for Coeur de Pirate.

Interview continues after slideshow

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• Coeur De Pirate – You Know I’m No Good (Trauma) – Live Deezer Sessions

  Coeur De Pirate – You Know I’m No Good From the album “Trauma – Chansons de la série télé” : http://www.deezer.com/album/7228369 Subscribe to discover live p…

• Coeur De Pirate – Dead Flowers (Trauma) – Live Deezer Sessions

  Coeur De Pirate – Dead Flowers Subscribe to discover live performances of your favorite artists! Deezer Sessions – See artists in a new light. Discover all l…

• Coeur De Pirate – Flume (Trauma) – Live Deezer Sessions

  Coeur De Pirate – Flume From the album “Trauma – Chansons de la série télé” : http://www.deezer.com/album/7228369 Subscribe to discover live performances of …

• Ain’t No Sunshine – Cœur de Pirate (Lyrics)

  Disclaimer: I do not own anything, all credit goes to the rightful owners. • 79: “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Cœur de Pirate from her new album “Trauma”. • If yo…

• Coeur de Pirate – The Great Escape – Pénélope McQuade 28-04-14 Ici R.-C. Télé

  L’album Trauma sur iTunes : http://bit.ly/1bUqif7 Chez Archambault.ca ( CD ) : http://ow.ly/wkzZd https://www.facebook.com/coeurdepirate.officiel http://musi…

• Coeur de Pirate – Wicked Games/Brutal Hearts/Mission Bells (Live Mod Club)

  0:00 Coeur de Pirate covering Wicked Games by The Weeknd, Singing Brutal Hearts (1:44) and Mission Bells (3:31) with Jay Malinowski Mod Club (11/11/11). ***”…

• Coeur De Pirate Trauma Last Kiss

  download Last Kiss http://adf.ly/dLXTc.

• Coeur De Pirate – Lucille (2014)

  Coeur De Pirate – Lucille, A track from Coeur De Pirate’s “Trauma”, 2014 album, I’m not the owner of this song. If you like this music you can download it fr…

• Coeur De Pirate Trauma Music When The Lights Go Out

  download Music When The Lights Go Out http://adf.ly/dLXei.

• Coeur de pirate – Slow Show

  Song: Slow Show Band: Coeur de pirate Album: Trauma Bandcamp: http://musique.coeurdepirate.com/album/trauma.

• Cœur de Pirate – Dead Flowers en live dans le Grand Studio RTL

  Cœur de Pirate – Dead Flowers en live dans le Grand Studio RTL présenté par Eric Jean-Jean. Voir toutes les vidéos du Grand Studio RTL :http://www.rtl.fr/emi…

• Coeur de Pirate On Strombo: ‘Golden Baby’ Performance

  http://www.strombo.com Couer de Pirate came to the show to perform “Golden Baby.” Watch her performance to discover what everyone’s talking about.

• Brand New ‘Coeur de pirate’ song on Q TV

  www.youtube.com/qtv ‘Place de la Republique’ Since releasing her self-titled debut album last September, the Montreal-based chanteuse has become one of Quebe…

• Coeur De Pirate – I Want It That Way (solo-piano)

  Paroles et Musique : Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson Interprète d’origine : Backstreet Boys Année : 1998 Reprise par Coeur De Pirate pour le 25ème anniversai…

• Coeur de pirate – Adieu (clip officiel)

  Coeur de pirate – “Adieu” – nouveau single disponible : http://bit.ly/oUdKoS “Blonde” nouvel album, sortie le 14 novembre 2011 disponible en digital le 7 nov…

• Coeur de Pirate Julien Doré – Pour un infidèle (clip officiel)

  Issu de l’album “Coeur de Pirate” (disponible)

• Coeur de Pirate “Comme des enfants” – Acoustic / TV5MONDE HD

  Coeur de Pirate interprète “Comme des enfants” dans Acoustic ! http://www.tv5monde.com/acoustic et http://www.facebook.com/tv5mondeacoustic.

• OFF SESSION – Coeur de Pirate: “La Petite Mort”

  + de vidéos sur www.off.tv Issu du très (très) attendu deuxième album de Cœur de Pirate, nommé “Blonde”, voici le titre “La petite mort”, filmé par les équip…

• Tous les Garçons et les Filles – Cœur de Pirate

• True Colors – Cœur de Pirate

  Merci un millions de fois d’avoir uploader ca sur youtube, je voulais tellement sa chanson sur mon ipod.

• Coeur de Pirate – i kissed a girl (Acoustic)

  Coeur de Pirate – i kissed a girl (Acoustic)

• Comme des enfants – Cœur de pirate

  Béatrice Martin, Son arrivée en France, Session Rendez Vous Creation n° 2.

• Coeur de Pirate Umbrella (cover) Printemps de Bourges

  Coeur de Pirate reprend Umbrella de Rihanna en concert au Printemps de Bourges le 25 Avril 2009.

• Armistice (Coeur de Pirate Jay Malinowski) Jeb Rand (Lyrics)

  Armistice (Coeur de Pirate Jay Malinowski) Jeb Rand (Lyrics) https://www.facebook.com/CoeurDePirateForever.

• (HD) Coeur de Pirate – You Belong to Me (old cover) Live @ Rockhal 04-04-2013

  Live @ Rockhal 04-04-2013 – Premier show de la nouvelle tournée de Coeur de Pirate.

“I’m such a fan of all of these songwriters and these people and these bands so it was like ‘Who am I to cover these songs?’ It was hard at times. To make myself feel better, I just went with the first feeling I had when I first listened to these songs, and I tried to recreate that feeling when I sang them. So that’s how I was like ‘OK, I can do this. I can sing these songs.’”

Other songs, like country icon (and roasted chicken magnate) Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille,” challenged Martin for completely different reasons. “It was a big favourite among the production team and I just wasn’t sure,” she admits. “It’s such a country song and it has such a country twang, but I was like ‘Let’s just strip it down. Let’s do it on the piano and I love the song now. It was a good discovery for me on that, to really get into a song, figure out the song meaning.”

The retooling and recording process also gave her a new glimpse into a couple of old favourites. She’s been a fan of “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones and “Music When The Lights Go Out” by The Libertines since her teens, but confesses that she wasn’t really sure what either group was really singing about back then.

“I mean, how could I? I was 15. It’s tough to understand the real meaning of the song when they’re talking about heroin or drug abuse. And even now it’s hard for me to really understand what they were going for, but then again I can probably understand the loneliness at times – especially with that Libertines song – the loneliness that comes with any type of abuse in a relationship. I was kind of basing my stuff on that. But true story: When I was 15 and I first heard those songs, I didn’t get it. I thought I did, but I didn’t.”

Getting to the heart of the songs, understanding their lyrics and how they made Martin feel was a huge part of the process of making “Trauma,” but there was one other factor that influenced her creative decisions as well: as a huge TV fan – and as someone genuinely inspired by soundtracks for shows like “The Wire” – she wanted to make sure that her covers would sound good in the context of the series and set the right moods.

“I needed a feel that was very cinematic. It has this whole appeal to the imagery and to actually fit in the ambiance of the series,” she says. “I feel really strongly that music does change something when it comes to TV shows. I remember watching ‘The Wire,’ in the opening sequence the song was always the same but in every season they were using different people. And it was just so great to see how that punctuated the series. You have the same song sung over and over again by different people and that would give the tone for the whole season. It was great.”

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• Francofolies New York: A Tribute To Edith Piaf

  NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 19: Coeur de Pirate performs during Francofolies New York: A Tribute To Edith Piaf at Beacon Theatre on September 19, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

• Francofolies New York: A Tribute To Edith Piaf

  NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 19: Coeur de Pirate performs during Francofolies New York: A Tribute To Edith Piaf at Beacon Theatre on September 19, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

• Chanel Boutique Inauguration – Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2012

  PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 06: Beatrice Martin attends the Chanel Boutique Inauguration as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 6, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images)

• Valentino: Front Row – Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2012

  PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 06: Singer Béatrice Martin, ‘Coeur de Pirate’ attends the Valentino Ready-To-Wear Fall/Winter 2012 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Espace Ephemere Tuileries on March 6, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

• Valentino: Arrivals – Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2012

  PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 06: ‘Coeur de Pirate’ singer Beatrice Martin arrives at the Valentino Ready-To-Wear Fall/Winter 2012 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Espace Ephemere Tuileries on March 6, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

• Canadian artist Coeur de Pirate performs

  Canadian artist Coeur de Pirate performs on stage during the 26th Victoires de la Musique, yearly French music awards ceremony, on March 1, 2011 at the Palais des Congres concert hall in Paris. AFP PHOTO BERTRAND GUAY (Photo credit should read BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)

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• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

• Coeur de pirate en concert – 12 juin 2012

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  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de Pirate

  Dans le cadre du festival Montréal en Lumière, Coeur de Pirate a présenté son album Blonde au Métropolis, vendredi soir.

• Coeur de pirate pose pour L’Officiel Hommes en lingeriea href=”http://missencageparis.canalblog.com/” target=”_hplink” Mise en Cage/a.

• Coeur de pirate

  Coeur de pirate pose pour L’Officiel Hommes en lingeriea href=”http://missencageparis.canalblog.com/” target=”_hplink” Mise en Cage/a.

• Coeur de pirate

  Coeur de pirate pose pour L’Officiel Hommes en lingeriea href=”http://missencageparis.canalblog.com/” target=”_hplink” Mise en Cage/a.

• Coeur de pirate

  Coeur de pirate pose pour L’Officiel Hommes en lingerie a href=”http://missencageparis.canalblog.com” target=”_hplink”Mise en Cage/a

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• 1. Game of Thrones

  The majesty! The triumph! The fact that this anthem could play before a tournament at Medieval Times Dinner Theatre! Composter Ramin Djawadi more than succeeded at combining the drama of the series with the intensity of its characters and narrative, giving us the perfect theme song (or ringtone) for anyone with a penchant for dragons or a href=”http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/you-know-nothing-jon-snow” target=”_blank”know-nothin’ Jon Snow/a.

• 2. Downton Abbey

  You may not like period dramas, and that’s fine because we’re all allowed to be wrong. But despite your feelings about aristocracy and the Edwardian era, John Lunn’s sweeping melody encompasses the series’ romances, the mansion’s grandeur, and the epic classicism in every episode. Now let’s drink some tea and marry off members of our family.

• 3. Mad Men

  We may have become immune to its effect since the series’ 2007 debut, but RJD2′s “A Beautiful Mine” still embodies the mystery and bleakness of Don Draper — the silhouette we arguably see in the opening credits falling to his death. Far from the vintage setting and aesthetic, the theme offers a necessary coldness to a show draped in nostalgia.

• 4. Breaking Bad

  In 18 seconds, composer Dave Porter encapsulates nearly every aspect of the (greatest) series (on earth): smoke, wind, the desert, minimalism, good old-fashioned American badassery — everything. It may not be a melody you can sing along with, but “Breaking Bad” is hardly a series that follows anyone else’s lead. (As proven by our PTSD following these last few episodes.)

• 5. Veep

  With a vice-president like the consistently irritated Selina Meyer, a theme song that both pays homage to and mocks the greatness of the American government is necessary to convey the show’s spirit. Fortunately, Rupert Gregson-Williams and Christopher Willis created a musical opening so in-step with the pomp and circumstance of congress, you can’t help but feel the way Meyer does most of the time when listening.

• 6. Girls

  “But ‘Girls’ doesn’t have a theme song!” you may be shouting at your computer. It’s going to be okay, relax: you’re right. And while creator Lena Dunham may have opted out of the traditional creative process, her choice to use a new song every week to sum up a specific episode is perfect. “Girls” is about inconsistency and change – shouldn’t the opening reflect that, too?

• 7. Louie

  Using Stories’ rendition of “Brother Louie” is great for a few reasons: the name “Louie” is repeated constantly, it moves at the same pace at which Louie walks, and it’s classic — no muss, no fuss, it’s just a good song. Louis C.K.’s comedy is quite similar: common sense issued via wonderful delivery. Something like the “Downton Abbey” theme just wouldn’t fly.

• 8. 30 Rock

  Composer Jeff Richmond’s playful take on wife Tina Fey’s series is a great follow-up to a well-written cold open, and somehow manages to reflect the quirkiness of nearly every character. (Yes, even Jack – paintings of horses in hand.) However, once I heard Jenna Maroney sing along for the first “30 Rock” live show, it just isn’t the same without lyrics.

• 9. Homeland

  Sean Callery’s “Homeland” theme completely reflects the series (Carrie’s jazz obsession to her all-over-the-place-ness state of mind), but that doesn’t make it an easy listen. Accurate, yes, but also grating. Listening, you can’t help but feel like you’re in a bad place yourself.

• 10. House of Cards

  You get the same uneasy feeling listening to the “House of Cards” theme as you do watching Kevin Spacey address the camera, but frankly, that’s not enough. A little too close to “Homeland’s” theme (minus the Mandy Patinkin voiceover), this Jeff Beal-composed opening needs a kick to reflect just how terrifying Washington is.

• 11. Modern Family

  It’s short, and it’s sweet, and it’s to the point. It’s like the TV show itself, which is fine enough. But here, it’s about the competition: if your theme is as short as “Breaking Bad,” we’re sorry but “Breaking Bad” wins.

• 12. The Big Bang Theory

  There’s nothing wrong with the Barenaked Ladies, but in a time when opening themes are getting shorter and more poignant, its old-school vibe also makes it feel dated. It’s the only lyrical song in the bunch and while it may pay homage to TV tradition, the others simply prompt more emotional responses.

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