A FRENCH artist is hoping to “rekindle the Auld Alliance” through music from emerging Scottish and French musicians.
Montpellier-born singer Emmanuelle Gabarda is set to launch a new agency called L'Ode Rose in January, with the aim of bridging the gap with Europe that Brexit has created.
The agency will cater for both French and Scottish artists by showcasing talent, exporting music through language barriers, providing knowledge of the local market, and assist in creating relations within the two music scenes.
Gabarda, 37, has lived in Scotland for 5 years as a student, music blogger, radio presenter, and now business owner after coming to Glasgow for a city break and feeling “at home instantly”.
The founder of L’Ode Rose will be initially working with pop and rock artists – whether they're emerging or established bands – and is happy to take on new clients. She hopes to venture into the indie music scene in the year.
After being a professional singer in France for 15 years, Gabarda moved to Glasgow and began studying for her Higher National Diploma (HND) in Music Business. During this time, numerous Scottish bands asked the artist if she knew of any French publications or radio stations which would be interested in playing their music.
With her experience in the industry evident on both sides of the Channel, L’Ode Rose was born.
When asked where the name came from, Gabarda said: “It would translate as Pink Ode, but the real meaning lies within the name itself. The Cranberries' lead singer Dolores O'Riordan was my biggest inspiration as an artist so I was looking for an anagram of 'Dolores' and I got 'L'Od Rose'. I just added an 'e' and 'L'Ode Rose' was born!
"I loved it straight away, so it's a tribute to both The Cranberries and my homeland.”
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L’Auld Alliance
Gabarda feels the strong, shared history between France and Scotland cannot be lost due to Brexit.
She said: “French love the Scots, and interest in French culture has increased recently with the rise of Emily in Paris and Lupin on Netflix. It makes sense to keep the connection alive between both countries and rekindle the Auld Alliance in music.”
Gabarda’s radio show, French Connection on Johnstone Sound, has shown that people are keen to discover more French artists.
The singer believes she “has an edge” when it comes to the music industry after experiencing it from multiple angles and sees the Scottish market as a great opportunity for French artists to showcase their music without having to make compromise or jeopardise their authenticity like they may have to in France.
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“French bands who sing in English can't access radio plays in France as much as bands who sing in French because of the Toubon Law. It requires radio stations to play a minimum of 40% of songs in French at times of peak audience.”
The Toubon Law, which was introduced in 1994 to ensure English didn't dwarf the French language, has received pushback from France's radio industry with stations staging a mass boycott of the regulations for 24 hours in 2015. It is criticised for "attacking" free competition between borders.
Gabarda said that as artists mainly make money by touring nowadays, exporting music is appealing to Scottish artists. The hope is it will bring them more opportunities and develop future projects and collaborations in Europe.
The agency will open in January 2023.
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