Interview with Bonnie Li!!!!

A few months ago one of my roommates was living in Paris when he introduced me to a great artist, Bonnie Li. When he was there he was lucky enough to attend one of her shows.  We have become friends on Facebook and she did an interview for me! Check her out! Thanks Bonnie!
1. So, introduce yourself Bonnie!

my name is Bonnie Li, i’m a one-woman-band singer-performer. i do trip-hop electronic music and today, i live in paris.

2. What is your favorite animal?

Rabbits.
Dogs.
Lions.
Zebras.

3. When did you start making music?

i wrote my 1st song when i was 8, the day my dog died. very sad day indeed, but the song was so bad it makes it a funny memory now.
More seriously, i started makin’ music when i was studying the arts of the stage at my 1st music school in 2004. I started as Li Jaune’s, a solo folk-electro project. But i wasn’t really happy with the music i was producing alone, was still in a ‘self-research’ period at that time. So in 2006 during my 2nd music school, i met Snow, a piano player mysterious girl, and we started a duet project called French to Kiss. We worked together for 3 years, did a few gigs in Paris and released a 6 tracks EP. During that time I learned computer-music and bought my 1st machine, the RC-50 loopstation.
That machine was a real revelation to me, I would spend hours jamming, looping my voice on impro lines, random people would give me, and i realized i could start a new solo project based on voice-loops. So I quit French to Kiss, to center myself on Bonnie Li.

4. How do you write your music? Do you have a pattern or system you follow?

I write short stories that i turn into songs. i like to focus on everyday life moments, like a freeze frame: “What interests me are the different levels of lecture. The narration (lead voice) is rhythm-ed by gimmicks (choirs on loopstation), the whole punctuated by samples (off voices on sampling machine)”.

5. Ok, what are your top 5 favorite music acts of the moment?

1- Antony and the Johnsons
2- Peaches
3- Santogold
4- Mary Ocher
5- Zola Jesus

6. Fashion..let’s talk about it. What are your favorite designers?

Lately i’ve been really interested into Atsuko Kudo’s work. More globally, i’ve always been a huge fan of everything that’s vintage-chic- vintage-grunge. As designers, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lagerfeld, issey miyake, Mc Queen, Vivienne Westwood, among others.. 🙂

7. Who are you inspired by? Fashion? Music? or in general?

i’m inspired by people and cities in general. growing up in hong Kong, then moved to San Francisco and Montreal, i’ve always felt secure in big crowded cities. i think i need that active energy to be able to compose.

8. What was your first concert?

Ladyfest Festival at WirrWarr in Berlin, august 2009. 400 wild girls partying. Great memory.

9. When are you coming to the states?

Ouh!!!!! i hope soon! actually, my parents live in Sunnyvale (Silicon Valley) and i’m planning a road trip in California this summer. So PEOPLE if you wanna book ME in August, that’s your chance to see Bonnie Li perform specially for YOU American residents :)!!

10. Finally, where can we buy your music? Cause I love it!

hahahaha, thank you Lady 🙂
my EP- Short Stories Volume 1- is now available online! (itunes, deezer, virginmega.fr, amazonmp3.fr, ..)
http://www.deezer.com/en/music/bonnie-li

Here is her video for “VooDoo Doll”.

thanks alot!!