A Conversation with Cœur de Pirate on Beyonce and 'Empire'

Photo courtesy of Etienne St-Denis

There are a few ways you could be familiar with Cœur de pirate. Either you live in Quebec, where you recognize her by her artist name as a mainstream singer whose voice scored Ubisoft’s Child of Light RPG and soundtracked the Quebecois TV hospital drama Trauma. Or you don’t live in Quebec, in which case you know her as Beatrice Martin or “Heart of the Pirate,” a classically trained singer/songwriter who has been pursuing music professionally for eight years, releasing her eponymous album in 2008 before following it up with Blonde in 2011, and again with Roses this year.

The songs Martin makes see her gentle register whisp between composition that does everything from boom to sparkle. A voice that seems so light it could blow away on a breeze continues to be Martin’s signature, even as her artistry evolves and becomes less rooted in pessimism with the addition of a husband and child. “My songwriting is different, I’m less negative and have a better outlook on things,” says Martin while in Toronto for a show. “It’s more positive in general.”

Watch the full interview on Daily Vice

Her newest album Roses sees her doing more songs in English than ever before, causing some of her core fans to question whether she’s moving away from the artist they know. “I think it’s just growing up, when you mature you have different tastes,” explains Martin of her changes. “The person I was when I was in my 20s has changed so much, and it’s a healthy progression for me.”

Part of this maturation involves retreating out of the spotlight from time to time, which Martin does by spending time with her family and watching TV. A short glimpse at her Twitter reveals that she’s a big fan of Cookie Lyon from Empire, so we decided to speak to her about the show. And about Beyonce.

Continued below…

Noisey: Your daughter shares a birthday with Beyonce. What do you think her favourite song will end up being?
Beatrice Martin: I haven’t gotten her into the full discography yet, but I’d like to think “Flawless.” I’d also like her to learn the “Single Ladies” choreography one day. I would dress her up in the suit for Halloween and she can do the flick of the wrist thing, it would be awesome.

Which of Beyonce’s qualities do you hope your daughter shares?
I would like to think confidence, because it’s the hardest thing to acquire in life, especially for a girl. It’s a constant work in progress. We’re constantly being let down and pushed to the ground, and I think it’s really important as girls to have confidence.

You seem to really love Cookie Lyon from Empire, but who is your favourite Lyon son?
I’m a Jamal guy all the way, because he’s turning into such an interesting person. He said he didn’t want to be like his father and his character seems to be developing that way. Also he’s the R&B guy, and I’ve always been a big fan of that genre. Plus the way he sings is so perfect, and the way they’re using him to tackle the gay issue is great.

What has your favourite cameo been?
Courtney Love! She was great, she was such a good actress that I was surprised, but she was so amazing in that role. I hope they find a way to bring her back.

What would your role be?
I wish I could be A&R like Boo Boo Kitty. I’d love to have some sort of A&R role.

Which character do you think dies this season?
I hope it’s Andre. I really don’t like Andre, he really stresses me out. I think it’s probably because of his wife though.

Slava Pastuk is the Editor of Noisey Canada. Follow him on Twitter.