In his own words: “In 2008, Dominique Lemaire, [a songwriter and performer], founded the group Énée with Yann Drezet (guitar, lead) and Sylvain Jouet (bass). The group released two EPs, an album and several singles, for more than twenty-five titles in total. The music of énée met with a warm reception from the public and great repercussions in the specialized press (Les Inrockuptibles, France Culture, Indie Rock Mag, Le Transistor, among others).”
In the time they were together, Énée released 25 titles, was signed to two labels, and exploded on the French scene. Now, Dominique is working on The DOMI, a “parallel” experience to his former band. He calls it a solo–but not solitary–project. Dominique describes his sound as, “The Domi expresses itself in a minimal register, mixing emotion and melody, with a no-frills rhythm machine, a flexible and warm bass, aerial guitars and a direct and lively vocals. The second track, ‘Together’, is about life together with its ups and downs, hope and new beginnings.””
Lisa: Hey Dominique! Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you remember the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? Was it an easy or hard choice to make?
The Domi: Music has always been important to me.
Lisa: What is the mission of “The Domi”?
The Domi: The Domi is my new project .
Lisa: What types of change do you feel your music can initiate?
The Domi:
Lisa: Do you tend to follow any pre-defined patterns when composing a song?
The Domi: I think you should always be faithful to who you are and what you like in your music even though sometimes it’s hard.
Lisa: What ideas did inform “Together” in particular?
The Domi: Together is about relationships and the need to make efforts to keep going. It’s about making efforts and new starts when you are with someone for some time.
Lisa: What advice or philosophy might you impart to other musicians, be it in forms of creativity, technical stuff, the business side of it, or anything else?
The Domi: I always try to bring energy to people through my music.
Lisa: What are your plans for the future?
The Domi: I plan to go back on stage soon and also find people and structures to keep going with the domi.”