Today I’m excited to introduce everyone to Common Holly, the artist name of Montreal-based singer-songwriter Brigitte Naggar, who is gearing up for the release of her debut LP, Anything Glass, this June. First up is her new single and video for a vibrant song called “Aegean Blue.” With key influences from artists like Bill Callahan, Mount Eerie, Lomelda, and Leonard Cohen, Common Holly is anything but a common artist who is unafraid to push the boundaries of her creativity. When speaking on the new single/video, she shared:
A reckoning in meaninglessness and unending pursuit. The words came in a moment of change and of reevaluating. This song sits squarely in the album’s theme of orienting toward what matters most, doing things differently when they aren’t feeling right. You can hear some of the vocal doubling here–since the album was recorded live, many (all?) of the songs have doubled vocals, because I would sing live while we were performing the song, and then I would later add more vocals on top of that initial vocal. This came to be a quality we liked in the whole experience of the album.
If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-saving Anything Glass here.
You’ve mentioned being influenced by artists like Bill Callahan, Mount Eerie, Lomelda, and Leonard Cohen. How have these songwriters shaped your songwriting, and in what ways do their styles resonate with the sound on Anything Glass?
I think for each of these artists it’s best to begin at the level of the lyrics. You can feel the presence of the person in their words, a personality, the tone feels authentic and idiosyncratic. The content feels both personal and universal. Bill Callahan has this wonderful way of choosing one image and picking it completely apart, and the flow feels sort of wholly un-self conscious, self accepting. Mount Eerie pairs tragedy with humour so beautifully. Leonard Cohen lulls into poetic landscape and then spits us out the other end. Then if we shift to the level of melodies, harmonies, song, these are all such strengths of these artists. Lomelda delivers vocal melody with purity and edge. I can’t say that Anything glass achieves any of these qualities, but certainly is inspired by all of them.
You explained that this album reflects a desire to “look inside” and “locate what matters most.” How does the album’s first release, “Aegean Blue,” embody this message and set the tone for the rest of Anything Glass?
”Aegean Blue” paints a picture of the excitement and danger of striving, and of the persuasiveness of external influence especially by people in positions of power. Daedelus gives young Icarus wax wings with a warning, but what happens in situations where no warning is given? The song is also a reminder to keep checking back in with yourself when the current is strong, to make sure you are living in accordance with what you believe in. It sets the tone for a record full of questioning and reorienting, toward some seeds of resolution.
You’ve shared that “my friends say this is the album that sounds the most like me.” What does that mean to you, and how do you feel this album captures your true self?
Authenticity is important to me, but for some (or all?) unearthing and accepting a true self feels like an unending road. I take it as a huge compliment that those who know me well as a person can feel that that person is in the music. The closer I can get to the music, and the closer the music can get to me, the better. I think there’s always going to be work to do there, but I feel the album is an honest expression, gentle with an edge, full of questions and also full of silence, and for that I’m proud.