Laetitia Duveau A.K.A. Little Voice is an artist, curator and musician from Berlin. One half of the band Free Free Dom Dom, Kawaii-inspired solo artist and director of art platform Curated by GIRLS, Duveau proudly embodies liberation and emancipation. But as Little Voice she says sweetly: “I haven’t grown up yet. It doesn’t seem safe to do so.” Her eternally playful nature and lusting imagination has nevertheless seen her tackle mature issues of equality, diversity and prejudice in her work. Her playground? Berlin - no surprise. “It’s a very human city.” She says. “It’s not about money and success. It’s about exploring and finding yourself.” Take a leaf out of the Little Voice book if you want to stay young: keep discovering who you are, never settle, sing out and speak up.
GM Who gave you your name?
LD I gave myself my name because I own myself and that means I can do anything i want with myself. Hehe! I guess I chose “Little Voice” simply because I have a little voice. When i started music professionally, people were surprised by my high voice, and they would always ask if my voice was pitched in the recordings. Nah honey! I’m on a natural high.
GM What’s your favorite music?
LDAny music that is real and honest. You can find that in any genre.
GM How did you first get into writing music, and which musicians would you say guided you the most?
LD I was into dance, hip-hop, but I understood it was not for me when I discovered how mean and competitive people could be. I took a guitar, and while learning how to do a D chord and an A chord I accidentally wrote my first song. I think I was 15 or 16.
GM What boundaries or difficulties did you meet along this journey?
LD There is a huge gap between artists and the audience! To get signed is not that difficult. To get heard is hard! The ones who decide are a few, and unfortunately these people love to abuse their power. My first manager was one of a kind. He interfered in my personal life, manipulated me, lied to me, locked me up and forced me to make insane choices. I understood I had to save myself. Success is not worth selling your soul for. I learned to not let anyone tell me what to do, and also to not stress about being successful. What matters to me is to enjoy writing music.
GM What is the biggest challenge in the music industry today?
LDTo be respected as an artist, especially when you’re a young woman stepping into this nasty industry.
GM Do you write the soundtrack to go along with life, or do you write music to change life?
LD I definitely write music to change life. My songs have messages, sometimes hidden but they are there, behind all the honey.
GM What inspires you to create a new song/album?
LD Life in general, stories that happen to me, that I need to let out. I’m inspired by frustrations, hard times, dark stories...but I always turn them into a happy song - I can’t help it.
GM What’s the most inspiring artwork you’ve ever seen?
LD I am inspired by the art I post everyday on Curated By GIRLS. I am always amazed to see how much great talent there is out there!
GM What is the power of Instagram in the industry today?
LD Instagram is an interesting promotion tool for brands and visual artists. Not really good for music itself.
GM If you could change one thing about social media, what would it be?
LD I would like if it was a bit more about realness and not just about selling stuff. But it is a copy of how the world is: a huge shopping mall!
GM What is your favourite number and why?
LD I don’t like numbers. Not my thing at all.