Geneva native of Eritrea, Segen will be in concert in Lausanne on July 29 and in Geneva on August 6. The opportunity to discover the musical universe of a promising R’n’B artist.
Author, performer and DJ, Segen is an artist who regularly makes Geneva nights dance, from the Bains des Pâquis to the Motel Campo, from the Salle du Terreau to the Jet d’Eau by making a detour via the Docks in Lausanne. She, who was first an opera singer, now lets herself be influenced by R’n’B and soul.
Strength and vulnerability
Behind the softness of Segen’s voice and music are sharp words, like the song “Gual Sheytan”, from his first EP “Incipit” released in 2020. “‘Gual Sheytan’ is an expression in Tigrinya, one of the official languages of Eritrea where I come from. It means ‘the daughter of Satan’, but it has no religious connotation”, she explains in the program Les bonne ondes . In the context of the song, this phrase refers to survivors of domestic violence. “It’s an ode to the strength of my mother and to all women and gender minorities who have survived violence.”
>> Watch: Segen’s music video, “Gual Sheytan”
As a writer and performer, Segen favors vulnerability in her lyrics and melodies. “It’s about exposing myself, without hurting me of course, so that people feel encouraged to let their guard down too. That way we can all heal together, because in the end we all go through difficult things at the same time.”
A double hat
Which of these two hats, singer and DJ, is closest to her heart? “It’s funny, answers Segen, I just wrote a song about it the other day! The lyrics say ‘I sing to better cry, and I mix to forget’. I am above all a singer, I sing ever since I can remember. As a child, my first words were ‘papa’, ‘mama’ and ‘let’s sing!’ day. On the other hand, when I mix it is a question of reproducing what I live in concert, that is to say sharing a certain energy with people. It is therefore the singing that is closest to my heart .”
Radio subject: Camille Lanci
Adaptation web: Myriam Semaani
Segen, in concert on July 29, 2022 in Lausanne rue de Genève 55 and on August 6, 2022 in Geneva at the Parc des Cropettes. Both concerts are organized by the collective Blackbox.