“Music from the Caribbean and Africa spoke often of survival, storytelling, spiritual connection, human experiences, identity and truth.”

Hagiel: The Woman Sings The Blues

Hagiel’s very first memory is a dance. She was a little girl wrapped in her mother’s arms, swaying around the living room to whatever happened to be spinning on the radio or the record player. That moment sparked a lifelong love affair with music. It reaches its fullest expression yet with ‘I Am Enough of a Woman,’ the Montreal singer’s debut EP, led by the soaring new single “Fight for Your Life,” out now. Born in a small French village near Quebec City and now based in Montreal, the Black Canadian artist, also known as Analoga, blends blues, rock and gospel with her Caribbean and African roots and a generous dose of French-Canadian flair. Across six songs, she sings about survival, faith, heartbreak, and freedom with a voice shaped by years in one of Montreal’s most celebrated gospel choirs. “Fight for Your Life,” cowritten and produced by award winning songwriter Mark Zubek, comes from the hardest stretch of her life. Hagiel has been performing professionally since 2009 and calls her years with the People’s Gospel Choir of Montreal transformative. Along with fellow choir members, she sang backing vocals on Nadja’s Christmas album.

(Hagiel / Photo by Claude Campagna Lupien)

At the Bell Centre she added vocals to a song for Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, and in the summer of 2014, Gregory Charles picked her as a choir singer for several Mondial Loto-Québec shows. In 2012, she was one of just 140 singers chosen from more than 5,000 hopefuls for the blind auditions of La Voix. She keeps a favourite line from the film Mademoiselle C close to her heart: “You are the artist of your own life.” With ‘I Am Enough of a Woman,’ Hagiel is living those words and carrying that little girl from the living room all the way to the microphone.

Interview by Michael Limnios                                 Special Thanks: Eric Alper

Your style is often described as "blues gospel." How do you balance the deeply spiritual essence of gospel with the gritty, melancholic nature of the blues?

I try to blend both the best I can, sharing a message of hope and a positive message with the up-tempo side of blues.

You spent many years with the Peoples Gospel Choir of Montreal. How did that experience of collective, faith-driven singing shape the way you perform now as a solo blues artist?

It's like a family we support one and another. We serve when we perform. My choir director said it's not about fashion, or clothes. If I remember well he said it's about sharing the word to the people who come and see us. He asked me do you really want to do music. You gotta be ready, it's not always easy. 

In your single "Fight for Your Life," you touch upon life's hardest battles. Do you feel that blues and gospel are, in reality, two sides of the same coin when it comes to human resilience?

Yes I do they serve as tools to develop how to survive, to survive oppression, poverty, and personal trauma. I have been through many of those.

Your debut EP is titled 'I Am Enough of a Woman.' What does this phrase mean to you personally, and what message do you hope to send to the women listening to your music?

That we are enough and special just as we are. Some people will always love us and see the real us. Some people will respect us, some won't, some will be dishonest, rude maybe even lie to you or gossip behind your back. I have been told that I was too happy, not good enough but when people will discover me they will really like me. I never understood that. Like I was born in a small Francophone town I was told that I sounded like a white girl or the opposite that I was too black to be a white man's girlfriend. Some people may be jealous and want to put you down. But real friends think you are enough and are there through thick and thin. Family members who really love you, believe in you believe you do the best you can too, that you are enough, unique and special. It's lovely to be loved for who you are and not have to play any other role than yourself in real life. 

“I am member of Women in Music Canada, Musik’elles, and She Is The Music who all help women to take their place in the music scene. I think also if you are someone who didn't study in music you need to do that research on your own. Listen to who came before, find your influences. Give respect to the elders.” (Hagiel / Photo by Claude Campagna Lupien)

Both blues and gospel history are filled with iconic female voices, from Big Mama Thornton to Mahalia Jackson. Is there a specific female artist you consider your spiritual mentor?

I have a few female mentors on earth that have helped me, but spiritually I would say Vivienne Deane is definitely connected to God and can read me well. She's my vocal coach. I need to go see her more. I have been sick a lot lately. 

What are the biggest challenges a female artist faces today when choosing to pursue traditional genres with such deep historical roots?

I am not sure I have the answer to that. I just know that female artists have to take their place. If you look at festival lineups and bookings in bars, you can see a majority of men. Women are trying to take their place also and show also that they deserve a chance. The numbers show that there's still room for a balanced programming schedule. I am member of Women in Music Canada, Musik’elles, and She Is The Music who all help women to take their place in the music scene. I think also if you are someone who didn't study in music you need to do that research on your own. Listen to who came before, find your influences. Give respect to the elders. 

Montreal has a remarkably vibrant cultural scene. How has the city and its local community shaped your sound and your growth as an artist?

Since I am in Montreal I faced different struggles and obstacles, but I learnt so much because what is offered in the countryside is not what is available in the city. Now yes there's more events in the countryside, but growing up. I would have loved to be more active in the performing arts as a young child. As well as seen more shows and events. But my mom was not really supportive of me going to events in the city at a young age even with my sister and her friends. But I was exposed to visual arts and drawing at a young age.

How easy or challenging was it to find your footing and your audience in the Canadian blues scene?

I am not sure if I am there yet... Right now there's a buzz, but it hasn't always been like that. I still need to find my audience and travel across our beautiful country with our music. 

You've shared that staying true to your Caribbean and African roots is deeply important to you. How do these ancestral roots manifest in your music, and how do they blend with your French-Canadian flair to create an identity that is uniquely yours?

When I do shows I usually respect my elders by sharing who perform the songs first. I respect the creators who paved the way. My parents who initiated me to music and gave me good ear. I share my influences. Music from the Caribbean and Africa spoke often of survival, storytelling, spiritual connection, human experiences, identity and truth. I want to sing and write in English even if I have an accent because it's my mother tongue and my parents. But I may song someday a few songs in French…

“I try to blend both the best I can, sharing a message of hope and a positive message with the up-tempo side of blues.” (Hagiel / Photo by Claude Campagna Lupien)

By embracing the idea that "You are the artist of your own life," you place the power of storytelling completely in your own hands. Do you find that viewing yourself as the sole architect of your journey gives you the ultimate freedom to break genre boundaries and reinvent your sound whenever you feel inspired?

I just mean by that you can create a life that suits you and you have to strive for your dreams in addition to your goals no matter what. You've got to try and it doesn't have to be in music it can be in any field. The word artist could be replaced by creator, but I mean not the Creator with a capital C, but you plant seeds and God helps them grow. You got to try to strive for your dreams and goals or someday you may regret not doing so.

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