Cover Story: Violette Wautier on music, inspiration, and the importance of self love

Violette Wautier puts love at the forefront with her new album Your Girl. “Love yourself, without depending on other people’s feelings, or whether you are good enough for them. Focus on yourself. If they can’t see it… they’ll regret it.”

The young Violette Wautier first appeared on Season 2 of The Voice Thailand in the Blind Audition with the song Leaving on a Jet Plane. This was almost nine years ago. Since then, she has produced 27 special singles, one all-English album with nine songs, and explored acting through 11 projects. The artist has grown through many experiences and has sharpened her skills. Now, she arrives at the path of self-discovery with a brand new album entitled Your Girl. 

This December, Violette Wautier is our Digital Cover Star. Read on to find out how the talented star celebrates true self love through her new album, how she stays inspired, and how she has grown over the years.

Tell us about your new album Your Girl.

“This album tells the story of me loving myself, embracing who I am with both self love and knowing what I deserve. I feel that some people still don’t know how to love themselves, and I used to have moments like that too. I think that the words Your Girl are very important. Not just a word for a girlfriend but also a friend. Most importantly, be your own girl to yourself. Stay by your own side. Be kind to yourself. And love yourself.”

“This album’s genre is very much pop. I followed the senses and feelings, but I felt that the songs should have this sound. Some piano and drums are added too. There are many sounds, but for me, in the end, the album is a pop-style album.”

What was it like to work with “Som-Marie” and “Patrick-Ananda”?

“I chose to work with Som because I wanted to self love and highlight friendship, so I invited friends to join. I chose Som because I am Thai-Belgian, and my name, V, means purple. Som is half Thai too, and her name means orange. If purple and orange are put together, the artwork should be cute [laughs]. I invited her to make music, to come up with ideas, to write this song, and to work together. Then it became a song called This Is Our Life.

“For Patrick, we worked together for the song Loke Rai. This song comes from a time when I was feeling really down. It felt like everything was overwhelming, but in that very moment, I still had someone by my side. That made me realise that actually, the world is not that cruel. Though everything seemed like a problem, I was thankful for having someone beside me. So, I wanted to sing with Patrick. We started off jotting down some ideas, so we would both be on the same page and encourage one another.”

Which song on the new album feels the most fun to perform live ?

“Toxic, and it is so intense. Everyone will definitely dance and jump. This song was meant to be fun.”

How much has your working process changed from the past to the newest album?

“I was so stressed making the last album. The music turned out to be stressful and dark because I put a lot of pressure on myself. This time, I wanted to do something more fun. I wanted to enjoy doing it, and when making it together with friends along the way, it turned out to be fun. Both the singles and concepts are so different, and so the working process changed too. I learnt from the past what works for me, so I found new ways of working, and that made it fun.”

Your Girl is a Thai album. How is the process different from an album in English?

“At first, I thought it’d be different, but in the end, it was not that different. When writing English songs, I feel like there are fewer language barriers. When it comes to writing in Thai, I realised I could do it too, and I could have my own style. I felt like I had a unique signature in Thai as well. It depends more on the album concept and the process of making an album, because the language itself does not make that big of a difference.

What kind of experience do you want listeners to gain from this album?

“I want them to feel everything, both bad and good feelings. I want you to know that you are not alone. You are worthy. Love yourself very much, without depending on other people’s feelings, or whether you are good enough for them or not. Instead, turn to look at yourself, if you are good enough for you. And if they can’t see it … they’ll regret it.”