Q: Thank you for agreeing to the interview. It means a lot to me. With that said, I’m going to start off with an icebreaker. You’re on a deserted island and must call a celebrity to rescue you. Who will that be?
FLEABUSTIERS: It would have to be Daft Punk because they were kind enough to bow out just when we were about to release our first single, “Cold Regrets.” And then we [knew] that on the way back home, we would be having a great party.
Q: What inspired “About You”?
FLEABUSTIERS: The song started with experimenting on the piano, and the line “no matter what they say about you” came more or less at the same time. Then, we drew on personal experience to evoke difficulties one can meet when in a relationship that challenges the norms as well as the peer pressure one may have to contend with in some cases.
Q: What kinds of reactions have you gotten for the song?
FLEABUSTIERS: The song is often mentioned among the more accessible on the album, and the video has had a rather good response, with almost 100k views.
Q: I loved the music video it was too sweet! Walk me through the thought process for it.
FLEABUSTIERS: Ah ah! Yes, we really wanted to make the point that love conquers all. When we started thinking about the video, we realized that although the song started from the standpoint of someone who needs to have their partner accepted by their people, we realized that at the end of the day, the song applies to all types of relationships, straight, young old, LGBTQI+ or inter-racial. What we think we have achieved with this video is to show love in such a way that you get sweet emotions without conjuring judgment.
Q: How do you want listeners to feel while listening to the song?
FLEABUSTIERS: Ideally we would like people to feel this intense feeling you get when you realise that you are in love with someone and that nothing else matters. This mixture of excitement and yearning that gives you tons of energy and keeps you smiling through the day.
Q: What does “fleabustiers” mean? And how’d you come up with the name?
FLEABUSTIERS: It’s a long story. You need to know that Fleabustiers draws on British and French cultures. When we were working on “Fly Away,” we wanted to include a jazzy Fender Rhodes solo, and we did not have a pianist who could boss it. So we decided to try and program it in Midi, and after many hours of refining it, we ended up with something we thought sounded like the real thing. Obviously, we were chuffed that we had what we wanted, but at the same time, we felt we had cheated our musical limitations.
“We’re pirates!” is what one of us uttered, so we started thinking about a name that would have something to do with pirates, and someone pointed out that “flibustier” (a brand of free pirates that used to plunder the Carribeans in the 18th century) could be anglicized as “fleabustier.” “Flea” we liked because it’s a tiny animal that can’t be ignored, and “bustier” we liked because it’s a sassy item of lingerie. We added the “s” because we are a collective.
Q: Since pursuing music, what have you learned about yourself as an Artist?
FLEABUSTIERS: That’s a brilliant question. We have known each other for donkey’s years, but Fleabustiers wouldn’t have been possible when we met each other. We have grown up a lot through our life experiences, and we have had the opportunity to play different types of music, listen to even more types of music, which has made us more curious and daring with the music we make. Fleabustiers really started as a guilty pleasure project in order to bring to life songs we wouldn’t dream to release in our other musical ventures.
Q: What’s one big goal you have for yourself?
FLEABUSTIERS: It may sound corny, but our main goal is to have our music heard and enjoyed. We want our audience to focus on the music and possibly help them approach certain topics.
Interviewed by Taylor Berry
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