Global Hit – Camille
Camille is a French singer, and she’s unlike anyone you’ve ever heard. Almost every sound on her records comes from the human body. That includes clicks and slaps and, by the way, an extraordinary voice. Camille performed a recent show in Barcelona, Spain. That gave The World’s Gerry Hadden the chance to talk with her and to produce today’s Global Hit.
Body percussion… or ‘body percs’ as Camille says…is just a fancy way of saying hitting yourself�with rhythm.
This is Canards Sauvages, or Wild Ducks, off Camille’s latest album, Music Hole. On it, Camille is backed up by seven percussionists and singers. They’re stomping, snapping, dropping base and drums with their voices�even splashing water. The only traditional instrument is a piano.
Using the human body as instrument isn’t new, of course. Think Bobby McFerr i n or the Cuban music group, Vocal Sampling. It’s Camille’s creativity and dead pan humor that make her stand out from other ‘human beat boxers.’
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.