A LONG LONG TIME AGO

Although I’m Director and photographer, I consider my ears as precious as my eyes.
Back to my old days, radios, audio cassettes, CDs, TV and VHS were the most usual musical supports, in addition to vinyles. The Solitaire, Chess and Minesweeper were the rare games on the Windows 95/98 computers in the early days of Internet. Mobile phones only had 3 “ringtones”, “smartphones” didn’t exist and by extension, the applications and Shazam neither. However, we enjoyed spending most of our time doing fun things and outdoor activities, instead of being glued to the screens.

The music industry was in one of its golden ages in terms of business. Everything used to be very palpable. No access to the music if you didn’t buy or borrow the assets. It finally made me to learn to appreciate every single minute of a song without switching easily. To my mind, in this era, we probably used to look for music. Contrary to nowadays, where our ears suffer from the musical pollution and constantly are bombarded by music and images from everywhere.
At the time, I used to listen (a lot) to the radio : once, I heard a song which moved me. I was hoping to hear the title and the name of the artist from a radio host. Another song just came in instead. I sought to repeat the melody in my head until the title and the name of the artist got revealed. Nevertheless, the new releases were exclusive to some radio stations. Consequently, I spent 2 weeks listening to the same radio station to get the answer. Finally, two weeks later I heard “No Surprises, Radiohead.” ! This process to know a song and the name of the artist actually lasted for years. This is also how I discovered The Scientist by Coldplay in 2002, inter alia. My love for Radiohead’s and Coldplay’s music has never stopped since.
Simultaneously, from primary school to high school, I attended Music school. It wasn’t first my choice to go 4 times a week to learn music theory. Neither to sing in a choir and to take guitar lessons. In fact, I’d prefer to play tenor saxophone. On second thoughts, I realized that my parents gave me the opportunity to learn what they couldn’t. At last, rhythmic and harmonic dictations allowed me to have a good ear. But also, to have access to what I didn’t have at home : classical music.

This fact undoubtedly led my curiosity to listen to something else than classical music. I went once a week to the library of my hometown. To me it was THE cavern of Ali-Baba ! There, we’ve been allowed to borrow 5 CDs, 5 audio cassettes, 5 books and 2 VHS per week! Obviously I brought home anything I could (and by alphabetical order to get sure that I win’t miss anything!). Whether I liked the music or not, I told myself that “if this song is out, there must be a reason. Understanding why a music is worth to be listened is essential to me because people put their heart in it. Anyway, I knew nothing so it was a huge playground.

Lately, this is how I discovered so many artists, built my musical culture, sharpened my musical tastes and locked myself in my room to read, to write and to dream about the future…

YEARS LATER

Once adult, I started my collection of vinyls. One strong memory was when the old man from the French website Leboncoin sold me a package of vinyls. When I met him, he might guess that I was starting my collection. At the time, I only had enough money to buy 5 vinyls. The old man gently offered me 5 extra vinyls albums of Pink Floyd, Supertramp and of the Beatles. He told me that he was sure that I would make a good use of them and he left. That was an amazing surprise, gift and memory actually! I felt so much humanity in this unusual « transaction ». Since that day, I kept hunting vinyls at bargain shops over the world during my travels. Pursuing by Amoeba music in the West coast of the United States, and in Rough trade or Earwax in Brooklyn as for example.

TODAY

Today, I still don’t have a preferred style of music. I’m only smitten with a song when it gives me emotion. That is to say when it makes me want to dance, to dream, to cry, to give my heart, to be alone or to be be reunited, to party, to build an empire or to conquer the world!

This is why music is to me, complementary to photography and films : when I develop a visual idea or write a script, listening to music has the power to give me a tempo, a tone, a « thinking color »… and music just emphasizes any mood. Huge thanks to all the amazing artists who inspired me for all those years.

Kimdary is s fashion photographer, art director and Film Director. The artist is specialised in Commercial, advertising, editorials. Contact us ! https://www.kimdary.com/contact/ Kimdary used to work as Art director in Advertising in Paris and New York, touching all the fields of commercial, concept and strategy. Today, as a Director and Photographer she is specialised in looking for the best in each model, she pushes boundaries with dynamic movements and forceful expressions. To her, each shoot is a new story, full of emotions, created through her experiences with the models and clients.

Available in Paris, in France and worldwide.  https://www.kimdary.com/fashion https://www.kimdary.com/beautystill

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