Interview - Thalie Némésis (ENG)

Following the publication of our review of Catarsis Apotropaica, the latest solo EP by Thalie Némésis, the artist kindly agreed to an interview with our webzine. Thalie’s rather atypical world might surprise some — and that’s a good thing. Given the wide range of projects this vocalist is involved in, it felt necessary to shed some light through this conversation.

Multiple influences, diverse inspirations, frequent collaborations with other artists — the singer from the South clearly has a lot to share. Jeu D’Ombre is pleased to give her the floor.

- Interview conducted by Xzvrey in 2025

Lien Spotify

Lien Bandcamp

Meridian Noir Records

1/ Hi Thalie! First of all, how are you? What have you been up to lately? What's been on repeat on your player?

Hi Florent. Thank you for this interview. I'm doing well, thank you, I hope you are too. Lately, I’ve been up to a lot: I’m finalizing the next tracks for my upcoming album, as well as those for a side project called "KN" that I’m working on with Phil K (Ex-AinSoPhaur). I’m also preparing live sets for both projects. So yes, I’m keeping busy! I’ve been listening to the latest from Viagra Boys, as well as Camecrude, Mütterlein, and AinSophAur... it’s all been on repeat, switching between them!

 

2/ Let’s start at the beginning: could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your musical project? Do you compose and record everything by yourself?

Of course. Thalie Némésis is a musical project born in the south of France in 2013. It's a one-woman band that blends my eclectic influences: trip-hop, cold wave, industrial, and ethnic sounds, always focusing on emotional intensity.

My first album was released in 2014 on the French label Infrastition. It was mixed and mastered by the frontman of The Nightchild, the Ukrainian Alexey Nikitchenko. I composed almost everything, except for "Paris at Night," a track we created together. I record everything myself. On that album, I had two guitarists, with the second one appearing only as a guest on "Winter Song." But overall, I’m the main creative (and performing) force behind the project!

3/ Your latest release Catarsi Apotropaica has a mysterious title. What is the concept of this album? What do the lyrics deal with? How did the creation process unfold?

I often draw inspiration from mythology and primal narratives. That’s already the case in the name of the project itself, with the figure of "Nemesis."

The concept behind this EP is to offer five apotropaic incantations (Catarsi Apotropaica): sonic rituals to ward off curses and ominous signs, in the tradition of ancient Greek and Armenian practices. It’s like the cry of an ancient soul at war, a hymn of resistance and remembrance, invoking the spirits of ancestors and the timeless power of women.

This EP is more politically and spiritually engaged than my previous releases, as it is deeply tied to the catastrophe in Artsakh. The Armenian diaspora, despite being active and committed, was left powerless and silenced. We relived the trauma of the Armenian genocide through the deportation of 120,000 Armenians driven from our ancestral lands. All of this was largely erased from public discourse due to the COVID lockdowns...

My work on this EP connects transgenerational trauma with visionary prophecy. It embodies the voice of the archetypal Woman — seer of coming catastrophes — personified by Cassandra in the track "Cassandra," cursed by men to speak truths no one would hear.

Through her, the tragedy of Armenia is foretold in a prolepsis smothered by silence. In this work, the figure of Woman and that of Armenia become one — the former becoming an allegory for the latter. Both express the same burning cry: a cry of rage, remembrance, and defiance — the cry of the Fury (the "Nemesis").

4/ I must admit I have a hard time categorizing your music (which is a good thing — classification isn't mandatory). What genre would you say you belong to?

But isn’t it usually the journalists who assign genres? laughs More seriously, it’s always been difficult for me to categorize myself, especially since I’ve always refused, on principle, to stick labels on my work... others do that for us well enough already!

So, I’ll borrow Andrew Eldritch’s answer: I make black rock.

5/ Can you tell us a bit about your journey before Catarsi Apotropaica? I saw you’ve released quite a few things. Were you involved in other projects before creating music under your own name?

Oh, you checked it out? I’m happy you took a look at what I’ve done before! So, I already mentioned my first album. Between that and this EP, I took part in quite a few projects: I sang on several tracks and wrote lyrics for Dusk by Les Modules Etranges. I also collaborated with numerous international artists from the darkwave, noise, industrial, or experimental scenes. As a vocalist, I contributed to an album by Defekt86 (Germany), and to tracks by Work at Night (Sweden), Front Sonore, Unune (UK), The Question (eLaMorTe) (Colombia)... I’ve traveled a lot through music!

6/ A while back, you featured on a remix of the single "Ton Souvenir" by Phil K., which was also remixed by my friend Drone. How did that collaboration come about?

Yes, indeed. "Ton Souvenir" was originally meant to be part of my EP — it was a track I composed and proposed to Phil K. for the vocals. That’s how the song became the start of a beautiful collaboration that continues to this day. We now have almost a full album ready!

7/ Have you performed live with this project or with other bands? What’s your relationship with the audience? Are you approachable? Do you enjoy talking with people after shows?

Yes, of course. I’ve performed live with this project and with other formations as well. I enjoy chatting after shows — if people come up to talk to me, there’s no problem at all, it’s actually really nice!

8/ Have you received any formal musical training (school, conservatory, etc.), or are you completely self-taught? When did you start making music, by the way?

Let’s just say I picked up bits and pieces here and there. I took private lessons with different teachers in guitar and singing, and also attended some schools. Even a conservatory! But nothing too formal in the end — I’m a bit suspicious of institutions. I started music in my teenage years. We were part of high school bands in Aix back then.

9/ Speaking of musical tastes, what are your reference albums? What was the first record that blew your mind? Were there albums that made you want to create your own music?

My first real "shock" was probably The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. It remains one of my reference albums — it’s a true masterpiece. Trent Reznor definitely made me want to compose my own music.

Later, Live Through This by Hole was in constant rotation on my teenage player until it got scratched to death... that album definitely gave me the rage to pick up a guitar.

10/ We’re halfway through — time for a fun one. What’s the deal with the scattered releases across platforms? Some albums are on Bandcamp, others on Spotify, and others seem to be available everywhere.

Really? I actually only manage part of that myself — it’s the label Transmission Nova that handles some of the platform distribution. When you say "others," do you mean other projects?

No worries though, everything is available on Spotify and Bandcamp, I promise — and even elsewhere (Apple Music and so on). There are also a lot of videos on YouTube. Where would you like to see the tracks available? If you have suggestions ;)

In the meantime, here’s the Linktree with (hopefully) everything you need : https://linktr.ee/thalienemesis

11/ Do you often go to concerts? If so, what were the last performances that really blew you away? Are there any bands you'd love to see live someday?

We’ve been lucky in recent years to have plenty of opportunities to attend concerts around the Aix-Marseille region — so I don’t hold back! The last show that really stunned me was Camecrude, a kind of ritual industrial act I discovered at an experimental music festival near Carcassonne. The frontman plays a hurdy-gurdy and processes the sound live — it was incredible. I also loved Chelsea Wolfe’s concert in Lyon, which I had been hoping to see for a long time. I would have loved to see Hole back in the day, but alas… And I’d really love to see Heilung.

12/ Let’s talk a bit about the Post-Punk and Goth scenes — it’s the beating heart of this webzine. What’s your relationship with those scenes? Would you say you belong to them musically?

Yes, I think that’s the scene I feel closest to. But it’s a very wide, very lively, and very complex scene… So, claiming to be a part of it? Personally, I prefer to talk about the alternative scene. On one side, there’s art and music that’s “sold” — mass media and mainstream culture. And on the other side, there’s our culture and our music: alive, creative, free… That’s where you find real art and music.

That said, most of my contacts, collaborators, and friends are from the goth/post-punk scene, so yes, I guess we can say I’m a part of it. 

13/ Where are you based? How are the scenes we just talked about doing in your area? Are there regular events?

As I mentioned earlier, these past few years have brought a lot of great shows, which wasn’t always the case. In Marseille, there are a lot of alternative and punk venues — the Intermédiaire, the Molotov (which leans toward dark/coldwave — I saw Lebanon Hanover and Zanias there), and the 6Mic, which books a wide range of rock bands, including cult dark acts like Sisters of Mercy and Frustration.

14/ You’ve released quite a few productions already. Are you currently working on new material? What themes would you like to explore in the future?

Absolutely! I’ve got almost everything ready for my next album — it should be out this winter. Same goes for my project with Phil K, which we’ve named "K/N." In the future, I’d maybe like to explore our relationship with the passage of time, and this sense of urgency to become who we truly are…

15/ Are you active in any other artistic fields? What role does music play in your daily life? Do you have a day job outside your musical project?

Yes, I do have another job, but it belongs to a more “down-to-earth” world that I’d rather not bring up here. The poetry of music plays a central role in my life — it’s an open door to higher realms, to a bigger world. In the future, I also hope to write — I already have texts ready (novels and short stories).

16/ What are your other hobbies outside of music?

Reading, of course! But music really “possesses” me…

17/ Here it comes — the unavoidable food question. What are your favorite dishes and drinks? Any signature recipe to share with us?

What an original question! 😃 I won’t be tempted to give you a Hannibal Lecter answer: “a nice Bordeaux with a perfectly cooked steak tartare!” 😃

Joking aside, I love to eat… so it’s hard to choose! That said, I’m a girl from the South, so I’d go with a good soupe au pistou — and at least the vegetarians won’t yell at me! :) As for drinks, a nice beer from La Rade — a Toulon-based brewery I highly recommend. Probably the best beer in the country… and they host concerts, too!

18/ If you could collaborate with just one well-known artist, who would it be, and why?

The Soft Moon… Sadly, he passed away recently. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to see him twice in concert, and it was beautiful. RIP Luis Vasquez — I’m truly a fan of his work.

Other than The Soft Moon, I’d say Chelsea Wolfe, because the first time I heard Abyss, I thought: this is the sound I’ve been searching for.

19/ We’re sadly nearing the end of this interview. Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers of Jeu d’Ombre?

20/ Thalie, thank you so much for answering my questions. I wish you the best of luck with your musical projects. The final words are yours.

Thank you so much — I wish you the same! And thank you for amplifying the voices of women and women artists… it’s truly precious. See you soon!