Just before his recent sold-out concert in Madrid, Oklou received JENESAISPOP in a dressing room at La Riviera. The French artist had a spectacular 2025 thanks to the cult hit ‘choke enough’ and continues to win fans in 2026 with her tour, which runs until October. In the midst of all this, we spoke with her about how she is facing this new stage in her life, her way of building atmospheres through music or her choice to write in English instead of her native language.
Your mixtape ‘Galore’ has already received a lot of attention, but ‘choke enough’ has been your big leap to a much wider audience. How has this success affected your life, both personally and artistically?
Personally and artistically they are very connected. Honestly, I think I handled it pretty well. In reality, the fact of being pregnant, giving birth and going through postpartum meant that I couldn’t get one hundred percent involved in the entire album campaign. I did everything that was necessary, but I also tried to protect myself. I saved myself a lot of the stress of being constantly exposed, giving many interviews and participating in all the promotion. In fact, it was not even available to follow everything that was happening around the disk on the internet. Obviously I was aware of many things, but I also had to focus on my health and my baby. I knew the album was doing well, but I was able to keep some distance from the stress that all of that might have caused me.
Beyond that, I am very grateful and also very surprised. I can’t explain exactly why it’s been a success, but I think the team I work with did a great job of promoting it, and people really liked the music. In the end it is a combination of many factors and I am very happy.
How do you see the album now, after a year? I remember that in a previous interview with us you commented that there was a song from ‘Galore’ that you were not entirely satisfied with. Is there anything ‘choke enough’ you would change today?
My opinion on ‘choke enough’ hasn’t changed since it came out. I am very clear about what things I consider correct and what things are not. There are many decisions I would have made differently. I felt it while making the album, during mixing and also when it was released. There were decisions that I made and others that, in a way, I had to accept. I say “I had to accept” because I felt like I didn’t have complete control over the entire project. That’s why I say I would have done some things differently, although that’s also part of the process. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the album. On the contrary, I love all the songs. What I might have refined a little more is the way the album tells its story. Sometimes I feel like it goes in a lot of different directions and that’s the only aspect I think could have been polished better. But I would never have released songs I didn’t like.
«The fact of being pregnant, giving birth and going through the postpartum period meant that I couldn’t get one hundred percent involved in the entire album campaign»
There is something about your way of producing that I find very interesting. Your songs are full of small details and, at the same time, they are very minimalist. Everything that sounds seems to be there for a reason. What is that process of deciding which sounds to eliminate and which to keep?
Thank you for saying that, because I think it’s true. It’s funny because my friend Casey, who is a co-producer of my albums, often sends me his music precisely for that. He knows I’m probably going to tell him, “That’s not necessary. That too. Stay only with what is really necessary and meaningful. I think it is a very useful way to work in any artistic discipline, although it depends on what your creative goal is. For me it’s a very effective way to come up with a precise idea of how I want the music to sound and what I really want to express. Each element of a song has its own energy, references and meaning. When you understand that, you stop simply thinking about whether something “fits.” It’s not about it fitting, but about what it conveys.
The album has an energy very typical of the 2000s. It is an aesthetic that is returning with great force to current pop. What attracts you to that time? Do you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
Lot. I think the return of the Y2K aesthetic and sound has a very simple explanation: people who are now between 25 and 35 years old are reliving their adolescence. It seems completely logical to me. Later that aesthetic ends up becoming a trend and that is where I think you have to be consistent. If you use references from a certain era, they have to mean something to you. I don’t find it interesting to limit myself to replicating them; The important thing is to appropriate them and give them their own meaning. And yes, I have always been a very nostalgic person. I think that is also reflected in my music.
«The return of the Y2K aesthetic and sound has a very simple explanation: people who are now between 25 and 35 years old are reliving their adolescence»
Moving on to lyrics, do you feel more comfortable writing about your emotions in English? Do you plan to do it one day in French?
I have tried many times, but for me it is a very difficult exercise. I demand too much of myself and I feel that I am still very far from mastering my own language as a poetic tool. Honestly, I don’t even think I’ll ever do it. I could sing in French a text written by someone else without any problem, but writing it myself is completely different. For me it is almost another profession. When I write in English I don’t always work alone either. Some songs I have written from beginning to end, but I never really know how much those lyrics are worth. With music I do know perfectly what what I do means and if it works. With letters I don’t have that security. That’s why I need to rely on Casey and other native English speakers to tell me whether a sentence sounds natural or not. I don’t have that intuition that I would have if I wrote in my own language. I always ask myself, “Is this okay? Does it sound natural? But at the same time, that also gives me a certain freedom. Since I’m not fully aware of all the nuances of the language, I find it easier to go with the flow without judging myself as much.
Speaking of France, are there French artists who may not be as well known outside the country that you think deserve a lot more attention?
Many. Although lately I’ve been a little disconnected from the scene because I don’t have as much time to go to concerts or discover new music. I would say, for example, my guitarist, whose project is called Détente. Also Jazz Lambaux, who was with me on tour and offers a fantastic live performance in which he mixes traditional instruments such as the bagpipes with a very personal proposal.
I would also recommend my friend Vickie Cherie, who writes pop songs and also accompanied me on tour. And DJs like Crystallmess, who is a producer and also organizes art exhibitions. She is a very talented artist.
You recently also composed the soundtrack for the animated film ‘In Waves’ with musician Robin Coudert. How did that project come about and what was the experience like?
I started getting involved in the project in 2021. They asked me to write the music for a trailer that they needed to get financing. In animation everything takes a long time and these types of materials are essential to carry out the production. I accepted the assignment, but quickly realized that I couldn’t do it alone. I had never composed a soundtrack of that level and the musical requirements were very demanding. I had to write for orchestra and work with a completely different language than the one I normally use. I can create my own sounds and develop my musical universe, but a soundtrack requires other tools: working with arrangers, understanding how to adapt the music to the image and mastering a process that I did not yet know. I felt like I didn’t have enough experience to tackle such a project on my own. That’s why Rob Coudert, who had much more experience, joined. We have worked together on this project for several years and it has been a fantastic first experience. I would love to compose for film again.
When you make music, does cinema usually serve as inspiration for you? Are there films that influence the way you compose an album or a song?
Yes, I think so. Sometimes the influence is very evident and ends up even appearing in the lyrics. I am convinced that everything you experience ends up being part of the music you make: the movies, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the emotions… Everything that moves you deeply ends up being reflected in one way or another. I’m not always aware of it, but it happens. For example, in ‘choke enough’ one of the inspirations was ‘Plague Dogs’, which even gave the title to one of the songs. In ‘thank you for recording’ the inspiration came from videos of natural disasters that I saw on YouTube, such as tornadoes and other extreme phenomena. Sometimes the influence is very direct and other times much more unconscious. But it always ends up appearing.
Finally, are you already working on a new project? What can you tell us about what comes after ‘choke enough’?
The truth is that I haven’t even had time to open the computer yet. Right now I have a baby, I’m building my house, I’m on tour, I need to rest and also spend time with my family. Like anyone, I have a lot of things on my plate.
Also, even if I didn’t have all those responsibilities, I always need to completely close a stage before starting the next. It happened to me with ‘Galore’: until the last concert of the tour I was not able to turn the page from an artistic point of view and feel like I could start from scratch. Now exactly the same thing happens to me with ‘choke enough’. What I do feel, just like before starting this album, is a lot of excitement about rediscovering new sounds. I am beginning to feel attracted to new ideas and I want to explore where they can take me. I’m looking forward to making music again, but I still need some time.
