Emilie Simon

After enchanting American audiences with her critically acclaimed U.S. debut album The Flower Book late last year, France?s EMILIE SIMON returns with the release of MARCH OF THE EMPRESS?her original soundtrack to the worldwide hit film La Marche De L?Empereur (The March of The Penguins). Due out April 3 via Milan Records, this release will mark the first time listeners on this continent will get to experience in their entirety her ?Victoires De La Musique? Award-winning compositions used in the 2005 documentary.

It was after meeting ?March? director Luc Jacquet in 2003, SIMON realised that this was her chance to write the music for a real feature film where music would play a key role crucial to the project?s success. Coincidentally, she was already working on new songs based on the theme of ice when the fantastic opportunity came.

?The producers of the film?s original version took a big risk, actually, because they wanted me to do the music but I wasn?t really established.? SIMON admits. ?They knew my first album and they thought my music was so different from the common kind of documentary music. They wanted to do something different and artful and unique. They knew that I was interested in the texture of music, and that although I like electronic music, I?m interested in arrangements and melodies. I was interested in making music in keeping with the elements ? water and ice or wood and flowers. I had just finished a song called ?The Ice Girl? about coldness and ice. The film was sent to me and when they contacted me I said, ?that?s really funny, I?ve just finished this song. So my involvement just grew from there.??

Although SIMON set out to write an exclusively instrumental score, she could not resist adding five songs (in English), including ?The Frozen World,? the opening track, which gives concrete expression to an original idea: bringing together the ice age and digital modernity, and slipping this now familiar song of snow sirens between the two. Indeed, over some of the film?s musical themes, Emilie?s voice acts as an instrument, gliding over the others, taking advantage of the ocean of ice, sliding across it as if on waves frozen by the polar cold. ?Antarctic? seems intent on teleporting the Beach Boys to the ice-pack, surfing on percussion and violin. In fact, this highly original soundtrack?which also features a string ensemble, an organ, guitars and acoustic and electric piano--has several layers, alternating classical melodic themes with minimal electronica and combining substance and outline with a dizzying sense of dramatic art.

On ?The Attack Of The Killer Birds? or ?The Sea Leopard,? two scenes of the film featuring predators, the tension of the music increases by several degrees, using blunt percussion and hollowed tones while the soothing roundness of vibraphones and kettledrums, the childish magic of the celesta and the dream sequence suggested by a harp accompany happier moments. Unfortunately when March of the Penguins was released worldwide, SIMON?s soundtrack was shut out of the U.S. and U.K. theatrical and DVD versions of the film.

One of the most accomplished female artists on the French music scene today, EMILIE SIMON brings together her many talents?vocalist, lyricist (English and French), composer, arranger, producer, guitar/bass player and keyboardist?to create sumptuous and unforgettable sonic dreamscapes. American music fans experienced EMILIE?s uniquely sensual songs when The Flower Book (Milan Records) came out November 2006. It highlighted selections from her two albums released via Barclay/Universal France: her 2003 self-titled debut and 2006?s V?g?tal, plus songs from The March of The Penguins.