From Brooklyn with love

She is pals with The National and Bon Iver and sings on records by Beirut and the Antlers. For her new album she could draw on the help of Aaron Dessner, guitarist and sound architect of The National, Zach Condon of Beirut, and members of the Walkmen and Wye Oak. Sharon Van Etten, a timid soul with a deep, melancholy voice, is the new sweetheart from Brooklyn. Following her bare, folky break-up disc Because I Was in Love and the rather epic Epic, Van Etten is crossing the ocean with Tramp, a stunning distillation of fourteen months on the road, of looking back on foundered relationships, of accepting failings, and of looking forward in hope. Aaron Dessner contributed his studio and his production skills and further embellished her languid, bluesy folk ballads. “We Are Fine” and “Magic Chords”, two moving songs with guest vocals by Zach Condon, really come into their own.

In the past, appearing in public was a bit like dying for you every time. Do you find it a bit easier now?
Sharon Van Etten: I was often so nervous that I started telling stories about friends and family. But I try not to do that any more. [laughs] I still find it very egotistical to demand all that attention for yourself.
I’ve heard you owe a lot to Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio.
Van Etten: Ah, he’s so sweet. He took me in tow through New York, dragged me along to his favourite clubs, played new music, and introduced me to the right people. He took away my fear of the New York music scene. I had never appeared in public before and he pushed me onto a stage in a room full of talking, drunken people. [laughs]
You wrote Tramp during a period when you had no fixed address. Out of necessity?
Van Etten: If I wanted to allow myself the luxury of having a band and a tour, a permanent place to live in New York was impossible. So I moved between sofas and sublets – often with men, hence the jokey reference in the title. [laughs] That had the advantage that I could travel or record whenever it suited me. An exhausting period, but I felt free. Aaron would even have allowed me to sleep in the studio, but if you have spent twelve hours there tinkering with a song you need a change of scenery.

One of the things that helped you to break through was when Justin Vernon of Bon Iver covered your song “Love More”. What did you think when you heard it for the first time?
Van Etten: I started to laugh and cry at the same time. I rang up a friend, in a complete state of shock. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know that whole scene yet. I understand why Justin liked that song so much: he knows the dark places a relationship can take you to. That’s what For Emma, Forever Ago is about.
How on earth did you persuade Zach Condon to sing “It’s okay to fear” on “We Are Fine”? It sounds like pure catharsis.
Van Etten: “We Are Fine” is a song about a friend who helped me through a panic attack – that’s something Zach and I both suffer from. Someone who holds your hand and says that it will be alright. It’s one of the most positive songs I have ever written and I thought Zach would feel at home with it. I got enthusiastic reactions from friends: “Sharon’s happy!” – and maybe I am too.

Sharon Van Etten 3/3, 20.00, €7/10/13,
BOTANIQUE, Koningsstraat 236 rue Royale, Sint-Joost-ten-Node/Saint-Josse-ten-Noode,
02-218.37.32, info@botanique.be, www.botanique.be