About LOUVE

Etoile Marley

Below is a dive into what inspired the LOUVE album as a whole followed by explanations of each song and how they tie into the she-wolf theme. Personal experiences, quotes, imagery and several novels were used as inspiration for the songs.

What inspired the album?

Born in the year of the dog according to Chinese astrology, (I like to call it the year of the wolf) therefore I've often identified with wolfish traits: playfulness, loyalty, bravery, protective instincts, female alpha traits, hunting (for success and knowledge).
I used to dream a lot about white wolves as a child, and since then always felt that wolves were a type of guardian spirit animal, guiding and protecting me.
Louve means she-wolf in French, which is a nod to my French heritage.
Several quotes felt important when I was conceptualising the album:
"Wolves don't lose sleep over opinions of sheep" (Originally "Lions do not concern themselves with the opinion of sheep - Aesops fables, C.S Lewis and biblical references)
"Throw me to the wolves I belong with them anyway" (Origin unknown)
"Well behaved women seldom make history" - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (American historian)
The album themes are all viewed through the lens of a she-wolf archetype: empowerment, endurance, strength, womanhood, survival skills, protecting the pack (family), hunting for knowledge of self and success, motherhood, confidence and owning your power, love, sex & heartbreak, acceptance, heightened senses, the moon, the woods and nature.
Wolves relationship to the moon is a topic of discussion in wolfish circles and is much debated as to whether it's a spiritual type of connection or purely practical. It was believed that wolves 'howl at the full moon' but in fact wolf biologists discovered that the full moon simply enabled clearer communication between wolves. Regardless, the moon is an integral part of wolf night life and therefore this connection is present throughout my album. In addition to a woman's connection to the full moon and harnessing that power.

Lone Wolf

The lone wolf personality represents "confident individualists", those born of a species but much more self sufficient than 'the pack'.
It ponders that feeling of enjoying one's own space, being good at 'being lonely' but not wanting to be alone through life, as we all need to have interaction, love and connection to survive.
This was the very first tune I wrote and recorded for LOUVE back in 2021. It set set the tone for what was to be created next.

8 Phases

The moon goes through 8 phases from new, to full, to new again over roughly 1 month. In this regard women often feel connected to the moon as our cycles often coincide with the cycle of the moon.
This song is a love song to the moon and its transformative powers. A sense of renewal under the light of full moon and an opportunity to begin again. Acceptance of the different phases we go through in life, and feeling supported through connection to the moon.
8 is also my lucky number (my birth date 17=1+7=8) which just adds an extra layer of significance for me personally.

Wolf Den

First inspired by a book of the same name about a brothel set in ancient Greece. Originally I wanted to make the song about the relationship between a pimp and a prostitute but as time went on, Wolf Den became a metaphor for being trapped by societal limitations.
Wolf Den is both representative of having a safe space you can hide out in as well as being a metaphor for a mindset that hide behinds a facade. All whilst questioning the powers that be and the need for positive change.

Alpha

Though the term 'alpha' for leader of a wolf pack is outdated in research circles, the term remains in our consciousness as such. It implies a certain dominance that is related to leadership, and in this sense I find it relatable to being a confident go-getter.
This song therefore embodies confidence, leadership qualities, being 'dominant without dominating', loyalty and safeguarding 'the pack' at all costs whilst maintaining a playful air. It encapsulates the idea that mothers are strong, protective, sentimental and loyal.

Close 2 stars

The heartbreak song. Having an overwhelming sense that your relationship or bond with someone is falling to pieces.
When you have felt that perhaps you're not the right choice for your love, blaming yourself and feeling blamed by others that choosing you is a bad choice for them.
The title 'Close 2 stars' is a play on my name Etoile (meaning star in French) and therefore the hook 'that's what happens when you get too close 2 stars', suggesting if you get too close you will get burnt.

Fur (coat)

I wanted a song called FUR on the album., that was my starting point, which quickly became fur coat, a metaphor for being wrapped up in someone's love.
That sense of feeling protected by your mate, closeness, being warm and basking in their attention.
Though the shewolf is fiercely independent and capable, there is beauty and joy in being wrapped up and held in someone else's strength and capability.

Fallin'

I wrote the first version of this song 20 years ago! It's the only song on the album that I didn't write in the 2021/22. Originally it was called 'Down n Dirty' and went through around five re-drafts before being finished and renamed.
A tune about attraction and questioning if you're fallin' in love.
Representative of the playfulness of the lustful shewolf, and the idea of pursuit (hunting) being lead by desire and infatuation.

Power 2 the mother

Power 2 mothers who are holding it down: their children, their family, their careers, their studies, the house, their mental health, their bodies the chores, etc etc etc!
Motherhood is the most difficult job I've ever had! Something I have no regrets about whatsoever, but I acknowledge and am honest about how challenging it is at times.
I have often felt that mothers aren't supported enough, especially by many health care systems and societies at large. It can be harrowingly lonely at times and is so common for mothers to experience PND.
Mothers are essential to the survival of 'The Pack' and therefore it was essential for me to include a song that empowers mothers.

Howl

I knew I wanted a song called 'Howl' on the album and knew the word would be in the hook. When I began writing, it quickly became about women banding together and fighting violence against women. Coming together to 'howl' at the injustice of it. Which of course feels particularly relevant with what is happening still in the world today.
I was deeply moved by a documentary I watched about violence against women in Honduras, the shocking murders of women there make it the most dangerous place in the world for females to live.
Howl is about coming together to enact change for the better, to stop violence against women.

Wilderwood

Perhaps the most autobiographical song on the album, Wilderwood is about appreciating and honouring other cultures, loving languages and my own multi-cultural upbringing in a French/Australian household.
At times it feels the world gets lost with concepts I find ridiculous (that they exist still today), such as racism or hatred towards others simply because they come from a different country or culture to our own.
Wilderwood is Embracing this beautiful multicultural world that we live in.
The title was inspired from the book 'For the Wolf' by Hannah Whitten, whereby the wilderwood lives in two of the main characters and they harness it's power.

Little Fang

Witnessing the way children are awed by the tiniest of things, teaching us to revisit the perspective of first experience of many things which we take for granted as an adult, is an absolute marvel.
I believe children should be honoured and cherished, their innocence protected for as long as possible. The world seems to want to rush childhood which saddens me.
Becoming a mother was the most transformative experience of my life, changing me forever. My children inspired Little fang, a lullaby to to the innocence and curiosity of all children.

Side B

LOUVE

The title track is a playful tune with funk and hiphop elements, spoken word and vocal instrumentation.
It has a couple of hints in the backing vocals, one is to Michael Jackson ("eehee moonwalker") and the other to the BeeGees "ah ah I'm stayin' alive").
The pre-chorus uses the quote "throw me to the wolves, I belong with them anyway", expressing fearlessness in the face of confrontation.
The hook "je suis la-la-la-la-la-louve" meaning "I am the she-wolf" is obviously the message of the album: I am strong, confident, brave and unafraid.

MY PACK

Another song that in my mind is an essential part to a wolf album, of course the pack is instrumental in the lives of most wolves.
Something that resonates with me deeply about wolves is their loyalty to their pack and the way in which they are fiercely protective of their own.
The verses are in French, with the hooks in English which is a flip on how I have usually composed and arranged songs thus far.
With a four-to-the-floor beat I wanted to create a sense of foreboding if one threatens the 'pack'. (The idea that 'if you threaten one, you threaten all'.)
The message is that you should expect retaliation if you threaten a member of the pack and that the pack sticks together.

THE HUNT

The 1st single. As the name suggests, The Hunt is about hunting. As wolves hunt for their food, so do we humans hunt for knowledge, success, meaning and connection.
The pre-chorus revisits my use of creating "vocal instruments" (random noises that really just start out as me playing about but then 99% of the time I decide to keep them because I love'em!).
The real message of the song is hunting for what is going to really fulfil you the most, making use of your individual talents and questioning what one is capable of.

Wildling

3rd single. The 'wild woman' trope is the driving force behind this song. I reinterpreted a famous quote into "well behaved women rarely make history" which sums up the message of both verses.
It's about how women have fought so long to be heard and respected without being labelled as 'neurotic', 'witch', 'crazy' or 'wild' simply for being ourselves.
As a young woman I was often called 'too wild', a label I lent into more and more and inevitably became part of my personality as I embraced it!

Woman with the wolf tattoo

This was the 3rd track recorded for the album and loosely inspired by the film title 'Girl with a dragon tattoo', nothing to do with the story though!
It's a reference to the wolf tattoos I have and the sense of protection they represent for me. It defines who I am at my core, my values and my strong sense of self.
The song is about being too intense for some people or "un-fuck-with-able". Staying true to your own personal values, the opening line "I love, honour, protect all my family ties" is a nod to the commitments I've made and choosing to fight for family and those close you.

Red & the wolf

Inspired by the book 'For the Wolf' by Hannah Whitten. A tale of 2 sisters, one destined for the throne, the 2nd destined to be sacrificed to the Wolf. Loosely influenced by Little Red Riding hood also.
This song stands out on it's own really, because so many fables that exist of the "big bad wolf" who lives in the forest, it needed to be part of my wolf story.
Lots of layered vocal harmonies and vocoder to create an enchanted song that depicts the story of Red and The Wolf.
My hope is that the author will hear this one!