Swiss wins Rhythm of London Busking Competition

Swiss-born Noémie Ducimetière wooed the crowd with her French songs. Photo credit: Kathrine Anker

“Do I have to sing the same song again…? For fuck’s sake!” Those were the words with which a baffled Noémie Ducimetière stumbled on stage after winning the 2010 Rhythm of London Busking competition.

The 22 year old Swiss-native beat eight other local bands (including Will and the People, who have been showcased before on the site) last Sunday at the Shoreditch Festival. She will receive an official Transport for London Busking license, studio time at Wendyhouse Productions with a leading producer and sound engineer, and a performance slot at the Bedford, an important stage for upcoming bands.

French-speaking Ducimetière chatted with The First Pint about her experiences with music and London, coming to the city when she was only nine, and what’s next in store for her.

When did you become a musician?

My dad’s been a very big influence in my music taste. He used to play me Tom Waits when I was a baby. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t really like music. I remember listening to Erik Satie for the first time and deciding that’s what I wanted to do with my life. He’s a French classical composer. And there has been a keyboard in our apartment forever and basically all my life I’ve always been around it. I can’t remember when I started writing; I’ve always liked it, basically.

Why did you decide to sing in French here in London?

It’s not about why, I just love the tunes. They’re beautiful tunes. And I happen to speak French so I want to sing it. And I can sing! So why not? [laughs]

Do you do anything on the side?

I’ve got a band called the Gentle Mystics. We played Glastonbury a couple of weeks ago. It’s a nine- piece band and it’s very hard to keep everyone in the same place and at the same time. This year we’ll only have played once as a full band. But we still carry on and manage to stay together.

You’re a musician full-time?

That’s what I want to do, yeah. Lately, that’s what I’ve been doing. My boyfriend/fiancée is managing me and doing a very good job of it.

What’s your favourite place in London?

I really like the river, anywhere along the river I really like it. Really far west around the river, around Kew [Gardens], it’s very beautiful. There’s old pirate ships half sunken and stuff.

Where are you based in London?

Hackney Wick, it’s one of my favourite areas in London. But it’s about to get fucked up the arse because of the Olympics.

What is your first memory of when you came here?

I went to a Catholic school and it was very different to everything I knew. I remember getting really into religion somehow for some reason and then coming out of it.

Learning the language took me a few years. I remember pretending to my dad that I could speak English. When he was all the way across the room and it was my fourth day and he had come to pick me up and I was pretending to be talking to my classmate and I was mouthing really fast so that my dad could think that I could talk really well.

I was very homesick but now I’ve grown to love it. Definitely want to keep moving, there’s lots of places to see.

What’s the next step for you?

I want to make a film in animation. I want to smash it with music. I want to inspire people, make them happy and make myself happy while I’m at it.

The First Pint would like to congratulate Noemie and wish her success for the future. You can check out more of her music on her MySpace page or check out her other band, the Gentle Mystics.