Carmen Villain Interview And Photos

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Life can have a funny way of going in circles. Before beginning her career as a musician, Carmen Villain (née Hillestad) appeared on the cover of fashion magazines ranging from Nylon to Vogue Spain. Now, however, Villain has switched gears and recorded her debut LP Sleeper (out tomorrow), on which she fuses layers of diaphanous vocals, feedback-laden guitar, and circuitous, often beguilingly beautiful melodies.

Partially produced by Serena Maneesh's Emil Nikolaisen and featuring a collaboration with Norwegian space-disco mainstay Prins Thomas, the record is as mercurial as its creator.

We were lucky enough to get Villain back in front of a camera in her adopted home of London to talk about recoding Sleeper, the relationship between fashion and music, and the one outfit she'd wear for the rest of her life. As a bonus, take a listen to her breathtaking new track, "Made A Shell," which should give you just a little taste of what she's capable of.

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