Huguette Lavigne celebrates the first blush of new love with her single and video I’ll Make You Happy — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
With ascending and descending progressions, excitement-building crescendos and a trace of nostalgia, the Ottawa pianist and composer’s joyous piece recreates the emoitional roller-coaster ride of new love.
“A blush radiating from the core. A twinkle in the eye and your heart tells you what to do,” describes Lavigne. “When there is no need to say anything. When anything can happen. So, you see? Flirting can open the door to a nice conversation.”
Lavigne’s relationship with her music is a very fruitful, ongoing flirtation. Her method of composing the over 40 piano works she’s written to date is a beautiful manifestation of the urge to sit down at the keys, let go and let the muse take her wherever it pleases. That’s certainly true of I’ll Make You Happy. “I was most likely at the piano improvising something that ended up creating this piece,” she says. “It was destined to be uplifting and joyous, with its many ascending happy phrases, the main drivers of the piece. As I was creating this piece, my musical soul was probably searching for an expression of joy, love, and romance!”
I’ll Make You Happy is the second composition Lavigne has released as a single from her third album, 2021’s Free and Easy. The prolific pianist has released four full-length recordings over the past six years. Her previous album Five O’Clock Somewhere was released in 2020. Her first, Black Tie Affair, debuted in 2015 and the second collection, Yin and Yang, was issued in 2018.
Lavigne’s playing and composing are truly extensions of her physical and mental being. She’s an artist who eschews the tradition of meticulously notating her compositions in favour of relying on a shorthand of her own to facilitate recall for future performances. “There is something about breaking the rules that can be terribly satisfying,” says Lavigne. “My fingers sometimes go where they want to on the keyboard and at times I sort of have to take them back home or rein them in.”
Her compositions are eventually stored entirely in her head and fingers. Once they’re recorded, she moves on to the next piece. “Not notating everything down keeps things fresh,” she explains. “You are open to new phrases and resolutions. This is risky, but oh so satisfying!” Also satisfying: The video for I’ll Make You Happy, featuring couples in heartwarming displays of attraction and affection. ‘Whether it is enduring or a fleeting moment, love nurtures everyone and is the same at the core of every human being.”
Watch I’ll Make You Happy above, hear more from Huguette Lavigne below, and find her at her website, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok.
