Interview with PAPILLON DE NUIT (2/2)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Sometimes albums are born from a moment when life suddenly comes to a halt. “Musetta,” the debut album by Papillon de Nuit, is one such work—born of personal uncertainty, darkness, and remarkable clarity. What began as a solo project by Stephen Kennedy quickly grew beyond its original scope. “Originally, I just wanted to write and record three songs as a kind of personal catharsis,” he explains. But the ideas grew “bigger, more expansive, and more unconventional”—and Kennedy knew: “It was time to turn this into a collective.” Find out more in the second part of our interview. Did you miss the first part? No problem—you can read it here.

“Jew”—One’s Own Mortality

“Jude” is particularly poignant. The song was written after Kennedy was diagnosed with a brain tumor and, for a brief time, had to face the reality that he might have only a few months left to live. “I had to face the very real possibility that my time might be very, very short.” His own reaction was surprising: “No anger, no fear. Just a gentle melancholy.” That moment became music. “Like a very powerful diary entry.” That’s exactly what makes “Jude” so moving: not a dramatic farewell, but rather a quiet acceptance.

An album that straddles beauty and unease

Many songs on “Musetta” touch on the theme of transience without directly addressing death itself. “These songs are snapshots of journeys that can no longer change.” “Frozen Charlotte,” inspired by a dark Victorian legend, also explores this theme. How does Kennedy himself describe his album? “Like the inside of a sepia-toned photograph—with creases, missing corners, and a mysterious warmth. A place you want to see, yet one that makes you feel uneasy at the same time.” That’s exactly what “Musetta” sounds like: like a shadow that doesn’t seem threatening, but rather comforting. A debut that makes darkness palpable.

Jan Schütz (Meersein)

Listen to Papillon de Nuit on our “Current Issue” playlist on Spotify:

You can also find “Papillon de Nuit” in our July/August issue: