The cult Austrian band with a love for French
SAINT PRIVAT
The duo project Saint Privat is a story that began at a summer wedding in Vienna in 2003. Among the guests was electronic musician and producer Klaus Waldeck – known for his album Ballroom Stories. He was pretty impressed with the francophile singer Valerie Sajdik, who performed in the wedding band.
By that time she worked as a jazz- and popsinger and released several tracks as a solo artist and in different formations. Waldeck invited Valerie to his studio the following week and voilà…Saint Privat was born.
Their first track was a cover of Henry Mancini´s composition “Nothing to Lose”, which sort of became the unspoken motto of their collaboration.
The project name Saint Privat stems from a small village located in the south of France, where Valerie (originally from Vienna) has chosen to live.
Riviera, the duo's first album
Their first album „Riviera“ (2004) has already shaped what was to become their signature sound: a fine blend of Bossa nova, Easy Listening, Jazz and subtle elements of electronic sounds – all with a soft nostalgic undertone that echoes the beachfront live of the Sixties.
“Riviera” was awarded with the Austrian Music Award in 2005.
Superflu and its Poisson Rouge
Their second album “Superflu” (2006) was almost entirely in French and many tracks have been used for TV or cinema, the most famous being “Poisson Rouge” in the feature film “A simple favor” (2018).
Both albums “Riviera” and “Superflu” were successfully charted in the Austrian Charts.
Solo break, new tempo
Not long after the release of their 2nd album Klaus Waldeck and Valerie Sajdik decided to split up and both of them pursued their own musical careers.
Ten years later Valerie came up with the idea to reinvent the project but it last another three years until both of them got an idea of what their new music and cooperation should look like.
Après la Bohème
In early 2021 they decided to work on a new album. Spending nearly two years on new songs and recordings, the fruits of their labor is their new album “Après la Bohème”, a title that leaves plenty of room for interpretation and catches the spirit of our times.
All songs are sung in French. The music thrives on ambiguous moods between decadence and elegance with a dose of psychedelic background noises and retro chic.
One track of the album by the name of „Boom, Boom Click!“ has already been released and was featured in one of the latest episodes of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris”.
This particular track was also featured at the parade on the red carpet during the 76th Festival du Film de Cannes.