It is funny how life can put the right song in front of you at exactly the right moment. I came across Melissa Weikart‘s “L’amour se construit” while living through the very thing she is singing about: the idea that love is not something we simply find and keep, but something we build together. My other half keeps showing me that what we are building, including the occasional messy fight, is one of the most beautiful things we have ever touched. So yes, this song arrived at a rather convenient time.
I love how Melissa Weikart approaches that idea without making love sound effortless. Love takes work. It can be tiring, confusing and messy, but if we are lucky enough to find it, taking care of it is part of the deal. Her very sweet, friendly vocals carry that thought beautifully, while the poetry gives the song enough room to breathe. I have to admit, my French ain’t half bad, so I can follow the message without needing to reach for a translation app, and I already know I will be showing this one to my wife.
The music makes the whole thing even closer to home. The soft mix, the lovely synth exploration and that suave alt-pop feeling create a familiarity I really enjoy. I kept thinking about our kitchen, our cups of coffee and our black cat wandering around as if he owns the place — which, obviously, he does. There is something wonderfully ordinary about that picture, and it fits the song’s idea of love being built through everyday life rather than existing as some perfect, finished object. The psychedelic touches give the track a little space to drift, but the emotional centre stays wonderfully close.
For me, that is where “L’amour se construit” really works. It takes an idea that can sound complicated when we talk about relationships and makes it feel tangible: two people showing up, figuring things out, occasionally getting it wrong and continuing to build anyway. Melissa Weikart‘s songwriting gives those contradictions a gentle home, and her voice never needs to push the message at me. It simply sits there, warm and inviting. I love when a song meets my life at just the right corner, and this one certainly did. Love ain’t easy, but if we have found it, perhaps we should treat the work of caring for it as one of life’s privileges.
About Melissa Weikart:
Born in Paris and raised in Boston, Melissa Weikart is now based in Strasbourg, where her music has earned recognition through the 2022 Nancy Jazz emerging artist prize and the La Défense National Jazz Competition instrumentalist prize. Her background in jazz, ’70s folk-pop, piano, voice and improvisation feeds into a sound that moves between intimate songwriting and exploratory electronic textures. “L’amour se construit” previews her forthcoming album “Contact”, written, arranged and produced almost entirely by Weikart. After hearing this track, I am particularly curious to hear where she takes that balance between warmth, experimentation and deeply personal writing next.
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