Back to overview
Magazine

Carte Blanche: Brandy Butler

Brigitta Grimm05-28-20256 min. read

Brandy Butler is one of the nine artists who have received a Carte Blanche from Moods for the 24/25 season. The Carte Blanche is awarded to outstanding musicians on the Swiss jazz scene and offers them the opportunity to further develop their current musical work and try out new things. In this article you will get a little insight into the work of this busy artist from Zurich.

Brandy Butler's Carte Blanche explores the concept of community and the collective experiencing of music, whether that be listening or performing together. Community, family, and relationships with others are important themes in the artist's work. Brandy Butler, who was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, grew up in a musical family and learned to sing at an early age, receiving her first lessons from her father on a small white Casio keyboard. From the fourth grade, they began learning the flute, and in high school, they played the sousaphone in a marching band as well as playing in the orchestra. Brandy went on to study jazz flute and tuba in Philadelphia, subsequently working as a music teacher, as well as a flutist and singer in a band.Eager for a change, Brandy Butler moved to Switzerland in 2003. Initially working as an au pair in Switzerland, Brandy quickly became an important figure on the Zurich music scene. When they appeared on The Voice Switzerland they became known throughout Switzerland, and by now it is probably easier to list the musicians she has not yet worked with.First Music, Then Theater
After The Voice Switzerland and her solo record ‘The Inventory of Goodbye’ (2016), Brandy began to devote herself almost exclusively to the theatre, a move that was mainly for emotional reasons. Brandy explains: "I released my solo record in 2016. It was a big step for me because I had always worked on other people's projects, for example as a backing vocalist, and so this was my first work as an individual. I was looking for my creative vision in it. How do I sound as a singer, as a performer and what do I have to say? And ‘The Inventory of Goodbye’ (2016) was the answer to that." On the one hand, the record met with a positive response and was widely praised in the media, "on the other hand, I experienced the expectations that people have of a fat, black body. People came up to me and said ‘Yes, you sing well, but you can push it a bit more’. And that was so funny - I wanted to put my emotions into this album, and that was very true and emotional for me. And then there was this disconnect between how I felt and what the audience wanted from me because I'm a black, fat, American singer."
Brandy then decided to take a break. At the same time, Brandy Butler received requests from theatres, initially as a singer and performer, but suddenly she was also offered a permanent position with a theatre company. Brandy's parents used to run a small community theatre where the musicians used to play a lot, but Brandy hardly thought a career in the theatre was possible because she had only learned German when she moved to Switzerland. The special attraction of theatre is the much shorter production periods, says Brandy: "In theatre, it's usually only six weeks. You start with a text - or not - and at the end of these six weeks, during which you rehearse very intensively, up to eight hours a day, you have something finished. And I like that."In the meantime, Brandy has already worked in ensembles, as a director, developed the format Drag Story Time (Brandy is also a children's teacher!) and recently composed her first opera ‘Mitosis - An LSD Opera’, in which she dealt with the loss of her mother, the first performances of which were all sold out.
Together in Sound – Listening Sessions with Special Guests
At the beginning of Brandy Butler's Carte Blanche, monthly listening sessions took place. The setting: on Sunday mornings at 11.00 a.m., people sit down for coffee and croissants in comfortable armchairs, on sofas and large cushions and listen to an entire music album from start to finish. However, Brandy Butler left the choice of music to the hand-picked guests. With Big Zis and ‘Doolittle’ (1989) by the Pixies, we felt youthful rebellion; with Guillermo Sorya's (a.k.a. Laskaar) dream album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ (1998), we reflected on first crushes and relationships and admired the album's insane production; with Cantonal Councillor Mandy Abou Shoak, we listened to ‘An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba’ (1965); with Mayor Corinne Mauch we discussed the political lyrics in Joni Mitchell's ‘Shine’ (2007); with Laurin Buser it was all about rap and Mos Def's ‘The Ecstatic’ (2009); and last but not least, Brandy surprised us with Ramón Oliveras as a surprise guest!In any case, one thing is clear: you should take the time to consciously listen to a music album from start to finish much more often, and it's even more enjoyable if you can discuss the music with other people afterwards.13. Juni 2025: Brandy Butler & The Brokenhearted
Despite her numerous projects, Butler is always good for a surprise. This was also the case here. Brandy has spontaneously surprised Moods by presenting a new record on this evening - almost ten years after the release of her last album ‘The Inventory Of Goodbye’ (2016). So on 13 June, to celebrate the release of her first single ‘Incantation’, there will be an exclusive insight into the new music. What does Brandy deal with in it? ‘The album is a compilation of a period of about 2 or 3 years in my life,’ says Brandy, ’characterised on the one hand by a new sexual freedom that I found in my late thirties, the importance of lust and passion, and on the other hand by stormy times in my family, by death, by my siblings. And there are many stories about the difficulties in relationships with acquaintances or within families. What binds you? And what do these connections between us really mean?’ We are excited and looking forward to an evening that will get under your skin.Preview: Try A Little Tenderness
‘‘Try a little tenderness’ is a project that strengthens the vision of a unifying and collective society in times of great disunity. By focusing on building solidarity, connecting the past to the present, and imagining a just and community-driven future through the power of music, the project opens up spaces for people to collectively remember our shared humanity while inspiring hope.’ This, writes Brandy Butler, is the vision of her final concert in her Carte Blanche series. Originally planned for June 2025, the concert unfortunately has to be postponed to the next season 2025/2026. But, as we all know, postponed is not cancelled. And you don't want to miss a concert with such a brilliant line-up. For ‘Try a little tenderness’, Brandy Butler invites several female singers: Tracy September, Celina Bostic and Melissa Laveaux. Together they look back to the past, to the legacy of many Black women singers, to repeating patterns of human history, but also with a hopeful view to the future.

You could like this too

  • Nduduzo Makhathini: “A good concert blurs the line between audience and artist”
    More
  • Carte Blanche: Victoria Mozalevskaya
    More