We hooked up with Maurane in a wonderfully green, plant-filled restaurant in central Brussels, where the singer appeared smiling, happy and relaxed. Little wonder! Over the past few months, Maurane has indulged in her favourite pastime, experimenting with a wide range of musical styles in the company of some of her best friends. After reforming jazz ensemble HLM (Houben Loos Maurane) with her old accomplices Steve Houben and Charles Loos, Maurane teamed up with cellist Marie Hallynck and actress Marie Gillain for a classical performance entitled "Bach au féminin" in June. Meanwhile, the eclectic Belgian star has also been busy performing Berthold’s Duo des chats with the Liège Philharmonic and passing on her passion for Babar in a special children’s show.

Positively healthy and radiant after losing several kilos, Maurane is now back in the music news with her sixth studio album. Essentially mixed and recorded in the ICP studio in Brussels, Quand l'humain danse oozes energy and positive vibes and features a number of duets with the singer’s friends including Marc Lavoine (Un pays mais), Lara Fabian (Mais la vie…) and Véronique Sanson (Petites minutes cannibales). Quand l’humain danse features superb arrangements and songwriting, words interweaving around the music as if they had been made for each other, creating a sound that’s part bluesy, part catchy old-fashioned charm. Maurane’s loyal creative team - Peter Lorne, Arnould Massart, Jean-Claude Vanier and producer Nicolas Fiszman – have been joined by French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman. The latter has penned four songs including Tout faux, the jazzy Ce que le blues a fait de moi and Des millions de fois, giving Maurane’s powerful vocals the chance to soar.

So this is a bit of a “tutti-frutti” album then ?
Yes, I guess you could put it like that. Quand l’humain danse is a cocktail of all kinds of music from all kinds of eras, made up of all the people I’ve been close to over the years. I’ve got this amazing extended family of friends, some of whom were there at the beginning, others date from the middle and others came on board later in my career !

What’s your favourite song on the new album ?
I love Sans demander. When I received the first demo from Daniel (Lavoie) and I found out the lyrics had been written by Louise Forestier, I have to say I was really, really touched. Daniel and Louise are two people who are both very close to my heart and listening to this song I felt I counted a lot for them too. There’s no doubt about it, Sans demander was really written for me !

There’s another song on your new album - Un pays mais – which seems to strike a bit of a patriotic note…
Really, do you think so? I don’t agree. In fact I’d say there’s not an ounce of patriotism in it. But it’s funny, I think I know why you said that. It’s because the opening notes of the song go … (and Maurane starts humming the opening bar of Un pays mais). It automatically makes you think of Douce France.
The way I see it a country doesn’t have to be an actual country, it can be an emotion, an image. A country’s what’s right there beside you, what’s right under your nose but you don’t always see. And it can be the love we feel towards others too. The evidence is right there beside you; you don’t have to go far to find it. But sometimes you miss it because you just don’t see it. For me a country is more about love than geography.

You’ve come out in support of numerous causes, raising funds for charities like Les Restos du cœur and Sol en Si, but you’ve never sought to be labelled as a “committed” artist…
When you see children in misery or people around you struggling because they don’t have enough to eat, then you can’t stay indifferent. I’m moved by situations like that and I want to react. I used to go round saying I was an uncommitted singer, that I didn’t see any use in fighting a cause. But looking round and seeing the extent to which music has changed things and been successful in fighting causes, I’ve now come to the conclusion that there’s only one thing to do – and that’s to get involved !

Do certain things in the news make you want to react too ?
Yes, of course. There are things I want to stand up and rebel against. I’m like everyone else, I’m sickened by all the violence… And let me tell you I can’t stand Bush… I have to admit I don’t actually watch the news all that often because I think there’s a problem with giving such huge media coverage to wars. By showing them on television all the time we accord way too much importance to them. It’s got to the point where people can now turn on their TV and watch their own little war live as it happens. I think there’s something distinctly unhealthy about that. I’d obviously like to see more humanism, love and harmony in the world !

This desire for peace and serenity is something that’s very much in evidence on your new album…
Well, on the last album I dwelt on violence and what was happening with the planet. I dealt with more serious issues, with themes that were maybe more universal but I expressed them in my own words, the words of a dreamer. I’m a big believer in Utopia. The good thing about dreams is they can be the first step towards creating a new reality, so I’m happy to keep dreaming and trying to hang on to positive energy rather than focusing on the negative in life. I still have faith in human beings and their possibilities, otherwise I’d have to give up and shoot myself ! I really believe human beings are capable of great things if they put their energy in the right direction. It’s like when people dance everything’s right with the world!

So it would be a good idea if George Bush had a bit of a dance every now and then…
Oh, you’ll never catch Bush dancing! He’s a little soldier through and through and little soldiers don’t dance, they just stand there shooting in all directions. Little soldiers want to dominate everything and be in control. No, there’s no chance you’ll ever catch Bush dancing !