Charismatic French singer-songwriter Tété is a man committed to the ethics of his profession. The priorities at the top of Tété's list are human interaction (with his audience), musical exchange (with support act Fred and Les Valentins who produced his new album) and widening his horizons (via Quebec the feel of which infuses the joyous autumnal atmosphere of his new album). We caught up with the creative whirlwind and asked him what certain words evoked for him.

Pop Academy: As far as TV shows like Star Academy go, people often come up to me and say "God, have you seen it? Have you seen how awful it is? Those kids can't even sing!" I think that view of things is a bit too simplistic, though. It implies that only a small élite of people have got good taste and talent and the rest of the population haven't - because let's not forget these shows are watched by the 'masses.' Whether I myself would ever do that kind of music or get involved in that kind of thing, well, that's another question! But you have to accept that Star Academy and shows like it exist. Personally, I'm a bit wary of this attitude which consists of saying that only a certain sector of the population is "worthy" enough to listen to your music. I'm sure there are people out there with record collections where they've got a Tété album stacked next to a record by Jenifer (the winner of the first Star Academy). As I said, no-one is the repository of good taste. It's each to their own!

Keziah Jones: The guy's a comet! It was thanks to him that at the age of 17 I woke up and realised I could be black and play whatever I wanted, folk music, rock, waltzes or 'chanson.' Keziah Jones opened a door for me and my music. I'd describe him as a sort of melancholy dandy with street cred. He totally legitimized me in what I was doing. He's a hugely important musician.

Black: The colour of my skin. There's a real political edge to my work. I refuse to make music that fits in with all those typically black stereotypes. You know how it is, either you're a basket-ball star and you're out there earning millions of dollars or you're a rapper from a housing-estate driving round in a sports car speaking a language that makes you look as though you're mentally defective. On a musical level as well as a human level I'm trying to put across the exact opposite of that. I'm trying to get rid of all those clichés once and for all.

Nigger: Racism. Racism's out there, it exists and, it goes without saying, I find it totally unacceptable. I'm someone who respects my fellow man and I'd like my fellow men to do the same to me. But I'm starting to get a bit of distance on things these days. I've travelled a lot and when you travel a lot you end up being an exile, which is something I've always felt myself to have been really. Whatever you do you end up being a 'foreigner' to someone at some point.

Guitar and vocals: Guitar and vocals mark the return of a certain form of melody and sobriety. But there are a lot of different styles within that 'school.' An artist like M is a million miles from someone like Fred and Fred is radically different from someone like Alexandre Varlet. Everyone's following his own musical road and I think that's cool!

Harmony: (Tété grins from ear to ear) Yeah! I put a lot more effort into the arrangements on this album. I'd made quite a lot of progress working at home on the counterpoints and harmonies on demo tapes. Then the Valentins came along and helped me with production. They were really cool. They didn't come along with that attitude of "Now listen to us, we know what we're doing because we've done dozens of albums, so let us get on with the job!" They weren't like that at all. They gave me really good advice, pinpointing the parts where things didn't sound right and leaving the good stuff as it was. I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. They were great!

Modesty: A human quality I find… touching. Being expansive and extrovert is all very well but when it's done in an ostentatious way it can get a bit vulgar. Modest, retiring people often have a lot more to offer if you make the effort to look behind the facade. There can be a wealth of unexpected treasure lurking beneath the surface.

La ballade de Oggie Tsuggie: The song was originally called Les Temps changent. But when I declared it to the Sacem (the French copyright organisation) friends of mine pointed out that it could easily be confused with a song by Mc Solaar. And I turned round like a stupid fool and said, "No problem. I don't mind giving some of my copyright to Mc Solaar!" But I was told the problem was the other way round – it was MC Solaar's song which was likely to bring the cash pouring in, not mine! I ended up changing the title of my song so I couldn't be accused of dipping into someone else's kitty!

Sidonie: Er, no idea! The heroine of the TV cartoon "Aglaé et Sidonie"? I don't know. The name of a goose?

Sidonie's the name of the heroine in your song Montréal: Oh yes, so it is, I'd completely forgotten. But Sidonie's not a real person, you know! Well, that's not her real name anyway. Sidonie's a figment of my imagination. That's what's so great about songwriting. You can make up a whole stack of names and places just because you need something to fit in with the rhyme or metre.

Montreal: I discovered Montreal two years ago when I went out there to perform at the "Francofolies" festival. I went on to do a series of concerts in Gaspésie after that and then went back there to Montreal to shoot a video clip. I just fell in love with the place really – and I've been going back there regularly ever since! Montreal is the same size as Paris but what's great about it is less people live there so you have a much better quality of life. I love the lifestyle over there. It's not American and it's not French. It's something unique. And musically speaking the place is an absolute goldmine.

Autumn: Whether I'm in Montreal or Paris autumn's my favourite season. It's a very romantic time of year. You feel a bit melancholy, a bit in love - and the colours, that extraordinary range of colours is just totally uplifting! For me autumn opens up a whole range of possibilities.