It is in front of a cafe, in a discreet corner of the 11th arrondissement, that I am waiting for Sucrose, accompanied by his guitarist — and informal manager — Achille. Two young people with long hair approach. One carries a guitar on his back. Hard not to recognise them. Large jackets, haircuts straight from the 80s, contrasting with a much less vintage facial hair.
Beyond his shy and slightly nerdy air, Sucrose corresponded exactly to the image I had made of him. Barely twenty years old, Doc Martens at his feet, baggy pants, skull rings on almost all fingers. Cybersigilistic tattoos cover his hands, a black cap with a torn visor eats his forehead, a septum hangs from his nose, a freshly placed microdermal piercing shines on the cheekbone. On his brown jacket, labels sewn from metal groups — Bauhaus, Korn, Slipknot — make up a kind of textile Wrapped, a patchwork without hierarchy of his inspirations.
« I’m Juan, aka Sucrose. I only make music, and I’m 20 years old », he simply lets go. At his side, Achille clarifies with a smile : « I am Achille, aka not Sucrose. I mixed Stillness, I play the guitar on stage… we can say manager too. For now, it’s not official, but we are good friends. »
If Sucrose’s aesthetics spontaneously evokes shoegaze — or what some already call zoomergaze, due to the revival of the genre by Gen Z — he refuses to lock himself in a box. « My main influences come from shoegaze, yes, but I would especially like not to have a particular style. Sucrose is just an alias to release my music, no matter the genre. One day it can be shoegaze, another, a full breakcore project, jungle… or even rap, who knows ? ».
This freedom is reflected in his way of creating. Stillness, his EP, was born almost entirely in the intimacy of his bedroom. « I was recording everything at home. I was happy with the result, but it didn’t sound good. So I sent the songs to Achille, we gave each other a day, and we mixed together at his place ». If bedroom pop gave a name to a pop born in isolation, Sucrose would rather be a ‟bedroom rock” : an abrasive music shaped in the huis clos of his room, far from the commercial and institutional scenes.
This room, more than a creative space, becomes the laboratory of a sound fuelled by both post-punk and metal discovered on TikTok. « Initially, all my music taste came from TikTok. I discovered bands, and for two months, I listened to everything over and over again. I ended up with 3000 liked titles ». The Cure, goth-rock, then gradually shoegaze, became his favourite terrain.
While Sucrose is already working on his next project — « ideally, it would be an album that could become one of my favourite albums » — he is preparing to defend his sound on stage on February 7th at La Machine Ondulatoire. Before that, he takes the time to look back on his methods, his influences and his future desires.
HOW WAS STILLNESS BORN ?
SUCROSE : Stillness‘s first song was Dressed in Red, in October 2023. At the beginning, it wasn’t shoegaze at all. It was much more metal, hardcore. But over time, I discovered other genres, and I totally changed the idea I had of it. While keeping the same chords, I reworked it, and it became something more shoegaze.
WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES ?
SUCROSE : For the very first demos, it was mainly Fleshwater. With, my favourite band, Deftones, and my favourite album, I Let It in and It Took Everything by Loathe. I listen to it once a week, almost. And once a month, I make a story on Instagram saying that it is « the best album of all time ». But currently — and for a while now — , it’s electronic music that fascinates me. I would say that my three biggest influences are metal, shoegaze and electronic music. Stillness was born from this alliance.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER ARTISTS ? DO YOU HAVE A DREAM COLLAB ?
SUCROSE : For now, there is a sound, in my next project, which is in collaboration with my friend Taiki (aka my empire is full of love), because I find that his music often talks about the same thing as me, and I really like what he does. And for a dream collaboration, it’s between Loathe and Jane Remover.
DO YOU STILL RECOGNISE YOURSELF IN YOUR FIRST SONGS ?
SUCROSE : Less and less. I’m still happy with the result, but now that I’m working on what’s next, I know there are things I could have done differently so that it would fit more to my current style. Electronic music has taken a big place in my music and has totally mixed with my metal and shoegaze influences.
ACHILLE : There are influences from the EDM scene, hyper-pop, Jane Remover too… all these sounds have come to stick to the music of Sucrose.
STILLNESS IS A BEDROOM EP. HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE TO LISTEN TO IT?
SUCROSE : At night. Alone. Walking, coming home in the evening. From the start, I wanted it to be a nocturnal project. With lights and large buildings. Visually, places like the BNF or La Défense have greatly inspired artistic direction.
IS THERE A REASON FOR YOUR EXCLUSIVE ENGLISH WRITING ?
SUCROSE : I think there are two main reasons. I am first very inspired by the American music scene. In the future, I would like to have a community there. Then, it’s also a way for me to separate myself a little from the words, when it’s a little too intimate. It allows me to get away and sing without being embarrassed.
ARE YOU LOOKING TO ADAPT YOUR MUSIC TO THE LIVE ?
SUCROSE : In terms of production, no. I prefer to have a faithful version of what I want people to listen to on platforms, rather than alter my music for the live. Music can be listened to at any time. A concert is once or twice a year. So, on the contrary, I will continue to push production even more. We’ll manage later for it to sound good live.
ACHILLE : Of course, it creates live challenges. As music becomes more electronic, there are more layers, more backing tracks. It will require rearrangement of certain things, especially on the guitar.
ONE YEAR AFTER THE FIRST SINGLE, WHAT HAS CHANGED ?
ACHILLE : There is much more confidence. Everything aligns : the savoir-faire, the stage presence, the vision. And the fact that people are already receptive when we know we can do even better is reassuring.
SUCROSE : I see above all that I try a lot more things than before. Whether it’s on the guitar — or on the computer for everything electronic : synths, glitch, breaks.
SUCROSE, IS IT AN ALTER EGO ?
SUCROSE : Yes, clearly. It’s a nickname that allows me to do and say things I wouldn’t dare as Juan. I am very introverted. On stage, I’m terrified. I look at the floor, my feet. I never really watched the audience during a concert. But it’s kind of shoegaze. People find it mysterious. But in reality, I was just scared to death.
WHAT IS STILLNESS REALLY ABOUT ?
SUCROSE : After high school, I had a lot of problems. I discovered music late, around 15-16 years old, when my career choices were already made. I had to go to computer school. Nothing artistic. In addition, even after ten years in France, I remain a Colombian immigrant, so there was an administrative impasse too. Stillness talks about that moment when you feel blocked, while everyone around you moves forward.
AND WHAT’S NEXT ?
SUCROSE : The themes will be more political. It’s the legacy of rock, metal. I also want to experiment with genres : rap, shoegaze, metal… and maybe write in Spanish and French. But what I want to preserve at all costs is my bedroom. It’s the only place where I feel really comfortable composing. For recording, yes, I would like to be able to record in a real studio for the quality. But staying in my musical cocoon and occasionally inviting friends is what is essential in my music and what pushes me to continue.
Stillness is already available on all platforms. Find Sucrose in concert on February 7th at La Machine Ondulatoire.
OUTERNET MAGAZINE 
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