“Tonight’s story is about a curious little child who sees things differently.”
St. Vincent is set to read a children’s bedtime story on CBeebies this evening (November 29); you can watch a clip below.
The singer-songwriter (real name Annie Clark) will appear on today’s episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories, where she’ll deliver a reading of Henri And The Machine by Isabelle Marinov and Olga Shtonda.
Per a press release, the book is “a charming reflection on learning to appreciate art and its boundless creativity. It tells the story of a boy who asks, ‘What’s the point of art?’ when his class is taken on a school trip to the local art gallery.”
Ahead of tonight’s Bedtime Story, St. Vincent has posted a preview video on her official social media channels. “Hi, I’m St. Vincent, but my real name is Annie,” she tells viewers. “And I’m a musician.”
She continues: “I love writing songs because it gives me a chance to really think about the world around me. And it also means that I get to share my thoughts and my feelings in the songs that I write.
“We all see things a little differently, and sharing how we see the world is how we make paintings, drawings, and songs. It’s how we create art.”
Clark added, “So tonight’s story is about a curious little child who sees things differently, too.” You can watch the video in the post above.
CBeebies Bedtime Stories airs each weekday at 6:50pm GMT on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer; tune in here.
An official synopsis of Henri And The Machine reads: “What’s the point of art? This is the question Henri asks himself when his class is taken on a school trip to the local art gallery. Who wants pictures of old soup cans or melting watches?
“But when he encounters a painting with the most perfect blue, it creates a beautiful feeling. It’s blueberries, oceans, summer skies, and butterflies all rolled into one. And then he wanders into a room with a chair and a sign that reads, ‘Is this really a chair?’ Henri decides to test it out, unleashing an explosion of creativity! Finally, Henri understands what art is all about.”
Other artists to have previously read books on CBeebies Bedtime Stories include Billy Eilish, Dave Grohl, Harry Styles, Elton John, Josh Homme, Jack Black, Phoebe Bridgers, and IDLES’ Joe Talbot.
St. Vincent released her seventh and latest studio album, ‘All Born Screaming’, this April. She recently shared a Spanish-language version of the record titled ‘Todos Nacen Gritando’.
Speaking to NME about the latter project earlier this month, the musician explained: “It was a beautiful exercise and an attempt to offer a little thanks to Spanish-language fans who have met me in my native tongue for seven records.”
When asked how she overcame certain words or phrases that couldn’t be translated, Clark replied, “As a songwriter, the song can have the best groove, the production can be so cool, and singing is great. But if there’s one lyric that’s corny and it’s like, ‘I’m out’.
“I can’t suspend my disbelief. I’m like, ‘Ugh, I was almost there.’ I’m always like, ‘That was a little trite’, or ‘That’s a cliche; they shouldn’t have said that’. This happens in English.”
She added, “Whereas when I’m listening to songs in Spanish, I don’t have the same scrutiny. I’m just enjoying music. It’s such a portal to joy for me—to enjoy it and react to the sound.”
St. Vincent went on to say that she had “no idea” about the sound of her next album: “You always think, ‘OK, the next thing I do will be the best thing I do’. I have to keep going. It has to get deeper. More human, more emotional, better songs. That’s my optimism right there.”
The singer-songwriter toured in the UK, Ireland, and Europe last month and played a one-off show at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall over the summer.
