Van Hechter Talks “Boy Problems” Smash, Funk-à-Folies, and Staying Lit in Montreal Winters

Van Hechter never stops. New York, Montreal, Paris, or Miami—he is always somewhere to bring joy, fun, and excellent performances to rejuvenate his audience. Like a time-traveler, Van brings the best of an era to our days and adds his own spin. We always love his company. Now that his new single Boy Problems became a hit and as he prepares for his Funk-à-Folies on February 6th in Montreal, we talked again about his everyday life and career, with some deeper thoughts and fun, lots of fun.

Music Authentic: “Boy Problems” hit number one and is getting airplay across the US, UK, and Australia. Did you see this coming, or were you as shocked as we were when the numbers started rolling in?

Van Hechter: I’m not even sure I am #1—am I? If I am that’s GREAT. You catch me unpacking from a 3 day trip to NYC and getting ready for a show tonight in Montreal—I haven’t checked my rankings is a while! I rarely see anything coming anymore! For years I was planning, visualizing, foreseeing and nothing came true. Now I just practice no expectation.

Music Authentic: This feels like one of your most raw and authentic tracks yet—like you just let go and put your heart out there. Was that a conscious decision, or did the vulnerability just flow naturally during the writing?

Van Hechter: I thank you for this comment. I think the more I write the more personal it gets, even when I’m doing something humorous—which is what artists do: remove layers over time. It wasn’t so much a decision. It’s where I was at when I sat down to write it, simply.

Music Authentic: Did you sense early on that “Boy Problems” had the potential to be your next big hit, or was it more of a surprise as fans connected with it?

Van Hechter: One thing I did sense and still feel: it’s my favorite to sing live. I don’t know exactly why. And from the moment Eryck (my music associate) played me the chords I was in love.

Music Authentic: Marketing vs. magic—did “Boy Problems” need the extra push, or was this more a right-place-right-time situation with organic buzz carrying it forward?

Van Hechter: I don’t know how/what/why… I truly don’t this time around. It doesn’t have millions of streams like other singles yet it seems to move people and I’m often told it’s my best. In all honestly I like that the ”success” of it remains a mystery to me.

Music Authentic: Funk-à-Folies on February 6th in Montreal—supper club, DJ, games, Aty bringing the glamour, live performances… What inspired this mix of dinner, fun, and music, and what kind of silliness are you planning to host?

Van Hechter: I always say that I’m a gay Bob Barker who sings! Plus, I am a 1950s fan! A good cabaret, a good supper-club: I’m in. I love being an MC on top of performing. So, DJ Ben Radcliffe and I came up with the “Funk-à-Folies” concept: he spins funk anthems while I intermittently perform onstage, fool with the crowd—at a venue that serves comfort food and cool cocktails. In this case: Rebel Taverne Urbaine, on St. Catherine.
I invent games involving our guests, some of which have become staples—all improvised at some point then when response was good, we kept’em. For sure we will play “Name that funky tune”, “Who’s the bad Mama Jama?”—a contest guys can win too LOL, and then I think I’d like Aty, goddess divine glamour girl to do some sort of funny tutorial—we’ll see.
One thing’s sure: these parties, even when small, always end in hilarity. I also love the fact that kids can join. When we have lots of kids I create activities just for them.

Music Authentic: Montreal winters are brutal. We’ve been swearing by extra virgin olive oil after coming in from the cold, after of course a gentle face wash. You do the same, right? Does this actually work for you, or are we all just preparing for a salad?

Van Hechter: Next weekend with wind factor we are expecting -38C! I do not use olive oil on my face, and, sacrilege, I wash with soap! However I do use a very protective toner and apply a serum on top of it. I do “consume” lots of raw olive oil, mind you. What one puts in their body is even more important than what one puts on one’s skin!

Music Authentic: Staying positive in a doom-scrolling world where our own realities are regularly taken away—how do you do it? What’s your go-to strategy for maintaining that upbeat energy?

Van Hechter: Letting bad news, gloom, negativity enter and weaken our hearts is equivalent to allowing it to win. I’m aware of the state of the world, I’m sad at times but I choose defiance. Every time I walk into a room with a huge smile on my face I feel I am doing something to fight negativity—way better than letting myself get sucked in by it.

Music Authentic: AI slop vs. humanity in music and art—who’s winning right now, and can we even stop it?

Van Hechter: These are your playful questions????? I wouldn’t want to get your serious questionnaire (Laughs)! I hate AI, point blank. I will live with it because I have no choice but I feel like smacking anyone who is now using it to run their lives. I know I know—there are wonderful ways to benefit from it blah blah blah. Don’t care. I think we are making a huge mistake.

Music Authentic: Best dancer you’ve ever danced with. Go.

Van Hechter: I have 3 and they’re equally good: a guy from Casablanca one night in NYC with whom I was so in sync the rest of the room disappeared—never saw him again but will always remember how cool he was, a retired Afro-American Marine officer I look up (and find) when I visit a certain club in Florida with whom dancing becomes an out-of-body experience, and my beloved Marie-Eve at Orage in Montreal, who is so divinely crazy and adds to my nights week after week. 3 different styles: all fantastic.

Music Authentic: Are music and art a way out for you, or are they your essence? Or both?

Van Hechter: I think one finds their way out through their true essences. So: both!

Music Authentic: Surrealism—not as escapism, but as a way of experiencing and questioning reality. Does that describe your approach to life and performance, or are we reaching?

Van Hechter: I said it many times: often there a lot more deep truth in surrealism than there is in a linear concrete description of facts. I rarely quote him but RuPaul said it best ”Drag doesn’t mask who you are, it reveals your true nature”… I think I feel that way about everything. To me everything is a construction. When I tell a surrealist version of a factual story, I am showing you what’s in my heart- what’s hidden. Everyone can see the “straight” fact—it’s how you present it that counts!

Music Authentic: Standing on one foot—flamingo-style in the kitchen. We heard it’s healthy for balance and even brain function. Do you actually do this, or how else do you keep fit when you’re not bouncing off nightclub walls?

Van Hechter: I do not do this but I will start today. Seems fun! I workout daily: 1 hour of weight lifting, then 20 minutes of cardio. Honestly I should do 30 minutes—I’d be in even better shape. I also eat very well and sleep, sleep, sleep! If my body needs to crash for 13 hours: I allow it, even when it means missing out on certain things. My body is my work tool—I have to take care of it.

Music Authentic: Most guilty pleasure food you had this holiday season. Don’t hold back.

Van Hechter: None! Truly! I had shows on the 20th and 27th in Montreal then headed to Manhattan. I upkept my usual routine. On the 25th I was alone in my building gym, thinking I wouldn’t run into anyone! Then a Muslim buddy came in and I laughed: “Ahhh, yes, I guess you’re not celebrating.” We had a good time working out together.

Music Authentic: Acknowledgement—are you acknowledged by the people whose opinions actually matter to you, or have you reached that point where you couldn’t care less anymore? (Yes, we’re asking about narcissism, past hurt, all of it.)

Van Hechter: Hmmmmm, interesting question. I like being liked, of course! Who doesn’t? I always hope my songs and performances will be received with a smile.
But I don’t care about people’s opinions, generally. Most of the time humans are talking to or about themselves when they give advice.
Only those who deeply care will say something to truly help—I know who those are and always consider their view.
Other than that I don’t listen otherwise I’d loose my own truth!!! I was told the mustache had to go or I wouldn’t have a career, I was told wearing suits made no sense, I was told I was too skinny, I was told I shouldn’t paint my face like an old Hollywood movie star, I was told I should sing differently, I was told I should change musical directions…
Ultimately I make the decisions. Always someone, somewhere will have something to say because the ego is involved “I gave him that piece of advice and he succeeded from there”… A good recent example of that: some guy who had given up on his singing career wanted to “help” me find a “real” job “for my own good and security”. My response: “You are not trying to help me, you want me to quit like you so that you’ll feel less alone as a quitter”.

Music Authentic: Looking back from your early dance anthems to now, how has collaborating with different producers or artists shaped your sound? Is there a dream team-up on the horizon that excites you?

Van Hechter: I think I consolidated my sound with Eryck Wyseman. He brought me where I couldn’t get on my own or with other producers, plus we get along so well: I want to keep exploring with him as long as possible. However, there are a few new associations on the way. That’s all you’ll get out of me, hahaha.

Music Authentic: C’est quoi ton secret pour rester en forme l’hiver, à part l’huile d’olive extra vierge après le froid—tu joues-tu au flamant rose dans cuisine pour l’équilibre, ou ben d’autres trucs pour la santé du cerveau pis du corps?

Van Hechter: Alors, je ne sais pas de quel Québec tu parles mais personne ici ne se met de l’huile d’olive sur le visage! Mais j’en consomme énormément au quotidien pour bénéficier des propriétés magiques de cet aliment miracle. Je ne vis pas sans huile d’olive!
Je ne fais pas le flamant dans ma cuisine mais comme je te l’ai dit en anglais plus haut, je compte commencer dès aujourd’hui, sans faute, et à tous les jours.
Mes trucs santé sont simples. Je cuisine des bombes vitaminées lorsque je suis à la maison, gorgées de légumes, d’épices et d’aromâtes, je vais au gym à tous les jours, je dors minimum 8h par nuit et je ris de tout! Pour ce qui est de la santé du cerveau, je te dirais que mes vocalises, l’écriture de mes chansons, les improvisations sur scène retarderont probablement le vieillissement de ma matière grise! Oh et je ne m’entoure que de gens positifs, de tous âges.

Music Authentic: Qu’est-ce que tu fais pour garder le moral haut quand le monde autour semble s’effondrer avec tout ce doomscrolling, pis que nos réalités à nous autres sont souvent volées par ça? And switching back—how does weaving in bilingual elements like this reflect your Montreal roots?

Van Hechter: Personnellement je ne sens pas que ma réalité immédiate est volée ou menacée outre-mesure. Le monde va très mal en ce moment: mais est-ce nouveau? Comment a fait mon père lorsqu’il a connu une quasi-famine dans les années 1930 après le crash puis ensuite une guerre hyper-meurtrière?? On survit en riant, en continuant d’être de bonne humeur, en faisant des pieds-de-nez à l’obscurité à grands coups de blagues et de gestes chaleureux envers les nôtres.
Nos droits humains seront toujours à défendre. Il y a des périodes de relative douceur mais l’expérience terrestre est difficile! En fait ce qui me surprend le plus c’est l’idée très répandue dans nos civilisations, selon laquelle la vie nous doit de la joie! Ehhh ben non! Notre joie, il faut la créer lorsqu’elle ne nous tombe pas dessus!
Actually this was not exactly a “Montreal” experience, as I kept it to one language for each question. In Montreal, we’ll typically switch from French to English 3 times within the same sentence, hahahah! But I do love what you did here—for my québécois fans! Merci d’avoir pensé à eux!