Becoming a Dad - Fred Guérin

For our brand ambassador, Fred Guérin, the experience of becoming a dad is no different. Artistically known as FIVE, he is a singer from Normandy who, together with his girlfriend, welcomed his wonderful daughter, Olivia, into the world just last year.

Becoming a dad comes with a new reality. Now you can find Fred balancing music-writing sessions, recording for his new album (which comes out this fall), being present for his family and sharing his musical passion with his daughter.

Between concerts, rehearsals, and family life, Fred took the time to share with us how this new reality has transformed his daily life, his priorities… and his outlook on life.

Interview:

Motion Composites: Tell us a bit about your daughter: what she already likes, and how she reacts when she hears your music?

Fred Guerin: Olivia is still very little. She just celebrated her first birthday about two weeks ago. Right now, she’s starting to pull herself up. She’s not walking yet, but she’s already trying to take her first steps.

Even though she’s still a baby, she loves music. As soon as we put some on, she starts dancing. She’s always dancing!

She has a little piano and a small guitar, and she spends her days playing with them and exploring sounds. You can already see how much she loves music… just like her parents!

MC: How are you experiencing this first stage of fatherhood?

FG: Well… I’m tired (laughs). I sleep a lot less. But no, I’m joking.

Honestly, it changes your life. Really! I know everyone says that. It’s kind of a phrase you hear everywhere, but it’s true: your life is completely different. You don’t have the same interests anymore either. You think much less about yourself, because you have someone you need to take care of for your whole life. So, it also changes your outlook on things, your view of life. And it brings a lot of love too.

MC: How has becoming a father changed your vision of life and of yourself?

FG: Like I said, you don’t do things only for yourself anymore. You also do things for your child. Before, you didn’t really care; you were like: “It’s fine, worst case I mess up, whatever.” But now you have someone behind you, so you can’t see things the same way anymore. It makes you think differently.

MC: How do you manage to balance fatherhood with tours, rehearsals, and concerts?

FG: Honestly, it’s fine. It’s mostly a matter of organization. My girlfriend works, she drops her off at daycare, and I finish earlier, so I pick her up every evening. For rehearsals, I usually do one or two days a week. The rest of the time, I manage. I organize myself. For concerts, we often do round trips: I can sleep there, but I come back the next day. So honestly, it works well. It’s really about organization.

MC: You wrote a song for her titled “J’aurais peur toute ma vie” (“I would be afraid my whole life”). What inspired it, and what does she represent for you?

FG: Actually, we were working on the album with my musicians, and we often do improvisations, sessions like that.

At that moment, I had come up with this melody and this phrase: “I would be afraid my whole life,” which meant everything. It’s a very personal song for me, as it reflects the experience of fatherhood. At the end of the song, you can even hear my daughter.

And I had to make a song about my daughter. Or rather, about what I was going through at that time. It was really the beginning of fatherhood, so it felt natural; it was obvious to do it.

MC: Can we expect to find even more inspiration from this new stage of your life in your next album?

FG: No, there’s only that one song. The other songs were mostly written before.
So no, really, only that song is linked to Olivia. The album tells a bit of a story, and that song really has its place at a specific moment. You’ll see!

MC: What has been the most precious moment you’ve experienced with her so far?

FG: There are so many moments, really so many. The birth, of course… that was something incredible.
And then everything else, all the little milestones. You’re amazed every time: when she crawls, when she stands up…

Every time she does something new, I’m impressed, amazed! She’s so strong!

MC: What would you say to other wheelchair users who are about to become parents? Any advice or recommendations?

FG: I think you need to prepare your organization at home in advance. Anticipate things as much as possible.

And honestly, you shouldn’t be afraid. There’s no additional difficulty compared to what we already deal with every day.

Babies adapt very quickly too. They understand. I know she knows how her mom holds her, and she also knows I hold her differently when I pick her up. So, she adjusts. They learn very fast.

So honestly, there’s no need to worry.

We would like to thank our friend and brand ambassador, Fred Guerin, for taking the time to speak with us and share this important chapter of his life!

If you have not listened to his music yet, what are you waiting for? Go and stream it on your favorite platform and check his YouTube channel to watch his video clips. Also, make sure to give him a follow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to stay tuned on all his new musical releases.

Finally, we want to wish him and all the das in the Motion Composites community a Happy Father’s Day!