by L'Exception, on June 16, 2023
Discover Julia Jean-Baptiste, a talented artist who recently released her debut album entitled "Cinérama". Lulled by music since childhood, Julia draws her inspiration from the emotions and moments of everyday life to create sunny, rhythmic songs. With L'Exception, immerse yourself in her unique musical universe, where catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics meet.
I grew up in a family where music was omnipresent. As a little girl, we used to sing at the end of meals with my parents' friends, so songs were always very present in the home, and experienced as a moment of sharing and pure pleasure. However, it was in my twenties that I really began to realize that I wanted to tell my own stories, and quite recently that I'm making music the way I really want to make it, the way it's always been in my little girl's heart!
I wrote most of the songs on my album on my sofa in my living room, probably the place where I feel most at home, it's my safe place. I love writing in the morning when I wake up, I'm a morning person, at 10pm there's often not much inspiration left in my body, unlike a lot of musicians who write at night. There's something about the morning that I find wonderful, it's like a new beginning, everything seems possible. Usually, my songs come from a melody and I write the rest with my guitar, an old notebook, drinking my coffee and recording with my dictaphone. I must have hundreds of vocal notes and more or less finished songs in my phone, I'll have to sort them out one of these days... Then I continue writing and start production in the studio with Jean Sylvain Le Gouic (Juveniles, who produced my album). I like to strike while the iron is hot and record a first version of a song fairly quickly, when the fresh emotion of writing is there.
This album was written gently, with a lot of love, over the last two years. There was no common thread, but when I got to the end of the recording, I realized that it spoke a lot about emotions, my own and those of others, but also about the passage of time, bonds that are made and broken, suspended moments that we don't always take the time to appreciate, life in a way. One day, while reading an article on cinema, I came across this word, Cinérama, and I thought it was superb. It's a cinematographic process used in the 20th century to project a panoramic image onto a very large, curved screen. I thought it resonated so well with this record, which is a bit of a 180-degree panorama of life.
Absolutely. I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by very strong women who, despite life's tsunamis, showed me that even in the midst of the storm, the light always wins. That's what I love about music too, dancing to disappointments, sorrows and bitter feelings. I've always loved bossa nova, and in Brazil, there's this word "saudade" which has no equivalent in French, but which can be translated as happy melancholy. I love this image of happy melancholy. That's the magic of music, to make the heart and body feel good even when you're recounting the nuances of life.
This album brought me so much. I felt really great joy in writing it, both from a personal point of view and in terms of human encounters. I tend to doubt myself a lot, to question myself about a lot of things, and putting words to my emotions isn't always easy, but it's life-saving. Writing this album really helped me to grow, I trusted myself and I was lucky enough to be very well surrounded, in particular by Jean Sylvain Le Gouic with whom we worked hand in hand. We spent several weeks in the studio with the musicians - more than a dozen played on the album - giving life to these songs, most of which were written in my living room, and that period was really incredible, I have very fond memories of it. Then there were the months of waiting, to prepare for the release, and that was a bit harder emotionally because I'm the worst kind of impatient. I couldn't wait for it to see the light of day! So when it came out, I was on fire, with crazy excitement mixed with a touch of apprehension, but above all a lot of joy. I don't want to make music in pain.
That's a tough question, but I think it's Music-hall. I wrote this song in one go, the phrase "When the light goes on, she becomes a tigress again" came to me one morning in the shower! It's funny enough to be told haha! I went out like a fury and pulled out my phone to record the chorus, which came out of me in an animal way. When I sing that song on stage, I feel like someone else. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's about a retired music-hall dancer who remembers her glory days on stage, in the spotlight, and rediscovers the light and her inner strength. As I was writing it, I thought of my grandmother, whom I'd always imagined as a Broadway star. She used to sing songs to me, and I was sure she'd had a hidden life... It's a bit of an anthem for all women, we're all tigresses, we just have to flip the switch for our fire to spread!
It's a love song, a pure and obvious love. I wrote it when I fell madly in love. Adlib in music means infinite, on a loop, until you're thirsty, over and over again. You don't want love to end. Real love keeps the shadows away, warms you up, gives you strength, fills you up. I wanted a stripped-down piano-vocals track, as close as possible to the feeling of love, warm and whispered. It's a bit of a declaration of love to love, I think, this song.
I'd love to work with Dayglow, an American artist I discovered a while ago and listen to over and over again. He has an ultra-pop, effective way of working harmony that I admire enormously. I think we grew up with a lot of the same influences - Billy Joel, Joao Gilberto's bossa nova - but he's got a hyper-modern production style, whereas I'm a bit afraid of synthesizers. It's a bit silly, I love organic music too much to get too close to it, but I love the way he uses them, there's always some grain on his productions, and then he makes me want to dance until dawn!
Generally, I get myself alone in my dressing room at least 30 minutes before a concert starts. I do some breathing exercises and look myself straight in the eye in the mirror, telling myself "you're so lucky to be in this business, go out there and enjoy it". It immediately brings down my stage fright. I think that works before a lot of life's challenges too. When something scares you, remembering why you're doing it and telling yourself you can do it, right in the eyes, helps. Then I jump too, on the spot, shaking my arms. It's pretty peculiar to see and do, but I swear it gives you wings!
It varies quite a bit, but I always have a touch of color. Color makes me feel good. I've never been very inspired by black, even though I think it's super elegant. I like to have fun with clothes, I love pop prints, bold colors, mixed with more timeless pieces, often vintage. Clothes give me confidence, and they tell a story too. So depending on my moods, the story varies!
I'm a fan of Bobo Choses, which offers super colorful and fun clothes, I especially have a red sweatshirt from them that I've been wearing 3 times a week for several months. It's my go-to for those less sunny days!
If there was only one to keep, it would be a brown suit and a candy pink top. I like the duality of clothes, playing with so-called masculine pieces and twisting them with something ultra pop. On stage, I need to feel comfortable, but I love playing with clothes that I might not wear in everyday life. It's a place where you can get away with anything. I've always been a fan of David Bowie's. He had a way of playing with codes and materials, especially during the Glam Rock period, which is my favorite. It's ultra inspiring. I haven't worn platform shoes on stage yet, but we're safe from anything...!
I'm off to do some concerts in France and abroad in the coming months, notably in Lebanon and Montreal, I'm really looking forward to experiencing these moments, singing my songs as far away as possible! In a few weeks' time, I'll be releasing a Brazilian version of Adlib, which I made with my Brazilian friend and producer Diogo Strausz, to kick off the summer... Can't wait!
>If you'd like to follow Julia Jean-Baptiste's news, it's over here.
CREDIT PHOTOS : Melodie Roux-Dufort
To discover, our meeting with artist Max Sokolinski by clicking here.
Julia, were you always destined to be an artist? Where did this taste for music come from?
I grew up in a family where music was omnipresent. As a little girl, we used to sing at the end of meals with my parents' friends, so songs were always very present in the home, and experienced as a moment of sharing and pure pleasure. However, it was in my twenties that I really began to realize that I wanted to tell my own stories, and quite recently that I'm making music the way I really want to make it, the way it's always been in my little girl's heart!
What inspires you to create new songs? Do you have a specific creative process?
I wrote most of the songs on my album on my sofa in my living room, probably the place where I feel most at home, it's my safe place. I love writing in the morning when I wake up, I'm a morning person, at 10pm there's often not much inspiration left in my body, unlike a lot of musicians who write at night. There's something about the morning that I find wonderful, it's like a new beginning, everything seems possible. Usually, my songs come from a melody and I write the rest with my guitar, an old notebook, drinking my coffee and recording with my dictaphone. I must have hundreds of vocal notes and more or less finished songs in my phone, I'll have to sort them out one of these days... Then I continue writing and start production in the studio with Jean Sylvain Le Gouic (Juveniles, who produced my album). I like to strike while the iron is hot and record a first version of a song fairly quickly, when the fresh emotion of writing is there.
In January 2023, you released your debut album Cinérama. Can you explain what you wanted to convey through this album?
This album was written gently, with a lot of love, over the last two years. There was no common thread, but when I got to the end of the recording, I realized that it spoke a lot about emotions, my own and those of others, but also about the passage of time, bonds that are made and broken, suspended moments that we don't always take the time to appreciate, life in a way. One day, while reading an article on cinema, I came across this word, Cinérama, and I thought it was superb. It's a cinematographic process used in the 20th century to project a panoramic image onto a very large, curved screen. I thought it resonated so well with this record, which is a bit of a 180-degree panorama of life.
In this album, we find songs that deal with themes such as lost friendships, days without love or nostalgia like "Le Désamour", "Avant ou Après" or "Serra do mar".However, there's always that sunny, rhythmic touch, is this also how you deal with your emotions in everyday life?
Absolutely. I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by very strong women who, despite life's tsunamis, showed me that even in the midst of the storm, the light always wins. That's what I love about music too, dancing to disappointments, sorrows and bitter feelings. I've always loved bossa nova, and in Brazil, there's this word "saudade" which has no equivalent in French, but which can be translated as happy melancholy. I love this image of happy melancholy. That's the magic of music, to make the heart and body feel good even when you're recounting the nuances of life.
By the way, what's the feeling when you release your first big project?
This album brought me so much. I felt really great joy in writing it, both from a personal point of view and in terms of human encounters. I tend to doubt myself a lot, to question myself about a lot of things, and putting words to my emotions isn't always easy, but it's life-saving. Writing this album really helped me to grow, I trusted myself and I was lucky enough to be very well surrounded, in particular by Jean Sylvain Le Gouic with whom we worked hand in hand. We spent several weeks in the studio with the musicians - more than a dozen played on the album - giving life to these songs, most of which were written in my living room, and that period was really incredible, I have very fond memories of it. Then there were the months of waiting, to prepare for the release, and that was a bit harder emotionally because I'm the worst kind of impatient. I couldn't wait for it to see the light of day! So when it came out, I was on fire, with crazy excitement mixed with a touch of apprehension, but above all a lot of joy. I don't want to make music in pain.
What was your favorite piece of music to write from the Cinérama album? Why?
That's a tough question, but I think it's Music-hall. I wrote this song in one go, the phrase "When the light goes on, she becomes a tigress again" came to me one morning in the shower! It's funny enough to be told haha! I went out like a fury and pulled out my phone to record the chorus, which came out of me in an animal way. When I sing that song on stage, I feel like someone else. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's about a retired music-hall dancer who remembers her glory days on stage, in the spotlight, and rediscovers the light and her inner strength. As I was writing it, I thought of my grandmother, whom I'd always imagined as a Broadway star. She used to sing songs to me, and I was sure she'd had a hidden life... It's a bit of an anthem for all women, we're all tigresses, we just have to flip the switch for our fire to spread!
From our side, we had a big crush on the track "Adlib", can you tell us about it?
It's a love song, a pure and obvious love. I wrote it when I fell madly in love. Adlib in music means infinite, on a loop, until you're thirsty, over and over again. You don't want love to end. Real love keeps the shadows away, warms you up, gives you strength, fills you up. I wanted a stripped-down piano-vocals track, as close as possible to the feeling of love, warm and whispered. It's a bit of a declaration of love to love, I think, this song.
Is there an artist you dream of collaborating with? Why?
I'd love to work with Dayglow, an American artist I discovered a while ago and listen to over and over again. He has an ultra-pop, effective way of working harmony that I admire enormously. I think we grew up with a lot of the same influences - Billy Joel, Joao Gilberto's bossa nova - but he's got a hyper-modern production style, whereas I'm a bit afraid of synthesizers. It's a bit silly, I love organic music too much to get too close to it, but I love the way he uses them, there's always some grain on his productions, and then he makes me want to dance until dawn!
Julia, you'll be on stage on June 15, 2023 at La Marbrerie Montreuil, do you have a ritual before performing in front of hundreds of people?
Generally, I get myself alone in my dressing room at least 30 minutes before a concert starts. I do some breathing exercises and look myself straight in the eye in the mirror, telling myself "you're so lucky to be in this business, go out there and enjoy it". It immediately brings down my stage fright. I think that works before a lot of life's challenges too. When something scares you, remembering why you're doing it and telling yourself you can do it, right in the eyes, helps. Then I jump too, on the spot, shaking my arms. It's pretty peculiar to see and do, but I swear it gives you wings!
How would you define your clothing style? Is it as colorful as your music, or does it vary according to your emotions?
It varies quite a bit, but I always have a touch of color. Color makes me feel good. I've never been very inspired by black, even though I think it's super elegant. I like to have fun with clothes, I love pop prints, bold colors, mixed with more timeless pieces, often vintage. Clothes give me confidence, and they tell a story too. So depending on my moods, the story varies!
Are there any brands you're fond of at L'Exception?
I'm a fan of Bobo Choses, which offers super colorful and fun clothes, I especially have a red sweatshirt from them that I've been wearing 3 times a week for several months. It's my go-to for those less sunny days!
What's the typical Julia Jean-Baptiste outfit on a concert night?
If there was only one to keep, it would be a brown suit and a candy pink top. I like the duality of clothes, playing with so-called masculine pieces and twisting them with something ultra pop. On stage, I need to feel comfortable, but I love playing with clothes that I might not wear in everyday life. It's a place where you can get away with anything. I've always been a fan of David Bowie's. He had a way of playing with codes and materials, especially during the Glam Rock period, which is my favorite. It's ultra inspiring. I haven't worn platform shoes on stage yet, but we're safe from anything...!
Some great things coming up soon to share with us?
I'm off to do some concerts in France and abroad in the coming months, notably in Lebanon and Montreal, I'm really looking forward to experiencing these moments, singing my songs as far away as possible! In a few weeks' time, I'll be releasing a Brazilian version of Adlib, which I made with my Brazilian friend and producer Diogo Strausz, to kick off the summer... Can't wait!
>If you'd like to follow Julia Jean-Baptiste's news, it's over here.
CREDIT PHOTOS : Melodie Roux-Dufort
Watch the video clip of « Music-Hall »
To discover, our meeting with artist Max Sokolinski by clicking here.
