Do you all remember the pop hit ‘Makeba’ from a couple of years ago? Right? We can’t be the only ones who heard it everywhere back then. Well, the French superstar JAIN is as amazing as she has always been and has just dropped her new album, The Fool, which we are obsessed with.
Stream it here besties okay?
JAIN has been an icon for a while now, so it felt surreal to us that we got to talk to her all about her music, performing on live TV, and future plans! We have loved witnessing her growth and can’t wait to see her further dominate the game with her unique song. Now that we have your attention, let’s get into the interview, shall we?
Hey JAIN! It is an absolute pleasure to talk to you today! We were highly anticipating your new album, The Fool, and have really enjoyed listening to it. How does it feel to finally have a new album out in the world?
It feels really great! It’s been a long time since I have released an album, and this one feels a bit special because it’s quite different from the previous ones. It’s also very nice to have feedback on it…
Our favorite song on the album is ‘I Feel Alive.’ The song made us feel comforted immediately by the nice acoustic guitar sound and your vocals. What’s your favorite song on the album?
I love singing ‘I feel alive,’ and ‘Maria’ it’s quite particular for me… We live in a quite violent world, and I wanted this album to talk about love.
You performed your new songs on Quotidien, which is for us, who grew up watching the show; amazing to see. What was the funniest behind the scene moment you had on the set of Quotidien? How do you prepare yourself when performing on a TV set?
I was super stressed, haha, because it was my first live TV show in a while! The funniest moment was probably my face before going up on the stage…Fortunately, it was not filmed. But we got great feedback on it, and I just love this show!
You were born in France but moved around a lot as a child experiencing different corners of the world. Which one was your favorite place to live in?
I loved every country, but the one that is very special to me is Congo, a town called ‘Pointe Noire,’ because that’s where I started writing music for the first time…
We remember hearing your song ‘Makeba’ everywhere back in 2016/2017. How is the 2023 JAIN different from that JAIN? What was the biggest lesson you took away from that era?
I want to keep making artistic propositions to people, a different one for each album. I wrote ‘Come’ when I was living in Congo and ‘Makeba’ not long after…So I think you can hear Congolese influences… On this album, I didn’t feel at ease using the same influences, I wanted to go somewhere else and stay true to who I am today. It’s a pop album because I listened to Kate Bush, Madonna, and David Bowie on repeat during the lockdown.
We are always amazed by your music videos, especially the one for ‘The Fool, ’ blew us away yet again. What are music video shoots for you like? How do you come up with the concepts for them?
Thank you! When I was writing, I was drawing at the same time (for each song, I drew a card of Marseilles’ Tarot). The one I drew for ‘The Fool’ was a tightrope walker walking in outer space. That’s when the idea for the music video came. I met Jules Jolly, the director, and talked to him about this surrealist idea, and he was really inspired by it. You can see his very poetic vision in the music video.
We really enjoyed your live performance of ‘The Fool’ at Spookland. What is your recording ritual? While recording The Fool, was there something you did differently than during your previous albums?
Thank you again! Haha, Spookland is like my home, I feel really at ease when I sing over there. ‘The Fool’ is way more ethereal than the previous songs, and maybe it’s because I only wrote it with my guitar first. On the first album, it was more about rhythm; this one is more about feelings…
When you think about The Fool, what colors and feelings do you hope to evoke in your fans while they listen?
Purple, magic, and mystery …:)
You have played on many big and small stages across the world. Which stage has been your favorite so far, and do you prefer performing in front of big or small audiences more?
I love every audience, and I think I’m really lucky to do what I do for a living. Playing in front of an audience is the most amazing thing ever. I love festivals, small and larger venues.
Since you have mostly sung in English so far, do you ever see yourself releasing a full album in French? What would a French Jain album look like?
Not for the moment, I love the fact that every country can understand what I’m talking about. But who knows, maybe one day, but not now.
And last but not least, The Fool is out in the world, and we are dying to make the perfect playlist for it; what song by another artist do you think would compliment your album perfectly?
Kate Bush’s ‘The Kick Inside‘
We’ll be right back, just making this playlist real quick! We love how spiritual and mystic JAIN keeps her music and wish her all the best! What’s your favorite song on The Fool? What do you think about the music video? Tell us, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, we’re always buzzing about something!
We also have more amazing interviews that you should definitely check out!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JAIN:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
