While SXSW continued to boast big name performances and branded events in 2017, it still remained a platform for new music discovery and for fresh artists from around the world to play their cards on stages right throughout Austin. One such artist is Jain. The Toulouse born singer came to Austin as one of the music festival’s buzz artists and left a Grulke Prize winner, taking out the ‘Developing Non U.S. Act’ category for 2017.
Larry was lucky to catch some time with Jain out at SXSW to find out more about this talented musician and the reach her debut album Zanaka has achieved since its 2015 release.
Welcome to SXSW. We started having some off-air banter, but this is a pretty crazy week for me and it’s seems like much the same for you.
Yeah, it’s crazy. It’s the first time that I’ve done something like that, so it’s very interesting and very fast.
I imagine people kind of told you that it would be, of what to expect, you’re playing quite a lot of shows. So, you don’t have to look further than your schedule to figure that out. But, how does it compare to what you were expecting it to be?
It’s bigger actually. I didn’t know that it was like in the whole town. There’s so many musical bands and that’s crazy.
Well, I got to see you yesterday at the Pandora party, it was a great set. You know, one that really struck me, was how well you work with the crowd, and you get the crowd involved in the set. Both, just in spirit, with the hands in the air, and jumping around. But also, literally as part of the set, with loose vocals.
How have you developed that over the years? Because as much as people are just discovering you, in many ways, you’ve been doing this for a while now.
Yeah, I’ve been doing this for a year now in France and for the first time, I have come here, to try this in the U.S. It’s a big challenge for me and the thing is, I’m alone on stage, so I need to have a connection with somebody. There’s nobody on stage except me, so I have to find this connection with the audience and I need to feel reassured and need [to] feel safe, you know?
I love to see people dance. That’s my main thing in life, is to watch people dance.
You are very good at making people dance.
I try. I try hard, sometimes it’s too early, but I try.
Zanaka came out [the]year before last, you’ve been touring that for a while. Is it kind of a strange thing to be continuing to tour that music? Are you kind of already wanting to release new songs?
Not really, because I always wrote songs during the tour and when I’m at home, every day off, or stuff like that. For me, I know there are other songs, and I just wanna make them good.I know it’s gonna take a little time. The thing is, the tour in France is almost done. Now, I’m glad to be here and to start it over. I have to challenge myself and it’s a big challenge, so it’s very interesting.
As you mentioned, you perform solo on the stage. Musically, though, you would never know it. You got trumpets, you got so many instruments coming through. Do you play solo at home as well? Is that your current set?
Well, just right now, we added some musicians; there are four of them, and it’s so great. It’s amazing, the crowd is going crazy, so I can’t wait to be back.
That must be what you were always working towards, getting a full band behind you, because it’s such great production in the music, that really lends itself to a big band behind you.
But to have this big band, you have to prove yourself, so it takes a lot of time and we’re just beginning to add some musicians more, and more, and more.
It that harder or easier on you as an artist on stage, having that help musically, having other people play instruments?
It depends on the day. Sometimes I’m so used to being alone that I sometimes forget, that I have the musicians. Sometimes when I feel tired, I just look at them, and they just cheer me up, and there’s a lot of good energy going on, on stage.
After SXSW, you head back to France to finish your tour; what’s the rest of the year holding for you?
I come back to the States, I don’t know really when, but I know I’m gonna back for another tour for the same album. We’re gonna try to bring the musicians, try.
It’s not cheap.
After [that], we’re gonna record the second album. I’m gonna take some holidays, and that’s it.
And then, do it all over again. Release the next album, come back for SXSW, and hopefully get you to Australia one day as well. If there’s one thing that you hope people take away from a Jain concert, what is that? What do you hope that they walk away from that concert having experienced?
I would love to. Just a smile on their face and having [a feeling of] joy. That’s all I want, really. This why I do music.
Zanaka is out now. For more information about Jain, head here.
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