Artist Spotlight – Joséphine
“Joséphine is an obvious romantic and sings with
sweetness and hope although a certain melancholy and awareness of
life’s pains and difficulties show her sensitivity in most of her
songs.”
Zack Daggy: How has French culture influenced your music?
Joséphine Ancelle: French music is a lot more
focused on lyrics and on simple melodies. At least the music that I
grew up listening to… There is no one more French than my dad and when
I was a little girl, he definitely had the most influence on what music
I could listen to. He loved Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Charles
Aznavour and apart from a couple of American divas like Barbra
Streisand or Liza Minelli he never listened to American music. My mom
tried to introduce us to a little bit more international music when my
dad was not around but it never went really far. Probably up until I
was about 15 I mostly had French music, a CD of Celine Dion, Mariah
Carey’s Number One’s album, a gospel compilation, a few movie
soundtracks, a Joan Baez compilation my mom had given me, The Corrs’
first album (I couldn’t understand the lyrics then), and one of The
Cranberries albums because my brother’s best friends loved them and I
was in love with him! ;-) So it took me a while to learn about all the
artists and bands that I had missed out on all these years. I am still
trying to catch up… I also listened to a lot of classical music, as my
brother is a concert pianist. So mostly, I listened to him practice!
I think this musical education is what was ingrained in me at a
young age and is what is still sticking with me now. I have kept a
strong sense of obvious melodies and the importance of lyrics.
To speak about French culture in general, I think the way it
reflects itself in my music is my need to always stay polite, sometimes
a little too much… I am working on that. America is teaching me to
speak my mind a little more and dare to speak louder. However, I don’t
think I will ever be able to shake it off completely, I was taught to
be as well behaved and refined as possible and I don’t think that will
ever really go away, not that I am really trying to get rid of all of
it either. Of course, not all French people are like that, but that is
the education I received. And I think that describes my music pretty
well: soft and simple with some attempts to let the American in me come
out!
ZD: You sing in both French and English. Which language do you prefer sing in and why?
JA: I don’t think I have a preference. For a while
I wanted to sing only in English because I wanted to learn and feel
like I belonged here. These days, I am definitely writing and so
singing a lot more in French than I used to. I think English is easier,
or I should say smoother with music but however comfortable I am in
English now, French is still my first language and I feel a strong ease
when I sing French songs. I think it also depends on the style and
groove of the song. To me, French works with soft pop music, I don’t
think it works when you are trying to be soulful… The French artists
who try to do that usually end up singing in French with an American
accent!
ZD: What has been your greatest influence in life?
JA: Pursuing my dream of a music career! The
everyday challenges I have been facing since I decided to live on my
own, across the Atlantic from my family, and decided I wanted to be a
singer without a clue of what it meant, all of that while battling with
shyness bigger than me! I have grown so much and I still am and I find
that very exciting. I try to use all of these experiences in my music
while I am getting to know myself better and better. Of course, all of
the people I have met along the way who have taught, pushed, and helped
me out have been of great influence as well. This whole process is my
greatest influence, not just one moment or one person.
ZD: From conception through recording, tell me about your song making process.
JA: Well that has changed and evolved a lot too.
Lately, I have been mostly writing on my own. I am working on making it
more of a predictable process but usually it always has to start with
me sitting down, picking up my guitar and deciding to write. I usually
try a lot without any good results and then once in a while, I don’t
know why, it all comes together; I am in the right place in my head and
in my heart, and it just comes out of me. Most of my songs, I write in
just a few hours. It needs to come from what I am feeling at that
moment so I have a really hard time working on a song for days. If it
doesn’t feel right, right away, I just move on. Also, don’t ask me to
write a sad song when I’m happy, or vice-versa; I just can’t!
Then I bring my new songs to my band and we play them live. Some stick to the next gigs and some don’t.
I have dedicated the past few months to my search for a producer and
I have finally found one a couple of months ago. I wanted someone who
could keep helping me shape my sound while still giving me some
freedom. I also wanted someone who really believed in my music and who
would invest himself in it. Well that person turned out to be Paul
Umbach. Paul is an amazing musician (he can play any instrument
possible) but mostly he is very creative, open and he knows the music
industry very well. We have recorded three songs together so far and
our goal now is to find a way to finance the rest of the album.
However, with such a digital new musical world, three songs are plenty
to make things happen and get out there.
ZD: Which of your songs are you most proud of and why?
JA: That’s a difficult question! It is like asking
which one of your children you like the most! Well a dear friend of
mine, and great musician, once told me that writing songs is like
taking a picture. It really is capturing a moment of your life. So the
ones I enjoy the most singing are my most recent ones because they are
the ones I relate to right now. I have a lot that are not recorded but
if I had to pick my favorite one out of the recorded ones, it would be
“Si C’était Là” because I love the mood and the simplicity of it and
the lyrics to me are relatively timeless.
ZD: Where is the strangest place that you’ve found inspiration?
JA: I can’t find inspiration in strange places! I
need to be in a quiet place with no distractions… When I am outside, I
like to observe what is going on. I have written once while
baby-sitting screaming kids but they were keeping themselves busy and I
had already started the song at home before…
ZD: Where was the last place you performed? What was it like?
JA: On July 12th I played a couple of
gigs. The French Institute organized a big street fair on the Upper
East Side and I got to play there. That was a lot of fun! I tried to
speak as much French as possible because it just seemed appropriate and
I think that was the hardest part of my show. I am not use to speaking
French on stage. People were having fun though, a little old lady
started dancing while I was playing and that was great! Then that
night, I played at The Living Room. I love playing there because it is
a great intimate venue and the people really listen. It was a very
different atmosphere from the afternoon gig. I was very relaxed and I
really enjoyed myself.
ZD: Where are you playing next?
JA: I haven’t booked any full band gigs for the
rest of the summer because most of my band is going to be away and I am
actually planning on focusing on a new design for my myspace page, new
pictures and the whole shebang… However I will be playing a few
acoustic gigs (check out the updates on myspace) and mostly I am
planning my first show ever in Paris for September! I am very excited
about that.
ZD: Where would your dream gig be?
JA: I don’t think I have ever thought of a venue as
a goal. My goal is to play music, reach as many people as possible with
it and at some point live from it! So really my dream gig wouldn’t be
to play one particular place, it would be playing many places! Maybe
going on an international tour and playing venues that fit my sound.
Small enough so it stays intimate and personal but big enough so that
all my fans can come in! ;-)
ZD: What line from one of your songs best describes you?
JA: “Plus fort que la raison, mon coeur mon corps …” which means: “Stronger than reason, my heart and my body” something like that…