After spending the last few months developing and cultivating her sound, emerging singer and songwriter Jenaé Louis-Jacques recently released her highly-praised debut single 'With You'.
Bringing in a bold and effervescent direction throughout, 'With You' makes for a wonderfully warm introduction to her sound. With her beautifully rich voice layered across a bed of lo-fi neo-soul production, she is certainly making quite the statement with this debut effort.
So with the new single available now, we sat her down to find out more about her origins and what has been inspiring her most of late.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The first instrument I ever fell in love with was the trumpet. I was in third grade and we got to choose which instrument to play for the band summer program. I wanted to play clarinet but the only instrument that was left was the trumpet. Long story short I am glad I was forced into playing trumpet and I played up until high school.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I grew up listening to a lot of classic R&B like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Otis Redding, Lionel Richie and all those staples of the R&B genre. At that young age I was also in love with Disney stars who were also singers like Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Bridget Medler.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Beyoncé’s B-Day album.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Pretty much any Beatles song. Their talent for songwriting is just unmatched and they wrote somany timeless hits. I also wish I composed the theme song to Law and Order because I would be set for life.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I don’t have a set routine that I do when song writing. The one thing that stays semi-consistent is making a lot of voice memos of lyric and melody ideas.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
One of my all time favourite artists that I listen to now is Yebba. I love her voice so much. I also love Emily King and Lianne La Havas. Their songs are so well written.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
It would be a dream to open for Beyoncé, Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R, or Lianne La Havas.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Being able to share my music and connecting with people, which sounds so cliche but it’s so true. I love being able to perform and being able to feel the amazing energy that just radiates off everyone in the audience as we share a moment together.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I think the most frustrating part of being a musician is that it’s extremely difficult to find the balance between creativity and business. Music is a business and sometimes the business overshadows the art.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
You don’t have to do everything by yourself, be open to collaboration.
-
Jenaé Louis-Jacques' debut single 'With You' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.