While some people wish to explore the world, Jain grew up moving to many different places around the world. With all the world experience and growing up in different environments, the 24-year-old Toulouse, France-born artist used these experiences to start songwriting. Calling on African music and soul sounds by Otis Redding and Nina Simone as influences, the diverse musical styles all melded together. And from that melting pot, Zanaka was born. Before we closed out 2016, we chatted with the up-and-coming French singer-songwriter and got to know her a little bit better. Not only did she reminisce about her travels and experiences but she also revealed that she’s ready to make new music.
“We’re going to record the new album in January,” she divulged.
While we wait for the new tunes, here are 10 Things You Should Know About Jain.
She Moved Around a Lot As a Child
Due to her dad’s job, Jain moved around quite a bit during her childhood. She’s lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. She’s also visited India, Jordan, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Australia, Madagascar, Oman and the US as a kid.
Drumming Was Her First Entrance Into Music
Although Jain admitted to watching her parents dance to the French musician, Manny Chao, it was through percussion that really drew her towards music.
“When I was living in the south of France, I was seven years old and was introduced to drumming,” she reminisced. “It was my first relation with music. I took drum lessons for three years. So it really started with the rhythm first and then the melodies followed. Then I moved to Dubai when I was nine years old, and I took an Arabic percussion lesson called darbuka. So for me, I knew how the rhythm worked even before the melody and the lyrics. So it was more natural for me to write a song.“
While Living in the Congo, She Started Writing Lyrics
“The first time I wrote a song was when I was 16 years old,” she said. “I was living back in the Congo in a small town called Pambwa. I felt the need to write a song and express myself. And as a teenager, it’s hard sometimes to write down what I was feeling. I’m French, and, at the time, I wasn’t living in France. So I started to ask a lot of questions about my own roots, and that really inspired me to write songs.”
That Song Was About Being in Love
“The first song I ever wrote was about the town [I lived in] and my first love while I was living in the Congo,” she said. “And it’s not on the album, but it was mostly about me as a teenager.”
She Grew Up During the Making of ‘Zanaka’
“It’s really evolved over time. I wrote ‘Come’ when I was 16 years old,” Jain revealed. “The version of the song now is very different from what it was. It’s grown up a little bit. And there’s a song called ‘Makeba.’ I wrote that in 2015. So it’s an album that really grew up with me. It’s been with me through my childhood, teenage-hood and now. So it’s something that’s really followed me around the country and where I lived.”
"Makeba” Was Meant to Make People Dance
"'Makeba' was written really fast,” she said. “That’s why there aren’t many lyrics in it. But it’s more about the rhythm that I wanted to give to 'Makeba' than the lyrics. And the rhythm that you hear in trance music. It’s a celebration of this. I really wanted people to dance on it. And at my shows, it’s the song that gets everyone to jump all over the place.”
She Hopes Her Album Makes People Happy
“It’s a really optimistic album,” Jain explained. “So I really want people to enjoy it and smile when they listen to it. They can forget the lies and the problems. They can just focus on the music. I wanted to give this to people to spread optimism. 2016 was quite hard for us, especially in France. So I wanted to make an album where you can escape even for one night at the shows.”
‘Zanaka’ Was Nominated for Album Révélation" at the 2016 Victoires de la Musique
Although she ended up losing to pop singer Louane Emera, she's still thankful for the honor. “It’s really cool because I used to listen to this show when I was little,” she said. “So it’s kind of weird that I’m part of it now. But I’m really happy about [the nominations]. I’m really excited about it.”
Playing The Olympia Made Her 2016
“There were so many,” she explained, “but I played this venue in Paris, The Olympia. It’s one of the classic venues where Edith Piaf and everybody played. I just played it recently, and it was really, really cool.”
May 2017 Be Filled With Song and Dance
“My 2017 wish is to write new songs and make people dance.”
Learn more fun facts about your favorite up-and-coming artists by visiting our 10 Things page.
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