Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Camille Jansen
For fans of claiming that music was better back in the old days, there’s a new singer to pay attention to. Camille Jansen in the Gen-Z answer to the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene, delivering tracks that are a combination of Bob Dylan bootleg tracks meets The Rolling Stones’ blues classics. Free from any trendy fads or unnecessary modernity, this is just good old-fashioned music, sung with a voice that belongs way back when.
But while Jansen might be stuck in the wrong decade, the music world is glad to have her. The half-French, half-British singer is reaping the benefits of being born in the modern age. As we all now have the complete history of music at our fingertips, allowing anyone to get a thorough musical education, Jansen has clearly spent her lifetime doing some digging. Borrowing the adventurous spirit of The Beatles, merging it with the seductive tradition of blues guitar players and still treating her music with the same spontaneous edge and joy that the whole thing boils down to, she picks out the best of the best and leaves the rest of it.
But who is Camille Jansen? She’s been releasing music for some time now, since her beautiful debut track ‘Louise’ in 2020, and has done a scattering of gigs here and there with her friend Devon Ross shredding guitar by her side. But as she preps to release her debut album, The Loose Screws, as her first long-play collection and proper introduction to the world, now is a better time than ever to get acquainted with the singer.
There’s only a limited window left to get on board before Jansen inevitably takes her place as one of music’s newest ones to watch, excluding a level of cool that others can only dream of. To get to know the mind behind the music, along with some of her silliest opinions, top tracks and grandest aspirations, we flung some quick-fire questions her way.
10 minutes with Camille Jansen
Describe yourself in three words…
“I’d say I’m patient, curious and a good listener.”
OK, how about describing your music in three or more words?
“Simple, personal, a train of thought.”
What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about France?
“I’d say my favourite thing must be the food, and my least favourite is the way they feel the need to make easy things more complicated than it needs to.”
What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about England?
“My least favourite thing, as boring of an answer it may be, is the weather – only a couple weeks a year you get to see the sun. My favourite thing, on the other hand, is how beautiful it can be to road trip around: up to Scotland or down south. Lots of green space.”
If you could have written one song from throughout history, what would it be?
“Oh man, there’s a few. The first one that came to mind was ‘Remind Me’ by Patrice Rushen. But anything by Sade would be pretty cool.”
What is your favourite music release of 2024 so far?
“I’d say Pretty Sick’s newest EP, Streetwise.”
What does your songwriting process look like?
“It resembles a puzzle. I lay out all the words and put them together over time. Sometimes, it happens in one go, and sometimes, I have to put the different pieces together to make one final product.”
If you could curate your dream gig – where would you be playing?
“I would love to play at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. I’ve never been, but it looks breathtaking—maybe the most epic outdoor venue I’ve seen.”
And if you could be backed up by a dream band of musicians (dead or alive) – who would they be?
“I’d say Sly & the Family Stone.”
What is your current favourite song on the album?
“‘Rocky Revolution’.”
If you were the most famous person in the world and you could ask for literally anything, what would be on your rider?
“Honestly, an unlimited supply of sparkling water would be nice. I’m a simple gal; I don’t need much. A massage chair in the green room, too, could be nice.”
What is the worst thing about being a musician?
“People asking what type of music you make.”
Can you recommend a film with the same vibe as your album?
“Even Cowgirls Get The Blues is a little nonsensical and a bit all over the place, but Uma [Thurman] stays consistent in her character as a talented hitchhiker.”
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Hmmm difficult question, probably A Tabua de Esmeralda by Jorge Ben.”
Are the Beatles overrated?
“No, but I do think the band members’ solo work is better than the band’s.”
