Over the course of the past decade, Jean has crafted some stellar folk music, yet this time around, wanted to change this up a little. “My last album which was self titled came out in 2014 and I’ve been writing ever since. I decided to write a pop album and was given this old idiosyncratic keyboard and the songs that were coming out were really fun and enjoyable. Pop music requires quite a bit of production and so we have been chipping away for a long time. I decided to really push my songwriting this time and work them till they were really banging”.
2006 saw the release of some great Australian albums from the likes of Augie March, Hilltop Hoods and Gotye, yet also saw Jean’s debut Our Swan Song set off into the world. Last year saw the tenth anniversary of the release which coincided with a tour alongside a string quartet.
How did it feel to be releasing a debut record amidst a strong year for Australian releases? “I was 25 when that was released and I’d been working on that album for several years beforehand.
“I was just a kid, I wasn’t cool, I didn’t know a lot about Melbourne music and I was in my own little bubble. I had a lot of interest from Claire Bowditch and Jen Cloher and they were really supportive of me. I wasn’t aware of the boom of great Australian music at the time, because I am an internally driven person and don’t take much notice of what’s happening outside of me. I’m in my own bubble and I get obsessed with things and I’m often staring at a wall pounding away at a song. I was really lucky that people were supportive of me.”
On her journey to find a new sound, Jean was given a Kawaii MR120 keyboard which helped inspire the material for her fifth album. The MR120 can best be described as the type of keyboard you grew up with as a child of the ’90s with some cheesy bossa-nova beats through in for good measure. On the new album, Jean is channelling the sounds of Prince, ’80s Fleetwood Mac and Leonard Cohen in a record that should entice both new and old fans.
“I tested out the songs at the Post Office hotel with the album as a backing track a couple of months ago, it was amazing,” she says. “I was really encouraged by the amount of kids getting around the new songs. There was a wide range of people there and that was really positive to see. I’m not as self conscious as I used to be and I’m proud of this album. I can’t wait for it to be out and that’s looking like early next year at this stage.”
For those wanting a sneak peek of the album before any singles are released, Jean is part of the lineup for WinterWild 2017 which is taking place in Apollo Bay over every weekend between July and the second weekend in August.
“It seems like an amazing idea to bring that energy to regional Victoria for this festival,” she says. “I’ve been writing songs on the guitar in addition to this new material and I think I might focus in on that. You can expect something quite traditional of me. It will be folk but I’m aiming for a very strong vocal performance. A fireside intimate energy is what I’d like to bring.”
