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Cape Town – It’s D-day for local singer Janie Bay as her new album Miscellany is out today.
Having recorded it in Johannesburg and Potchefstroom between June and August 2017, Miscellany contains twelve tracks and was produced by Jacques Du Plessis (The Parlotones, Josh Kempen, Shortstraw) and Ewald Jansen van Rensburg (Monark).
We chat to Janie about her new album, the inspiration behind the songs and what’s next for her.
Check it out below:
You’ve been singing and touring for a long time, and now, your major label debut album is finally out! Tell us what is going through your mind at the moment?
Wow, so much! Haha. It's an amazing feeling to know these songs are finally out for the world to hear.
Tell us more about your album title, Miscellany, and how you decided on it?
'Miscellany' means a mixture of things. This album is exactly that. A mixture of feelings, experiences and sounds.
What inspired the songs on the album and did you write all of them yourself?
As I am a singer-songwriter at heart, I mainly write about my own experiences or that of others. Meaningful stuff, you know? I want to feel and I want others to do too and to be able to use my songs to relate to their own situations and experiences. How amazing is it that we can do this through music? I wrote 11 of the 12 tracks where 1 was a co-write, the other is a cover.
What was the most challenging part of recording the album?
I suppose building each song from what you heard in your mind for it to sound like to the actual produced song. It is both a difficult and majorly satisfying feeling. For me, it's kind of like a tough gym session, but at the end of it, you feel amazing and accomplished.
What is your favourite song on the album and why?
This is such a hard question to answer, because I feel close to all of them, but I have always said that 'Gotta Get Home (Jesse)' is my special one. The song is about the grass not always necessarily being greener on the other side and how we sometimes have to go through tough times and bad decisions to realise it. I have big dreams for this song.
Can you describe the album sound in one sentence?
It's a very diverse album, although predominantly produced in a pop manner, there are folk undertones and every song carries great meaning.
What’s the one thing no one knows about you?
I suppose there are many things, but one thing would be that I grew up watching lots of movies so my love for cinematography started at a young age, and through movies and soundtracks, my love for music also grew. I love putting music and visuals together. I have a great love for photography, filming and editing and I have worked in the industry and I am still very much involved in it with my own music videos and projects.
What bands or artists are you currently listening to?
At the moment, I'm actually enjoying listening to all sorts of different artists and genres. I literally put my 'FLOW' on Deezer in my car or while I'm working and it plays everything from Coldplay to Majozi to James Bay to John Mayer to Julia Michaels to Charlie Puth. I want to hear everything at the moment, so I’m not really locked into one genre or artist.
You’ve done a few collaborations before, but if you could collaborate with anyone in the world right now, who would it be and why?
Well, I just recorded a colab for a song that has a home on the album called 'Wag Vir Jou' with Hunter Kennedy. I have to say, this is a tick off the list. Hunter is an amazing writer and a great guy and I love the song. Globally, John Mayer or James Bay would do :).
What’s next for you?
Well, hopefully to get Miscellany to the masses, to play these songs live and to tour the album. That's my hope and dream anyway...
Click here to buy Janie Bay's new album.
(Photos: Supplied)
