1. Thank you very much for your time! Before we introduce your new release to our readers – what kind of drink would you recommend to sip on while they listen to your new music?
I’d recommend a ‘Bianca’ – it’s 2 ounces Gin, a splash of Tonic, 1 whole squeezed Mandarin. My producer invented it in honour of my album. Gin suggestions – anything would work, but for a fancy option – Brad Pitt just launched a new ‘French Riviera Gin’ at the Cannes Film Festival so that would work, or I also love Malfy Italian Gin!
2. Please give us an update about – new single, new album, tour dates, new videos?!
I launched my sunny, rollicking up-tempo debut single ‘Monaco’ just over a month ago, and just launched my intimate gospel-infused ballad ‘Till I Remember’. After this, there’s one more single coming in 5 weeks and then the album drops with a focus single ‘Bang Bang Baby’ on August 4th. I’m thrilled to say I’m going on my first radio tour in a month – I’ll be performing live on air in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and London. My team is working on a proper tour this fall or early next year once I’ve had a chance to build on the momentum we are growing ☺
3. We live in times of many conspiracy theories. Which, harmless, theory would you wish were true? (For example Dinos living inside Earth or E.T. living in a home in California)
Oh haha funny question! It would be that aliens helped to construct the pyramids haha.
4. What fashion style or brand would best describe your music?
Miu Miu for sure – it’s playful, feminine, sporty and a little edgy – with a lot of 60’s references and mini skirts. The French equivalent (I grew up in Montreal so we also need a French reference 😉 would be Paris-based brand Courrèges – the fashion house goes back to the 60’s and recently did a revamp on their classic pieces. Think vinyl cropped jackets, white boots, and again – mini skirts. It’s sexy, cinematic, and perfect for a weekend away in Europe or jumping on the back of a Vespa.
5. Tell us more about your songs! Topics! Message!?
For me, music has always been a means of transforming heartbreak and pain into strength and freedom. While there’s a range of topics in my songs – there’s an underlying message of overcoming difficulty, of finding hope on the other side, that unites them all. Regardless of what your own dream may be, I believe the first step to achieving it is refusing to settle for a dead-end reality. That’s a theme I explore in my songs “Monaco” and “Black & Blue.” By contrast, my ballad “Till I Remember” focuses on finding the strength to do so – it came to me in a moment of aching heartbreak and is about the distance between your head saying, ‘this isn’t working,’ and your heart catching up and being able to let go. My sunny & breezy song “Inside Out” and the triumphant “Made To Love” both distill the pain and struggle that so often accompany finding true joy and love and turning them into something beautiful and cathartic. My focus single for this album, “Bang Bang Baby” sums up the strength I’ve achieved for all this personal growth & from refusing to be walked all over – and it teases the concept with the lyric “look what I have learned…Bang Bang Baby, I’m a dangerous girl.”
6. Beside music, do you have any special talents?
I’m a professional voice actor and have voiced hundreds of promos (ads) for Disney Jr and W Network here in North America. I’m currently the Canadian promo voice of Drag Race Universe! I’m also a delightfully terrible cook.
7. Name 5 things we all should know about you as an artist?!
I want to empower others to chase their dreams and to be authentic to themselves. As an independent artist, it hasn’t been easy path to get to this point. I had to sell my Mini Cooper to raise money to pay for this album, and work full time as a voice actor to stay afloat financially. But I’ve just kept going and am thrilled to see how people are responding to my music. No matter what your dream is – you just gotta persevere and not care what anybody thinks.
8. How did you learn to sing/ to write/ to play??
I’ve been singing since I was 5 – it was just always something I loved to do. I sang along to my parents’ record collection growing up, and invested in voice coaching with a great teacher to learn to master my voice. Songwriting has always been a part of me too – I often hear melodic and lyrical ideas in my head and jot them down in a voice memo on my iPhone. It’s a craft I’ve worked on for many years as well.
9. A question you’d like to answer, but never been asked in an interview before?! + Answer pls
Can you do any impressions? Yes, I can do a pretty good Kermit the Frog and love voicing characters.
Your Instagram: @thebiancajames