July 29, 2024 |
Parisian photographer, model and musician Camille Jansen is the epitome of effortless cool. Not only in her style, but in her sound, which she describes as, “Personal, simple and straightforward”. Following her 2021 EP Louise which garnered rave reviews, the multi hyphenate has only continued to mesmerise audiences with her unique blend of folk, country and experimental rock, releasing a flurry of singles in the years since. And now, with the release of her highly anticipated debut album The Loose Screws at the beginning of this month, she pays homage to classic Americana with a contemporary flair.
From childhood road trips serenaded by the timeless melodies of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Jansen’s love for storytelling has blossomed into a profound talent for songwriting. Her music, infused with raw honesty and introspection, serves as a poignant reflection of her innermost thoughts and experiences. Her latest project, held together with an assortment of percussive and acoustic dreamscapes, is described by Jansen as, “The quest for understanding the world around me”. The album consists of eight tracks, each of which detail the intricacies of life’s experiences, from navigating relationships gone sour to the pure helplessness felt when observing wars and turmoil taking place across the globe.
Beyond her music, Jansen’s distinctive style, deeply rooted in vintage fashion and sustainability, adds another layer to her artistic expression. The Chanel muse blends inspiration from the sixties and seventies, weaving together threads of nostalgia and reverence for the past. Her signature style has earned her recognition on prestigious platforms like L’Officiel and at Paris Fashion Week.
In her new, stripped-down music video for ‘The Ballad of the Missing Women’, which appears on the new album, we see Jansen in the place she shines brightest. In the studio, accompanied by her band, Jansen performs the closing number, a haunting tale inspired by the well-known true crime case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who was killed by her fiancé while they were travelling together on a van life journey across the United States in 2021. Jansen’s vocals sit centre stage as they dance around the climatic production.
Here, we sat down with Jansen to delve into the new video, what inspired her and her hopes for the future.
1. Who is Camille Jansen?
I’m just a girrrrl in the worrrrld.
2. Describe to the world your music video, ‘The Ballad of the Missing Woman’, would transport a listener to.
It would take you on the road. I have some ideas for it but would love to make a little film out of it. Or if it were to be part of a documentary to do with the Gabby Petito case or God forbid another van lifer tragic ending.
3. What feelings do you hope to instil in your audience with ‘The Ballad of the Missing Woman’?
This song’s all just story telling from a tragic event in someone’s life. I think the feelings anyone can get from this song will come up if and when they research the back story of Gabby Petito. I’d say one would feel quite shocked as it all sounds a bit surreal, which I was trying to show off in the solos – leaning in on the absurdity of what happened to the girl and everything around it.
4. You’ve explained that your latest album is about accepting feeling helpless about what life has in store. What’s the best advice you could give to anyone who’s hit a slump?
Just keep swimming. As corny as this may sound but when I was going through a hard time, someone once told me that life is like a wave: sometime’s the tide is high, sometimes it’s low but you just have to keep swimming to stay afloat. Life isn’t made it to be easy, not much happens in comfort. Take in the hard times and use them as lessons. I think the lie we tell ourselves too, is that at some point everything will be figured out in our lives but the truth is it’s gonna be a life long learning experience and finding acceptance in this is what gets me through it.
5. ‘Hey Lou’ and Louise, you’ve referred to a ‘Louise’ twice in your career, are they the same person? Who is she?
They’re written by two separate people… Louise is my middle name, but when I wrote about it, it was at a time when “Louise” was sort of this ideal version of myself within a relationship I was in. ‘Hey Lou’ is all Lewis Ofman who wrote about his own Lou I guess.
6. One collaborator, dead or alive, who would it be?
Caetano Veloso would be nice :).
7. Despite the risks, what inspired you to make the move to LA?
It was a dream since I was a kid so it didn’t feel risky as there was nothing known just space to explore and people to meet. Like a fresh start.
8. If you chose a different career path, what would you have done?
I think I’d get into psychology, being some sort of therapist for children and teenagers.
9. What would 15-year-old Camille think of where you’re at now?
I think she’d be pretty proud, it’s a good reminder to think about what I wanted at 15 for this point in my life and I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of the things I’ve wanted so far and have become a version of myself I’m proud of too.
10. Where do you see yourself in five years?
God knows. Hopefully I will have been on tour by then, I hope I’m happy and other than music I’d like to have directed a documentary. And perhaps even act in a film. I’ve got lots I’d like to do and to get done!
Photography courtesy of Camille Jansen.
