The Fool: Jain makes a brilliant comeback with his new album

What did you eat in this much-needed spare time?

I paint a lot and listen to music, two things you don’t have time to do when you’re constantly on tour. I did exhibitions, wrote comics with my sister, collaborated with brands, took care of the graphic design of France 2 for a summer… This also fed me, c not to think about this concept of luck? time. A luxury that brings me so much happiness.

You canceled the end of your previous tour because, as you put it, you were “rinsed”…

Few artists would have taken the decision not to do it rather than to do it badly. Even though I was giving everything I had at the time, I felt like I was going to work, which is not for me. There was no soul anymore, I couldn’t do any more. And it was very frustrating. I chose to cancel my last four remaining appointments. My environment understood this decision very well, and I left calmly, telling myself that I could breathe, take a step back from the music and ask what I wanted.

You no longer wear your combat suits, blue pilot suit and black Peter Pan collar suit. Does that mean you smashed the armor?

Yes… Even though I have new stage outfits, I wanted to show myself as I am, Jeanne (her first name, editor’s note).

Have you ever had trouble doing this?

There was this yes. I released my first album, Zanaka, at the age of 21. I wanted to protect myself… I never mentioned my mood in my songs, I always evoked a universal love. And then, my previous two albums were very mundane. I think this is much more airy: it looks like I am in everyday life. I took great pleasure in writing.

We better understand the resonances of the seventies…

While I was in prison, I listened to my mother’s records. She is a fan of Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, Joan Baez and Ricky Lee Jones. These writers of the 70s inspired me a lot because they knew how to talk about feelings.

You traveled all over the world for your first two albums. That’s why you’ve been locked up in a fisherman’s hut in Marseille for you… a reference to Francis Cabrel?

No, although I love him! (Laughs). I grew up between Congo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I’ve always been near water. The sea and the ocean represent something cosmic to me, they let me write my new songs.

Speaking of cosmic, images of Tarot de Marseille are very present in this new project…

From a very young age, our mother drew cards for my sisters and me. I wanted the album to be like a game, every card is a song and an image, everything is a collectible. The Tarot de Marseille has helped me at certain times in my life. But beyond the prophetic aspect, many happy family memories that I love.

Your album and its first synopsis are called The Fool, Le fou in French. In tarot, it is the person who lives in the present moment…

Yes. It is also a symbol of a new beginning. I live that in this album. A new era, new inspirations. I wanted to show this kind of madness that lives inside of me by taking risks and revealing my feelings.

You have been collaborating with Maxime Nucci (Yodelice, editor’s note) since your first album. Never change a winning team?

Definitely ! I first met Maxime when I was 16. There are very few people whose opinions about my songs really matter. It’s part of it. He always gives me his advice with great kindness. They help me move forward, question myself, and move forward.

You return to the stage. Do you want to protect yourself there a little more than in the past?

It was one of the essential conditions for my return. I limited my tour to three dates per week to have rest days and real holidays.

Stupid (Sony Music/Columbia). The album is on sale on April 21.

Interview with Amandine Scherer