Chloé Perrier, the French-American Spirit singer!

Chloé Perrier is a French girl who fell in love with the United States of America.

Saying that Chloé is French would not be totally true, as her heart is divided into two parts, the French one and the American one. After settling in Paris for years, Chloé arrived in New-York a few years ago and directly fell in love with the city that never sleeps!

Influenced by the jazz culture, that’s taking his roots in American history, Chloé Perrier skillfully mixes the genres, staying jazzy but always with a French touch. A recipe that she is the only one to know and to practice.

Today we are interviewing Chloé and plunging into her glamorous world.

An interview by Léa Carlsen & Lou Jefferson

Let’s start by you telling us a little bit about your background, story and how you got started as an artist and more specifically a singer of course?

CP: “I was born in the French Alps where I began to play the violin and took dance classes. We then moved with my family to Paris, where I became an Actress at 13 years old. ” “After years of acting, and taking singing classes, I had my first concert on a bet with Mouss Diouf, a famous French Actor, who owned « Le Reservoir », a nice concert venue in Paris. He gave me three months to put a band together and perform. I was terrified but I did it! This first show was a compilation of all the movie songs I loved. Then a few years later, I was singing more and more jazz, and I decided to go back to school to learn more about it. I chose the Bill Evans Academy Jazz school, and I began classes with the great Sarah Lazarus for singing class, and Joe Makholm for compositions class. It is where I composed my first song « Si », which is on my first album « Cœur de Francaise ». And my Jazz life began…”

What sort of projects are you working on right now? Any personal album you are currently working on?

CP: “I just recorded my new album with my second band « French Heart Jazz Band ». It is a mix of French and Americans songs from the ’20s to the ’40s, a kind of « Gatsby in Paris » sound. I recorded it in NYC with my « dream team»: Aki Ishiguro on guitar, Jim Robertson on bass, and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums who are my brothers from another mother. And I added two wonderful musicians: Jon Hunt on clarinet and Caroline Bugala on violin. The team is from all around the world and I love that. I got lucky enough to work with the great grammy awarded Max Ross from Systems Two to record and mix it. I am really happy how it sounds and I can’t wait to share it with you!”

On which platforms can we find your music?

“You can find my first album « Cœur de Francaise » everywhere: iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, Soundcloud….”

“And videos on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChloePerrierJazz

and my website: http://chloeperrier.net“

“My new album with my « French Heart Jazz Band » will be released beginning of 2019.”

Do you have one or two mentors that played a preponderant role in your career?

CP: “In my singing life, I have actually more than that. I was lucky to cross paths with amazing teachers and people who helped me find my voice by staying true to myself and not imitate other singers. For that, I can thank Sara Lazarus for her enthusiasm, generosity, and rhythm. Géraldine Ross and Sophie Lair-Berreby for helping me strengthen my voice and keeping it safe!”

“I also grew up nearby the great choreographer and director Redha Benteifour who really taught me at a young age the discipline of the artistic path. He said to always learn, always improve and trust that it is worth it, even if it’s hard sometimes. Basically… never give up on your dreams, and work hard for them!”

We saw the music videos you have been working on, with highly skilled professionals, could you tell us a little about that?

CP: “The two music videos that we did for the first album were both directed by Redha. We shot the first one in Paris with the help of a bunch of talented friends from France and Argentina, in a 14 hours day of work. It was amazing to make it happen all together (we even put leaves in the apartment to make it look prettier.”

“And for the second one, Redha called me and told me that they found a beautiful place in Argentina, and he wanted to shoot my second music video there! I was already living in New York at the time, so I took a plane ticket directly for my first trip to South America! It was magical, the amazing Argentinian team was so nice to me and so talented. The dancers were so patient with me as I can dance but I am not a professional 😉 And the location « Villa Epecuén » was just stunning! The first day we got there after a 6h drive from Buenos Aires for the sunset and it was just unforgettable! Nobody was speaking, it was breathtaking! We did two music videos in two days, my band and another rock band from there, and we both acted in each other’s music videos. It was a fun collaboration!”

Watch another great video of Chloé Perrier:

Ces petits riens from Chloé Coeur de Française

“Ces petits riens” by author Serge Gainsbourg

Direction and Choreography: Redha.

Piano: Elie Chemali

Batterie: Félix Sabal-Lecco

Voix: Chloé Perrier

When it comes to songwriting, or interpreting where would you say you get your inspiration from?

CP: “For songwriting, it comes directly from my life. What I feel, I live, I see around me. What touches me. For interpreting, as I am also an Actress, the music makes the mood but the text is helping me to have a story to tell, and my imagination makes it stronger.”

What do you like the most about performing for a live audience or what is the most enjoyable aspect for you?

CP: “I love playing with the public, for the public. My goal is to make them feel something, and mostly make them feel good for a few hours at least. It works both ways… because doing that makes me feel good and forget about my crazy life for a bit as well.”

What would be your dream performance as a professional and who would you love to share the stage with?

CP: “My dream is to perform at « Jazz at Lincoln Center », any of the rooms… They are all beautiful and sound amazing! But I also have a lot of other venues on my list: Village Vanguard, Birdland, Blue Note in NYC, Vibrato, Blue Whale in LA, New Morning and Salle Pleyel in Paris, where I performed as a dancer back in ballet school when I was 10 years old and a lot more.”

“I would love to have a duet with Marcio Faraco, Hugh Colman, Tété, Bobby McFerrin, Tony Bennett, Jean-Paul Vignon, and my dear friend Tatiana Eva-Marie just to name a few, all for different reasons.”

Which city do you enjoy the most for living and singing?

CP: “I am in love with NYC and it was love at first sight. The Jazz scene there is just amazing, but life is crazy, you definitely never sleep!”

“I miss my friends and family in Paris, and I love to perform there. I go back from time to time, but I don’t really miss the city itself even if it’s like a beautiful live museum.”

“LA is a new love for me, that I am learning to know and love more and more each time I visit. LA is so big, that in the beginning, I didn’t know where to start, I felt a bit lost. But the more I discover this city and the Jazz scene, the more I love it. The weather is amazing and life seems easier. My ideal life will be sharing my time between NYC and LA, and visit Paris once a year.”

How was it to grow up in Paris? Can you compare Paris, NYC, and Los Angeles?

CP: “I arrived in Paris when I was 10 years old and I think it was the perfect age for it. After running in the Alps countryside for the first part of my life, I was ready and excited about more artistic activities. I went to the « Ecole des enfants du spectacle » where I needed to do 10 hours of artistic classes per week, I was acting, dancing and singing and was really happy about it.” “I love all of three for different reasons: ”

“I love Paris for being a live museum, the city is beautiful everywhere you look. The culture is rich, and I have a bunch of really good friends and family there. I like the quality of life, having the time to walk around, having dinner with friends, the good food. But Paris can be like a museum, a bit cold, and with a bit of negativity probably because of the gray weather.”

“I fell in love with NY at first sight because it’s a big beautiful mess of architecture, culture, people, and food. Music is everywhere and the Jazz scene is impressive. NY makes me grow faster as an Artist. I love being surrounded by amazing musicians from all around the world, it pushes me to get better and better. Everything goes fast and is extreme…. even the weather! I love this city, but I do need to escape from time to time to rest and sleep more than 5 hours.”

“Los Angeles is a place to slow down compared to NY and much sunnier than both NY and Paris. I am a bit addicted to the sun, which is the best vitamin for me so I might end up there.”

los angeles view — Los Angeles, United States of America by Josh. S. Rose

Is there a specific kind of music for each town where you perform?

CP: “Yes and no, I am still singing Jazz. It is true, I adapt the set depending on the audience, but it is more about the venue than the city.”

What would you recommend to an artist singer who wants to be like you singing and performing for a living?

CP: “Work hard and never stop learning. Knowing that this life will never be quiet and that you should be positive and confident about it and that you’ll be ok!”

” If it happens fast, don’t sit on it, keep growing, because everything can stop as quickly as it began. But it also can come back as fast. Also, learn the business part of it. Nowadays, most independent artists are booking their own shows, advertising, produce their albums all by themselves. It is the part I don’t like, but I had to learn it!”

Do you have a special message you would like to give or thank you, for anyone who has been here for you throughout your career as you grew and developed into the artist you are today?

CP: “I first would like to thank my friends and my family who always supported me. My boyfriend, he knows why. All the people I came across with and who gave me a little piece of them, which include all the musicians I have played and played with.”

“My fans who come to my shows and purchase my music. All the people who trusted and hired me. Also, the 154 people who helped me produce my new record. Knowing that all these people believe in me, keeps me going. I am also really thankful to have the chance to make a living doing what I love. And thank you for this nice interview!”