An interview with Mrs Renée Ciarra (Jetsetter)
by Serge Nadeau, CFOU 89.1 FM
Trois-Rivières, Canada
An excerpt from Jetsetter interview released on February 2007 :
What are your principal musical influences ?
My all time favorite singers are Mariah Carey, Lara Fabian, Patti LaBelle, Freddie Mercury and Sarah Vaughan. For songwriting, I love Ani DiFranco, Stevie Nicks, Courtney Love and Rage Against the Machine. My favorite new bands are The King Left and The Arcade Fire.
I listen to people that write and sing from their souls. Music is about rejoicing and communicating through a universal language. Bands that do music just for the ego or some luxurious fantasy disgust me.
I have an internal drive to record beauty. Sometimes I switch into a zone where there’s nothing I can do but write, and the lyrics just pour out. There is no logic or method.
Jetsetter is a duo band… What kind of music is it exactly ?
Jetsetter is me and Tyler Finck, who is a genius musician. We met in film school at Ithaca College when I realized he composed these beautiful soundtracks for numerous student films. We quickly became friends and played a game where I would pick a CD that he’s never heard and he’d keep it for a week, then respond with a similar CD that I’d never heard..
Tyler and I work well together because he composes very beautiful, cinematic music, whereas I focus on lyrics and hooks. We call our music trip-pop, because it’s full of fun grooves but has dark atmospheric textures. Some of our songs are energetic, some are laid back. All of the lyrics are very genuine- I sing from my heart. People have compared us to Radiohead, Björk, Massive Attack, Portishead and Ani DiFranco.
You’re singing in French in the song « Il s’en va ». Should we expect other songs in French on VasoVerga ?
There are some things that are better expressed in French, so I will always write French songs. There is one interlude on the album called « Printemps » that is actually about how everyone thinks French is so sexy no matter what you’re saying.
I practice my French by singing along to my favorite francophone singers like Lara Fabian and Zazie.
You seem to have a real passion for the French culture. Would you tell me why ?
I’ve had a strong passion for the French culture for a long time; I think partially because the language is the most beautiful in the world – the sounds blend into each other very softly. I love all the stereotypical things associated with Paris like art, romance, sex, cheese, wine, vacation and rebellion. There’s also a melancholy aura to Paris that doesn’t exist elesewhere; it’s filled with ghosted footsteps of the distaut poets and painters before us. I lived there only for six months, but I gained a part of myself there and left a part of myself there.
When will your first album be released?
Our debut album, VasoVerga comes out in March (2007). You can buy it on iTunes. You can hear songs on our website.
Did Jetsetter play live or is just a studio band ?
We’ve been working on VasoVerga for the past year, so we haven’t had time to perform. This upcoming year we’ll be doing some shows.
What’s next for the future ?
Right now is the future, and we’re just getting VasoVerga our there and constantly writing songs.
Thank you very much, Mrs Ciarra, for your precious collaboration.
Serge Nadeau
CFOU 89.1 FM
Trois-Rivières,Canada