Jean-Luc is a swiftly rising pop star that moulds together disparate generic tendencies with effortless ease. Merging the sonic sensibilities of R&B, indie and electronic, the artist boasts a sound that is fluid and silky, delving deep into personal narratives that discuss love, heartbreak and growth in New York City.
Becoming popular on TikTok with his humorous approach the portraying wealth alongside his popular single “Material Girl”, Jean-Luc has shown himself to a modern, forward-thinking artist in both his musicality and his marketing.
Following popular tracks from last year like “Material Girl” and “Green Light”, Jean-Luc looks set to continue to excel creatively and in the public eye this year, last month recently the groove-laden, ethereal number “Radio”. Enlisting the talents of Quelle Rox and Morning Silk for features and Bad Tuner for production nuance, the single is one of his strongest offerings to date, with an ear-worm hook, dance-floor beats and progressive structural choices.
With plenty more music on route in the coming months, we caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss his influences and passions, how New York shaped his artistry, finding viral popularity, and the intentions behind “Radio”.
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What is an inspiration to you as an artist?
As an artist I’m inspired by many things, but I think two of the biggest inspirations for the art that I create would be celebrity and youth culture. I see ‘youth’ as this concept of a time with endless possibilities, where art, music, fashion and nightlife all bubble together. I love looking back at the work of photographers like John Ingham, Bill Bernstein, Bruce Davidson, and Larry Clark that create a window into the many nameless faces who marked an era.
Then there’s the faces that everyone knows. Whether it’s the names I grew up with or legends like Sidney Poitier, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of these larger than life people that capture the zeitgeist of a time. They represent this mysterious lifestyle of luxury and glamor that myself and many others try so hard to attain. For me fame is this fantasy that I’m able to draw from, question and satirize in my work.
How did you first find your passion for creating?
As a little kid I was always drawing, putting 50 cent inspired outfits together and singing around the house. I always wanted to be famous, praying that my parents would finally take me to audition for Disney Channel. They didn’t.
I was in and out of different bands from the age of seven until I left for college. In high school I was in a band with friends from church and spent my time outside of performing going to parties for the music. I was also on Tumblr discovering a reference board of songs, photos, designers, and taste makers that would inspire me to start creating art of my own. I sought out to tell stories that I wasn’t seeing online.
How did you find your sound, and how would you define its essence?
I found my sound after years of working on music. I’m largely influenced by the icons of the 80s – Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, George Michael, Whitney, and Phill Collins. They all took elements from various genres and put it in a format that’s digestible for everyone. I listen to alot of hip hop, R&B, dance, rock music and try to find methods to blend things together in a way that sounds effortlessly pop.
How has being from NYC shaped your artistry?
Obviously, New York City is the birthplace of so many musical and artistic movements. The era’s of disco, 70s punk and 2000s indie rock are probably the biggest influences on my style right now. It’s dope being able to read the history of what’s happened in the past and witness everything that’s going on now.
Post pandemic NYC has seen the rise of a lot of cool artists, brands, influencers and nightlife that has been awesome to see take shape. It feels like we’re really in the midst of a cultural renaissance here that I’m hoping to help take mainstream. My songs, music videos and social media presence all circle around the dream of making it ‘big’ in this city. Some days it’s great and I feel like the main character in my favorite movie. Other days it’s absolutely exhausting and I want nothing more than to just get away. It’s those two feelings that drive all the work I put out.
How do you successfully combine elements from such a wide array of styles so effortlessly?
I have a pretty varied taste in music – I’ll listen to a playlist that’ll go from The Cure to Drake to Sam Gelliatry to Frank Ocean to Boys Like Girls to Yeat and spend my time in the studio trying to figure out ways to blend them all together. I’ll make something that’s lit, something that makes you want to cry or something that gets you lit while still thinking about your situationship from last summer. That’s the joy of the gig!
Talk us through your popular Tik Tok account?
I’ve been on Tik Tok since it started to get big in 2019. For the first couple years I would go on and off the app to solely promote my music which didn’t really work. Last year I decided to take a different approach, thinking of the app as a way to create a community long term and use niche humor to poke fun at dumb coastal elites like myself. There had been a bunch of meme pages I followed on IG that had been able to gain a following with that humor but I hadn’t yet seen anyone do it on Tik Tok.
Outside of music I’ve also had a huge love of acting and felt that TT would be the perfect place to blend the two. I came up with the character of ‘NYC Clout Guy’, a fictionalised version of myself that is a bit more delusional and narcissistic than I am on a usual day. I started posting the sketches online and they thankfully found the right audience. It’s been awesome to see how global the reach is – whether it’s LA, Paris, London or Mexico City there always seems to be some people there that can relate to the clout foolishness.
How have you used social media to aid with your musical rise?
One of my favourite videos is an interview in the 80s with a panel of musicians all talking about the rise of MTV. In the video you see Madonna talking about embracing the idea of music videos and Hall and Oates speaking about how it didn’t make sense for them at all. I love Hall and Oates but I think history speaks for itself. As an artist you have to be someone to move with the times and in this case I’m hoping to be Madonna.
For me social media has been a way to create a community of people with like minded interests. I’m making music for people who are into fashion, art, film, partying, etc. Whether I’m posting skits they can laugh at, outfits they’d want to wear, or music they can listen to on their way to the club, it’s all one seamless thing in my head. I’m trying to sell a lifestyle and build a world that people can really be a part of.
Talk us through your creation of latest single, “Radio”?
“Radio” started off as a demo that was a freestyle I had done over a stripped down guitar track with my frequent producer Adam King. It had very chill, indie R&B type of vibes. Over the summer I was listening to a lot of Kaytranada and the dance influenced Drake & Beyonce albums. It gave me the idea to get someone to reproduce the track and a create something that fused indie pop with disco and house, similar to what Calvin Harris did on SZA’s “The Weekend” remix.
I was on Tik Tok one day and found Bad Tuner, this awesome artist/producer based in Brooklyn who was posting different remixes on his page. He had the exact sound I was looking for so I hit him up and sent the demo for him to mess with. The first version he sent of the track was right on the money. I wanted to get two featured artists on the song to give it this posse dance track type of feel. I had met Quelle Rox & Morning Silk through mutual friends and they both have such incredible emotion to their voices. I loved the thought of juxtaposing these dreamy vocals with this pulsing beat to mirror the story of the song.
What are the themes you are touching on in the track?
Regret, loneliness and self destruction are some of the themes explored in the track. I wrote the song after a night where I made an amazing connection with someone and left without really saying goodbye. The lyrics are from the perspective of being in the Uber driving home wishing I had the balls to turn the car around and go back.
It’s not fun to be ghosted and it’s also not fun to be the ghost-ee. Sometimes it just seems easier to walk away and not say how you feel. Then you tend to drown it by going out, having some drinks and looking for someone else – hence the clubby production. It’s a sad song with a happy upbeat tempo.
Where do you want to take your artistry?
I just want to keep making music and be an artist that is a part of the soundtrack to people’s lives. When I look back at my life I think of the songs I listened to in the car with my family, the first time I got drunk and on the nights I just needed a good cry. I hope one day I can be that for someone else.