'I feel at home in this country'

Powerful voice

Even if no one else hears it, there’s always music playing in her head. And when that overpowers the silence and her other thoughts, a mischievous sparkle lights up her eyes.

Juliette Katz, a French chanson and pop musician, gets you hooked seconds within hearing her songs with a distinctive voice; it lingers and casts a quick musical imprint.

A soul diva, she loves to explore music and has been soaking up sounds since she was a child. Talking about her journey into the musical industry and her connection to India, Juliette says...

Why did you decide to become a musician?
I always wanted to be a singer. My entire life is paced by rhythm of music. I stopped my regular school to study in a music school and then things just followed the natural path.

If you had to describe your sound in one word or sentence?
French pop

Lyrics or melody?
Both.

What makes you write lyrics?
Life, stories of people, my experiences that I wish to put in music and in text...

What’s going through your head before a performance?
I channel myself, and re-centre my emotions. I try to relax.

What do you do when you forgot lyrics or mess up on stage?
I continue to sing, I improvise quite a bit. I never stop a song even if I no longer remember the lyrics.

When you have a music block...
I wait for it to pass and then I come back as soon as I am inspired. Sometimes, it happens that I am unable to finish a song, in which case I put it aside for a bit and then come back to it later.

Do you name your instruments?
No.

One musician (dead or alive) you’d like to play with?
Freddie Mercury

A music festival you would love to play at?
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Your experiences in India...
I have been coming to India since I was a child. I also lived in India when I was 10 years old, in Auroville. I feel at home in this country. Moreover, my first concerts were in India, in
Puducherry.
I am currently working on my second album which will be full of Indian colours.

Most memorable moment in India?
A few years back I had performed in Chennai in an open amphitheatre in front of a lot of students. I was young. Uneasy. Despite all of that I had immense amounts of fun.
Juliette Katz will perform with French guitarist Ben Benoliel at The Humming Tree on January 31, in collaboration with Alliance Francaise.