Joyce Jonathan: Bubbly Pop, a la française

If you like cheerful Folk Pop you’ll enjoy singer/songwriter Joyce Jonathan. Her sweet voice and acoustic guitar strumming are an irresistible combination. At just 20 years old, she conquered the French music world with her award-winning debut album of feel-good acoustic Pop.

Jonathan grew up in the northwest suburbs of Paris, and began playing piano at the tender age of 5. By age 11, the self-taught guitarist was writing her own songs. Her musical influences include the late French R&B singer Teri Moise, Jason Mraz, and Tracy Chapman. Personally, she reminds me a lot of Colbie Caillat.

The aspiring artist posted 3 of her songs on MySpace. At 18, she signed up with a crowd-funded music label (think Kickstarter) and within 5 months raised the money to record her debut album.

That album, 2010’s Sur mes Gardes, went gold in France in just five months, and platinum within a year. The public fell head over heels for the young singer and her songs, which were all written by Jonathan herself from age 13 onward. The project was produced by Louis Bertignac of Telephone (French band) fame, who is also the producer of note behind Carla Bruni’s Quelqu’un m’a dit.

The singer claimed an NRJ music award (French AMA) for Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2011, and still made time to get her degree in Psychology.

Sur mes Gardes

The ballad “Pas Besoin de Toi” was her first single and the song that put Joyce Jonathan on the map. “Je Ne Sais Pas” made a splash in the top 100 as well. I really like them both, along with the singles “Tant Pis” and “L’heure avait sonné.”

She also duets with Tété on the title track. Though I think their voices were a mismatch, it was still a major coup for an unknown singer to have an artist that famous appear on her debut album. And vocal clash aside, “Sur mes Gardes” is a good song.

Here are a couple of videos from the album:

Caractère

After she signed to a major label in 2012, expectations were sky-high for Jonathan’s second outing. Whereas Sur mes Gardes was written during her teenage years, the material on her sophomore album Caractère reflects the newfound maturity of her young adulthood. Musically, she takes a few tentative steps away from the peppy folk she’s become known for, but she never strays too far. The album is somewhat less acoustic than her first, but it’s still plenty Folky and the mood is still light. Her voice absolutely shimmers over the compositions.

With this album going gold, and the first one now certified double platinum in France, she’s accomplished a feat that few 24 year olds can claim. Here’s her top 20 lead single, “Ça ira.”

On the title track, “Caractère,” she trades the acoustic guitar sound for some upbeat piano Pop.

What do you think of this singer? Leave a comment.