A Chat with Jaime’s Tone (11.04.24)
Formed in 2020 by French composer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jacques M, Jaime’s Tone walks the delicate line between rock and metal, then blurs everything in a pop-rock, prog-rock, prog-metal, indie-rock sensation. While Jaime’s Tone has received critical acclaim on an international scale for his numerous releases, this is our introduction to the artist. We speak with Jaime’s Tone about his EPTake Your Change, what music means to him, his favourite concerts and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music? Why did you decide to become a musician?
Jaime’s Tone: I started music at the age of seven, therefore, I do not really remember when music was not part of my life. I started with classical piano and then discovered various forms of rock when I was a teenager. Then I decided to write songs and be part of a band – and this has never really stopped. Since 2019 I have started Jaime’s Tone and released three albums so far.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Jaime’s Tone: I cannot really imagine life without music. It brings me joy and happiness, makes me think (when lyrics are good enough), and I hope I can make many people feel the same when they listen to my music.
OSR: You recently released your EP Take Your Chance. What can you tell us about the EP?
Jaime’s Tone: The title of the album “Take Your Chance” refers somewhat to one of the tracks called ‘Take a Chance’. With this album, I wanted to showcase the versatility of styles that Jaime’s Tone is able to propose, from pop-rock to rock, and from progressive rock to progressive metal. The cover artwork is for me a great representation of the title. Edgar Allan Poets defines this album as “a kaleidoscopic display of [Jaime’s Tone’s] genuine and direct songwriting style”, while Ariyel’s Blog talks of “a diverse array of sonic experiences”. I think they have both perfectly understood my intent.
OSR: If you could change one thing about Take Your Chance, what would it be and why?
Jaime’s Tone: A mistake was made when launching the distribution of the first single ‘Take a Chance’, which was mistakenly titled ‘Take Chance’. If I could change one thing, that would be to change the wrong title of the single!
OSR: This is your third studio album and I’m curious. Do all the albums go through the same process when creating them, or is each a unique experience?
Jaime’s Tone: With each new album (Take Your Chance is the 3rd album), I am trying to improve upon what I did in the past. I try to bring new ideas, new sounds, new kinds of lyrics but it is still Jaime’s Tone! I truly believe that with this album the sound is much closer to what I want to achieve than in the two previous albums. This is because I am improving and I also work with people who help achieve a better result. Working with the mixing engineer Etienne Pelosoff was really great in that sense.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Take Your Chance?
Jaime’s Tone: I want people mostly to enjoy the music and the lyrics, but also time to time reflect on the world as we know it. ‘War’ tries to translate how anyone may feel in times of war; the war in Ukraine made this song happen, but its lyrics are more general. ‘Number One’ is a reflection of people who always want to be number one, whatever the cost. ‘Polar Adventure’ refers to issues around climate change. And other tracks, like ‘Take a Chance’ are just pure fun!
OSR: What is the greatest challenge you have had to face and how did you overcome it – it does not have to be music-related.
Jaime’s Tone: Well, I think that the greatest challenge for me is to translate my musical ideas into the sound that a listener may hear. When I write songs, it always starts in my mind somewhere, and it might be pretty accurate how I “hear” the song. But then, making it happen in reality is sometimes quite challenging.
OSR: What is the best concert you have ever been to?
Jaime’s Tone: Wow, that is a difficult question, because what is “best”? There is one concert I do remember because a friend of mine told me that even a deaf person would have appreciated that gig, considering the special lighting effects that were used during the concert. It was a concert by Steve Hackett.
OSR: What was your first job?
Jaime’s Tone: Besides making and performing music, I have always been an engineer.
OSR: What does the future hold for Jaime’s Tone?
Jaime’s Tone: I have already finalised a 4th album. This time, I used samples to build the songs, except of course for the vocals, and the outcome I think is pretty interesting – though still Jaime’s Tone! It still needs to be mixed and mastered and will not be released before a few months probably. Then, maybe I will work on remastering a few songs for a “Best of”. Indeed, I believe that some of my early songs could be improved and sound better.
OSR: What message do you have for our readers?
Jaime’s Tone: Enjoy music as much as you can, and, if you like Jaime’s Tone’s songs, do not hesitate to be in touch on social media!
Many thanks to Jaime’s Tone for speaking with us! For more from Jaime’s Tone, check out his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
