Prototype Issue
Jessica Fichot, International Songbird
By Phat X. Chiem
(page 1 of 2)Globalization may have its critics, but surely none would object to one of its finer imports of late: multiethnic, multilingual chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot.
Born in upstate New York to a French father and a Chinese mother, Fichot was raised and trained in Paris and now lives in LA. The well-traveled troubadour makes music that is truly international in its sound and spirit. In her debut album, aptly titled Le Chemin (“the path”), Fichot takes listeners on a musical spree that begins with the French chanson tradition and moves with ease into gypsy jazz, Chinese and Latin folk music and classic American song.
Fichot writes and sings her own songs and boasts a solid command of the piano, trumpet and accordion. On Le Chemin, she plays a toy accordion she bought on eBay for $30—“for that French folk sound,” she said.
“As a musician, my thing is that I can do a lot of things,” the soft-spoken Fichot said, sipping a cup of exotic tea at Jin Patisserie on Venice’s Abbot Kinney Blvd.
This easy confidence in her ability to cross boundaries, both linguistic and musical, shines through on her stunning debut. In some songs, Fichot’s French vocals, as seductive as fresh tulips, get plucky when combined with energetic, Django Reinhardt-esque swing, evoking a sense of scorned love.
“I know you love me even though you don’t know it yourself,” Fichot sings in up-tempo, jazzy French on “Je Sais Qu’Tu M’aimes.”
“Le Velours et la Soie” begins with a burst of folksy Chinese, which soon gives way to ethereal French. This playful bit of linguistics perfectly mirrors the song’s depiction of an interracial tryst. Just a couple of songs later, Fichot breaks out her fluent Spanish on the Mexican folk song, “Los Peces en el Río.” There’s even a delightful version of “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” made famous by legends such as Doris Day and Louis Armstrong. Here, Fichot does a French-English take on the American classic that is at once playful and sophisticated.
“You can definitely be more poetic in French without sounding corny,” Fichot said.
While French seems like a natural choice for the former Parisian, it’s another sign of her youthful confidence that she doesn’t fret about singing in that language. A critic for the United Kingdom’s Guardian once commented: “French chanson, like ripe Camembert, does not travel well.”
After moving to LA, Fichot chose to focus on singing in French precisely so that she would stand out among a horde of white-belted, Converse-sporting indie-rock hipsters.
“When I was growing up, it was uncool to sing in French,” said the 20-something Fichot. “It was very exotic to speak English in France. But when I started writing songs in French, I couldn’t go back to English anymore.”
Fichot’s musical career sprang early. At 5, she started on the piano. At 13, she joined a youth troupe that played music in Parisian cafés and concert halls. She went on to graduate from the School of Audio Engineering in Paris and Boston’s Berklee College of Music. After school, she found work writing children’s music for educational programs, a steady gig that continues to this day.
After moving to LA in 2004, Fichot began to write and record the songs that form the foundation of Le Chemin. In a close-knit community of musicians, she found talented counterparts to contribute to her album, including pop/rock artist Jack Johnson’s drummer, Adam Topol, and Grammy-winning violinist Mads Tolling.
Fichot also discovered her own style, which could be described as a kind of international cabaret. As with all emerging artists, she began by emulating the styles of her musical influences, from the piano-rock sassiness of Tori Amos to the trip-hop coolness of Morcheeba. But copying your heroes can only carry you so far.
“I know you love me even though you don’t know it yourself...”
“I found out that every girl wants to be Tori Amos,” she said.
Soon, the multicultural milieu of the city began to work its way into her music. While living in Koreatown, Fichot picked up the spoken Spanish of the streets (she’s since moved to historic Filipinotown). Combined with her sophisticated songwriting and arrangements, the linguistic layering brings a new level of complexity to her music—and adds more than a touch of exoticism.
“It’s weird that I’m doing this style of music in LA when most people are doing rock,” Fichot said. “[But] I was so happy to find music that suited me, I wasn’t even thinking about whether anyone would listen to it.”
Luckily, people are listening. A friend of Fichot’s sent a copy of her album to Tom Schnabel, a DJ at LA’s taste-making indie station, KCRW-FM. After listening to it, Schnabel invited Fichot to play a live session on his popular “Café LA” program.
“I was completely knocked out by it,” Schnabel recalled. “It’s completely surprising and completely musically involving. It’s a very fresh and very energetic sound. There are not that many people making this kind of music—even in France.”
Fichot’s recent success comes without the support of a record label. She produced her album almost completely on her own, recording much of it at home using some of her audio-engineering skills. While she certainly wouldn’t turn down the right offer, Fichot said she’s seen more than a few musician friends get “too many promises with very little results” from record companies. So for now, she’s content with making her unique music—and playing bigger and bigger shows.
“There’s a lot of things that you can do as a musician that doesn’t involve a label,” Fichot said. “If you concentrate on what makes you special as an artist, there’s always going to be an audience for it. This is a big city and a big world. You’re always going to find people who like your music.”
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