Jerome Blazé
Sydney-based artist/producer Jerome Blazé recently released his latest single “Warm (Centennial Road)”. The self-produced single is “an ode to the places you feel most at home, and explores the idea of bringing someone else into those places.”
The rawness of the song is definitely my favorite part. It has beautiful imperfections that make the song so special and personal. I also love that the music video is a live performance. It captures even more emotion and authenticity - and that is so beautiful to hear and see.
Thank you so much Jerome for this conversation !!
“Warm (Centennial Road)” is now available :)
Photo credit: Robert Agostino
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is Jerome Blazé and I’m a songwriter/ producer based in Sydney. I grew up in a rural area called the Southern Highlands, and then moved to Sydney after high school to study contemporary music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I’ve since finished my degree and am now teaching part-time at the con. Throughout that time I’ve been working on my own music, slowly figuring out what I want to make and learning more. Since moving to Sydney I also picked up producing for other artists, which has been really rewarding.
What did you grow up listening to?
All sorts of stuff really! I loved Coldplay and Phoenix, who’s influence is sort of clear, but the music that initially got me into producing was electronic/ dubstep stuff, which is sooooo disconnected from what I make now - people like Nero, KOAN Sound and Madeon. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from those acts, and from there just gradually started expanding into different worlds like the Jazz and Folk influenced side of things.
When did you start making music? What was the biggest challenge when you first started?
I started producing during early high school, around when I was 13, but have been play piano since I was young. The technical side of producing music really took some time to understand initially, as I was completely self-taught (with the help of the internet of course). Just figuring out how to get the sounds in my head out!
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
It wasn’t so much a confidence thing, more just that I was probably a bit bored! I was also probably trying to impress my friends at school hahaha...
'Warm (Centennial Road)’ is your latest single - what's the story/inspiration behind this single?
Warm is part of a whole batch of songs that came out during the 2020 lockdown, which I spent back at my parents house in the Southern Highlands. I didn’t have many instruments to record down there, so I started messing around on the guitar. Writing on a new instrument that I wasn’t as confident on took me to a different place creatively, allowing me to focus on my songwriting a bit more. It was an apt time for this, as I just started singing on my music. The song itself then came together over a few months, slowly chipping away until I was at the core of what I wanted to say. It’s an ode to the places you feel most at home, and explores the idea of bringing someone else into those places.
What's your favourite thing about this single?
I love when I can hear rawness and intimacy in a recording. The song was recorded super simply with just a cheap mic and two iPhones, so you can really hear all the little imperfections.
What made you want to release "Warm (Centennial Road)" as a single?
Warm is quite stripped back, whereas lot of my previous music has been quite built up. I wanted to show people another side to me!
What can you tell us about the video?
We went down to the Highlands the week before it was due to be released and my incredibly talented friend Chris Lanzon shot the beautiful video on location at Centennial Road. He was able to perfectly capture the light and feeling I was channeling into the song - it really feels complete with the video alongside it. The audio was also recorded live with the video, so it’s different to the streaming version that I recorded last year.
As a producer, what equipment and software do you usually use?
I use Logic Pro X. I have a few synths, a drum machine and a tape machine, but I love recording live instruments. I record the piano in my home all the time.
In your opinion, what makes a good production?
Such a hard question! I can’t really answer specifically, but I think anything can be good if it’s genuine and captures a pure feeling.
You live in Sydney - how's the music scene out there?
Awesome! So many amazing talented people coming up in the scene. It’s a small population in the scheme of things, so the subcultures aren’t massive, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some insane music out there from a wildly diverse range of genres and cultures.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
The best part is being able to be an artist! Having that constant creative outlet so healthy and extremely fulfilling. A hard part is balancing that creativity with life, and knowing when to switch off. I’m figuring that out more and more every day.
What biggest life lessons have you learned this year?
As what I said above, I’ve just learned to switch off a bit more, and know when I need to. It’s so much better doing two hours of work but you’re really focused because you’re rested, rather than burning yourself out over eight hours.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Another hard one! I don’t know yet, but as an umbrella I’m a big advocate for positivity and optimism. The world can appear to be quite heavy sometimes, but I’d love my music to be a reminder for a sense of lightness too.
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