#jonathan meur

[jumpintolimbo]

Local Feature // Jonathan Meur

Folk. Pop. Classical undertones. Great diction. These are a few phrases that come to mind when I think of the ruggedly charming Jonathan Meur. His recently released EP Woodnotes is a wonderfully distinctive addition to the local music scene. It's also incredibly addictive - after stumbling upon his album, I had it on replay for days! Find out what Jonathan had to say in our interview with him.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m a French-Mauritian part-time singer-songwriter with a full-time job. I released Woodnotes, a seven-song EP, in April this year, and I’m currently arranging the songs that will be on my first full-length album. I love performing live and I have a soft spot for grand pianos.

2. How did you first become interested in music? I’ve always loved singing and when I was presented with the option of enrolling in my primary school’s performing arts CCA when I was 10, I jumped at the chance. That was in Mauritius and for about six years I was fortunate enough to be in productions that involved singing. 

3. Your music is best described as… ... folk-pop for now. But I hope to keep my music evolving and charting new territory. 

4. Why is making music important to you? Music is my fuel. It’s the best way I know to express myself.

5. What inspires you in the music creation process? I usually work from the main idea, the main theme of the song and decide what it wants to say. From there, I usually work on a basic melody and accompaniment, and then expand. Everything and anything can inspire a song. 

6. What is your favourite song from Woodnotes and why? Strangers In Motion is a bit special because it seems to be the one people connect with instantly when I play live.

"I love performing live and have a soft spot for grand pianos."

7. How would you describe the local music scene? Unfortunately, I think many people still attach a negative connotation to “local” music when there actually are many talented musicians and creators of original music here. It is more vibrant and diverse than it was 10 years ago, and it just keeps getting better. It’s just a matter of time before people realise that and start really supporting music made in Singapore, and I am glad I get to witness this encouraging change in attitude.

8. What's been your favourite gig so far? I always love performing at the Esplanade. This year I’ve really enjoyed performing there with my musicians for the launch of Woodnotes in April, and also at the Red Dot Design Museum with One Hat Town in May for MAAD Sounds!. 

9. Name an artist you would love to perform with. There are many. The first name that comes to mind is Lisa Hannigan.

10. What do you like about living in Singapore? Many things. The food. How safe it is. How easy many aspects of life here are. Having my family around.

11. What's on your iPod right now? Right now, I’m listening to Alt-J, Ben Howard, Fiona Apple, Inch Chua, Kishi Bashi, KT Tunstall, Villagers...

12. Name one thing you can't live without. Music. I can’t imagine a day without music.

//

Stay connected with Jonathan:

1. Check out his EP, Woodnotes, on BandCamp.

2. Like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter for news about his upcoming gigs! 3. You may also listen to his music on SoundCloud, and watch recordings of live performances on Youtube.

For more on Jonathan Meur, head on over to Jump Into Limbo's review of his track "Strangers In Motion" here.

[jumpintolimbo]

Strangers In Motion // Jonathan Meur

Jonathan Meur has a fascinating accent. He was born in France and grew up in Mauritius. However, the talented singer is a locally based musician (yes, he lives and plays in Singapore now!)

Meur describes his music as a mixture of folk, pop, rock, and classical. But there is something more to his music - it reminds me of the singing in musicals. Perhaps it's because his diction is fantastic and his voice is clear unlike so many artists today, making it seem as though he is singing for the stage.

This may have been influenced by his years of experience in school productions, although he has performed at open mics since 2008. For more, check out his SoundCloud and Like his Facebook page (local music FTW!) You may also want to purchase his album at BandCamp (I sure want to!)

[theafterschoolspecialmagazine]

ConTribute: U2

7 September 2013 8pm Artistry (17 Jalan Pinang) Free admission ConTribute: U2 is gonna be even better than the real thing! One love, one night, lotsa live musicians, giving it all they’ve got … only at Artistry. Hey hey, (don’t) shy lah lah – all we want is you, whether you’re a vampire or a victim, dressed up like a car crash, or a mole diggin’ in a hole. So, if you still haven’t found what you’re looking for or if you’re stuck in a moment you can’t get out of, come to where the streets have no name (actually it does, it’s Jalan Pinang!). Confirmed artists so far: Randolf Arriola, Jonathan Meur, One Hat Town, Gareth Jonathan, Jack & Rai, David McGovern, Don Shiao

Event page

(Photo from Artistry)

[linchpn]

The musician in Jonathan Meur

Jonathan Meur has a passion. It's making music. Yes, I see him almost everyday as a colleague going about life- surviving, working, making it count. But then there is this creator that lurks inside, pushing  him every now and then to walk across to a sidewalk cafe, plug in his acoustic guitar and a Korg workstation and sing. Sing his own words. His own tunes. His own compositions. 

Indie musicians have it rough. Sidewalk cafe's , roadside Esplande's, here and there gigs...these are the moments that keep them alive. Push them to extend their boundaries and keep creating amazing music. Music that has not yet sold out to labels or their marketing. Music that is about the art and not the money. Music that is created after backbreaking effort, at the wee hours of dawn, inside subway stations, over coffee table napkins, because the day is about survival, about ensuring that a salary cheque comes into the mailbox. 

But what separates them from "we the living" is the power to believe and the passion to keep at it. Anywhere between 5-500 fans, or bystanders. It doesn't matter. The arpeggio comes live, the piano sustain keeps going, the harmony makes the emptiness disappear. 

No Jon and I are not great friends. Hell we don't even know each other. But this is not about that. It's about the human ability to create something out of nothing. 

No Jonathan Meur is not on Vevo. Or Spotify. Or Billboard. I don't even know whether he will cut an album someday. But this song, is as good as I have heard anywhere. In terms of  originality, lyrics, tune and composition, it made me feel as good as any good song does by artistes who have a gazillion views on Vevo and million downloads on iTunes.

The video sucks. Cos people like me( who think they know a lot about filming and photography) sometimes screw up in trying to experiment with exposures. But the audio is good. The song from what i understood was written by Jon while coming to work in the subway. It is about Strangers. 

And Jon and Gabriel make four minutes of magic out of it.

And I hope Jon makes that album which does get a million downloads one day.