What am I up to?

Hi friends! 💃🏾

I hope the fall season has not made you too gloomy yet – it is slowly starting to get to me, so I decided to write about an exciting topic! 😁

Writing songs… and the recording of my new project…(that is yet to be named!) 😅

I have always loved to write lyrics, poems, essays, etc. Putting them in music is a comfortable way for me to express myself more publicly. Unfortunately, the process to do so is not always super smooth.

For my first album, Rencontre{s}, the process was absolutely messy:

Some of my songs had been previously recorded for another project back in France, some songs are simple demos that I had recorded with my phone, some others have been produced by a friend… After a failure of meeting terms with the producers I was supposed to work with in Toronto, I ended up mixing and mastering the songs myself, during the pandemic, and learning on the go how to release a project on different platforms. It was a bit tedious, but it ended up working out well enough that I met incredible people thanks to that project. (the album came out early 2022 and is still available on all platforms with all of its flaws!) 🥳

My second recording experience was a lot smoother, even though it was a bit more stressful. I met with Matthew Isaacs and Justin Guanio a couple months after my album release, and we proceeded to start working on my EP Secret the Summer of the same year. Matthew is a very talented Rnb artist (Kromatix) and it was interesting to dive into the writing process with him. Justin (Wess) and him have been working together for a little while now. Contrary to how I usually work, Matthew and Justin like to start with finding a beat. After asking me what artists were inspiring to me, they came up with a couple of instrumental suggestions that I helped shape along the way. Once the instrumentals were done, we started writing lyrics and recording them in Justin’s studio (Loud Studios). This was the birth of Power, Stand Back, Fake Roses and Secret (listen here!) … Although quite stressful compared to my previous collaboration work, it was fun and refreshing to create with artists from a different genre. 🙏🏾

These past two months, I have been working on selecting, (re)writing, arranging and recording some songs for a new project! It is a solo project again, but I am much more comfortable with the tools that I am using now. All of the songs I have decided to record are songs that I wrote between March 2020 and now, these are fun, reflective and maybe thought-provoking songs that I want to share with the people who know me, and those who don’t know me yet.

As always, I am big on happy melodies that stick with your mind, and I truly hope this project will touch a lot of people. 🌎

I am using Ableton Live 11 to record, and I have been able to record my instruments from home, at a higher quality than for my first project. I am learning a lot about this software and am planning on attempting to mix my songs myself. For the vocals, I am also recording at home, with my brand new equipment!

Once I get my vocal tracks down, I will put them together with the instrumentals and start the final mixing process. I am not there yet, and it promises to be a big learning experience. One I will recount at a later date! 📝

In the meantime, I will release an acoustic version of the very first single off of this new project on my birthday:

Afternoon Coffee – story

This is one of the first songs I wrote about the pandemic! We were on our second lockdown, end of 2020, and I was FED UP with staying home, looking forward to seeing people, going out with my friends, and seeing the world reopen in general. This is exactly what this song is about! I hope to see you all dance with me soon.

Always


Picture our first kiss
And the look in your eyes
You’re like
My music with you I feel alive

Can I stay in your hug
Just a little longer
Sing songs under the stars
When we’re drunk or sober

How you
make me laugh
When I’m about to cry
My love
This one is for you I hope you like

Can I stay in your hug
Just a little longer
Sing songs under the stars
When we’re drunk or sober

I can’t let you go
I’ll be holding your hand
every tomorrow
until our hair turn grey, always

Oh don’t let me go
I’ve never been so sure
darling you’re my treasure
and I’ll hold on to you, always

Babe,
Keep me safe, keep me warm
In your arms

Hey
It’s alright if they think
It’s too fast

Let’s do this together
No need to look further
I’ll follow where you go
Hmmm

I can’t let you go
I’ll be holding your hand
every tomorrow
until our hair turn grey, always

oh don’t let me go
I’ve never been so sure
darling you’re my treasure
and I’ll hold on to you, always

My arms on your chest
And yours around my waist
It feels nice to be with you tonight

The way you lead the dance
And the depth in your smile
I am lost in your gaze
Like there’s no one around

I can’t let you go
I’ll be holding your hand
every tomorrow
until our hair turn grey, always

Oh don’t let me go
I’ve never been so sure
darling you’re my treasure
and I’ll hold on to you, always

I can’t let you go
I’ll be holding your hand
every tomorrow
until our hair turn grey, always

oh don’t let me go
I’ve never been so sure
darling you’re my treasure
and I’ll hold on to you, always


Interlude – Bossa


There’s this smell that makes me think of you
It lingers, just like you
How could I let this feeling come true
When I knew, what it took

I don’t know how to face the truth x2

Another day and I’m just hooked on you
Is this real? Is this proof?
I can’t find peace if I am not with you
Now my soul, feels so blue

I don’t know how to think this through x2

Oh
It makes sense,
I went away
From you
Oh
Everyday,
I’m confused
I miss you…


Paranoid


I wish I could read your mind, I wish I was enough
I wish I could understand why you’re all mad at me
When I look into your eyes … oh
I wish I could call him mine, I wish I had the guts
I wish I could see the world, feel the words, live the dream.
But I’m frozen by the fear …

Does any body feel the same?
Does any body feel insane?
‘Cause I’m feeling it in my soul
Is this a world conspiracy?
The universe won’t answer me
Why can I feel it in my soul ?

Oh I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.


I wish I could read your mind, I wish I had enough
I don’t like the way he smiles, don’t like the way he talks
When he looks into my eyes… oh
I don’t want to feel his lies, don’t want to hear a word
Don’t want to know what’s right, don’t want to see what’s wrong
But I’m frozen by the past… oh


Does any body feel the same?
Does any body feel insane?
‘Cause I’m feeling it in my soul
Is this a world conspiracy?
The universe won’t answer me
Why can I feel it in my soul ?

Oh I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.


Do you think I will believe
Don’t you think we can be free
It’s true, some days I wish I was not me
How can I set myself free
Couldn’t this feeling leave me
Lord knows that I despise the way I sin


I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.
I think I’m paranoid.


Fantasia


Je t’emmène à Fantasia
Où le temps n’existe pas
Je t’emmène à Fantasia
Où l’amour est roi
Où le soleil illumine
Toutes les merveilles de la ville
Je t’emmène à Fantasia
Suis-moi

Ne doute pas

Tourne la tête et découvre un monde rempli de joie
C’est jour de fête, tous les enfants dansent autour de toi
Oublie ton stress, quel bonheur de partager tout ça
Bienvenue à Fantasia

It’s about dreaming out loud
It’s about finding cloud 9
It’s about them, you, and I
Welcome to Fantasia

Come with me to Fantasia
Where the colours shine so bright
And the moonlight leads the way
to the beauty of the bay

Let’s not wait

It’s about dreaming out loud
It’s about finding cloud 9
It’s about them, you, and I
Welcome to Fantasia

Tourne la tête et découvre un monde rempli de joie
C’est jour de fête, tous les enfants dansent autour de toi
Oublie ton stress, quel bonheur de partager tout ça
Bienvenue à Fantasia

Sing with me, sing out loud
Welcome to Fantasia

Plus fort, chante avec moi
Bienvenue à Fantasia


Broken


Broken your heart is broken
But you don’t know why
Stiffen when you say his name
But you don’t know why
Golden, feels so far away
But you don’t know why
Smitten that’s what they all say
But you don’t know why *2

His dark hair bewitch you
His bright stare flutter you
His old ways frustrate you
How do the others do?

You said you’d never let your heart win
But you did, oh you did yeah you did
Oh you said you’d never let anyone in
But you did oh you did yeah you did

Now look at your heart bleed
Remember how it feels please

Running your mind is running
But you don’t know why
Writing you feel like writing
But you don’t know why

His hands hypnotize you
His wide grin annoy you
His manners attract you
How do the others do

You said you’d never let your heart win
But you did, oh you did yeah you did
Oh you said you’d never let anyone in
But you did oh you did yeah you did

Now look at your heart bleed
Remember how it feels please


Introducing me – cover


I’m extrovert but calm 
I think lyrics need to rhyme 
And you’re not asking but
I’m always down for a good time


I eat cheese
But no more pizza, please
I’d rather eat some homemade quesadilla
Otherwise I’d rather eat sushi

And I, I really like it
When the sun shines in the morning
And I love it when I sing on stage

@juliaambremusic

I tried to generate captions but there was “no speech recognized” so I’ll post the lyrics on my website 😂 #introducingme #cover #juliaambremusic

♬ original sound – Julia Ambre