Lunik

Jaël from Lunik



Essentially it all comes down to belief. Jaël, the winsome frontwoman and songwriter for the effervescent Lunik, has pushed away the doubts and fears that used to crowd her. Musically, the band have charted a new course over the months that led to the genesis of the stunning new album ‘Small Lights In The Dark’ and that process of change threatened to darken Jaël’s mood. “Lights in the dark are a common sign of hope,” she explains, “and I have realised to let go of my worries. Everything now just comes down to the songs themselves – they are my small lights”.



The title of course is also a reference to the peripatetic life of the modern successful musician. The lights seen from a plane as it nears home have a special resonance for Jaël. Home is her sanctuary and a place where she can step away from the limelight for a while. Having been a singer now for over a decade - making her the youngest veteran in town - Jaël’s style and lyrics have developed over time. Now, on the new album, she is truly hitting the heights. An assured, at time bravura, vocal performance breathes flames into her trenchant and often hard-hitting lyrics. ‘Small Lights In The Dark’ not only bristles with an arsenal of pop hooks, but brims with pathos too. This is a record you feel as well as hear.



The album features songs on a range of emotional themes, but they all offer that resounding empathy with the pain and hopes that each of us faces as we journey through life. “Some of the songs are autobiographical but others are taken from the experiences of the people around me. All my songs read like pages from a personal journal, but it’s not always my own diary that people are being allowed to peek into!”



Born in Berne, Switzerland, to a family that surrounded themselves with music at all times, melody became part of the fabric of Jaël’s daily life. Despite this, it was not until the age of 10 that she picked up her first guitar, but she had started with a school band a couple of years later. By the age of 16, Jaël has started performing with what she terms ‘real bands’ and was becoming a fixture on the local scene. These early musical steps took Jaël all across the spectrum. “I wanted to try everything, I sang with R&B bands, dyed my hair black and joined a reggae band, you name it!” At the age of 18, she met Luk, guitarist with Lunik and joined the band. At the time Lunik - whose sound has evolved enormously over the subsequent years - were playing a kind of Electro Pop. Over time this morphed into a more pure Pop sound, before developing yet further and taking another giant leap forward with the potent Pop Rock that characterises ‘Small Lights In The Dark’.



At the time that Jaël became Lunik’s frontwoman she was still studying to become a teacher. “I never thought that music could be a career.” Inevitably over the early years of Lunik’s success, the day of reckoning was on its way: it was soon time to pick a path. Though Jaël’s passion for teaching came from her hard-wired desire to communicate with and help people, she came to realise that by connecting to people through her music and her lyrics she could choose music and still achieve that dream. Another factor pushing her towards music was the fact that, increasingly, the teaching job was not without its drawbacks. Jaël laughs, “I think, in truth, my mind was made up one day when working as a substitute teacher. I was photocopying some Maths assignments and had half the school queuing for my autograph!”



Once Lunik started to enjoy real success, even Jaël’s parents were keen for her to drop everything and chase the dream. Knowing that she made the right decision, Jaël is “Happy that I quit,” though with typical determination she made sure that she finished her qualifications before heading into the showbiz world. Largely self taught, both with her remarkable vocals and on guitar, Jaël loves to practice with the band when she can really open up. “I’m not one for singing in front of the mirror. In terms of practicing, I’m quite lazy I guess. Maybe that’s why I’m a singer, with an instrument you have to rehearse and carry it around!”



The relaxed attitude to rehearsing notwithstanding, Jaël takes her lyrics incredibly seriously. Ideas and phrases come to her at any time and anywhere. Carefully Jaël keeps track of all these gems in journals and on her laptop so that over time she can distil the best fragments into her songs. “I dreamed about this album would sound, how the songs would fit together. If I had to describe this record I would say that, ‘It is about a girl with a fragile voice stepping into a boys’ world. The album is full of melodies that stick inside your head for ever and won’t let you go and lyrics that make you think about life. Oh, and the band looks great!’”



The amazing reaction to ‘Small Lights In The Dark’ is propelling Jaël into the public arena. She’s ready for it – “I’ve been in this business for 12 years now. I started my career being the shy girl behind the mic, but now I am my own person. I don’t have a role to play, that’s why I’m not nervous any more, it’s just me. I feel good about that, and I think the attitude suits both me and my songs. Image can protect you, but I’m a big girl now!”



“I’m excited about the future and to see what more Lunik can achieve. I’m happy that I can write the songs I love and that more and more people around the world can hear them. The best thing for me is to stand onstage and see people singing along. That’s all I care about and it is what drives me. I am not really interested in the trappings of celebrity. I used to read everything that was written about me and believe it all, but now I just rely on the opinions of those people that I trust and get on with life and my music. Even whilst recording this album, I’ve been continually coming up with ideas for new songs.”



A confident, funny and self-effacing woman – though not without the occasional flash of steel – Jaël is set for the long haul with Lunik. ‘Small Lights In The Dark’ is a tour de force, bursting with radio hits and guaranteed to connect with even the most jaded listener. Those lights that represent hope may be small, but the spotlight is sure to remain on Jaël for the foreseeable future. She is comfortable in the glare.