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Women to the Fore #18: Julie Campiche
We talk to Julie Campiche, the Swiss musician who has pioneered bringing the harp into jazz and creative music. She has just been awarded a Swiss Music Prize by the Swiss Confederation for her creativity and career.
How would you describe what you do?
I am a musician, I am a composer, and I’m also a producer. But before that, I'm a human being. I'm a mother. I am a citizen. That's also very important for me because it influences who and how I am as a musician.
What led you to the music you make today? What were your earliest experiences of music?
I don't remember when I started playing music. I was in an opera with my classmates when I was six or seven. And then I asked my parents to play the harp. I don't remember this, and they waited for me to go to the next idea. But I kept on asking about my harp. And, after a while, they realised I was serious about it.
I went to the conservatory in Geneva and had a very old-school, classical training. I was there from age eight to eighteen. I didn't fit in, but I kept on going. I don't know why. I liked the music, I liked the instruments, but not the universe I was in. It was complicated!
After I finished my Baccalauréat, I went travelling for two years. When I came back, I continued the harp with private lessons. My teacher started to give me the contracts she couldn't do, because I was at a good level and had been playing for a long time by this stage.
One of these gigs was with a big band, and that's how I discovered jazz. It was very sudden for me, like a click in my head. I said to myself, wow, I don't know what's happening here, but I like it. It's called jazz? Okay, I want to play jazz. Harp jazz is not a thing? Okay, let's try it and see what happens.
How did you navigate this transition?
I just jumped in. I had no clue about jazz. I was completely lost at the beginning, very deeply lost. I was unable to play at the beginning, even though I had a good level on my instrument, because I couldn’t read a jazz chart. And then I just immersed myself to discover everything I didn’t know.
I remember my first Latin jazz class at the AMR in Geneva. I knew nothing. I arrived, and they gave me the score, and I had no idea what it was. I was almost crying and feeling so profoundly lost.
And then I went to the bathroom and I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself: “Okay, I have a decision to make. Either I take my harp, go back home, and do something else with my life. It's fair enough. It's a good choice. There are plenty of things to do in life. Or I take my ego, and I put it in the toilet, and I go back, and I start from scratch.”
And I did it. After 12 years of playing, I was a beginner again. It wasn’t easy in the moment, but it gave me a lot of strength over time.
I took theory classes in jazz and I went back to conservatory, this time in Lyon. I started a band with a singer, so I also learned how to have a band, find concerts, earn money - I learned everything at the same time.
Who were your early influences?
It's always a difficult question for me. I never had this feeling that I want to make music like a particular artist. It was more, here is something I can learn from.
I listened a lot to Keith Jarrett’s Sun Bears Concerts album. It’s not an influence as much as a recognition of a mindset, though it's very far from what I do. I'm a big fan of Lhasa, the singer. There's an album of My Brightest Diamond that I love completely - All Things Will Unwind. I listen a lot to Tom Waits. I love Radiohead. I love Mozart’s Requiem. So, it’s all different and very eclectic.
I don't really care about technique. I would never go to a concert and say, their technique was amazing, and be profoundly impressed by it. I have to feel something, a feeling that something important is going on and the person is taking a risk.
I played for the 12 Points Festival and a journalist told me: "Normally when a band is playing, after a few minutes, I can tell what their influences are. But with you, I could not." I thought that was a nice compliment!
What drew you to experimental music?
Jazz and experimental harp music weren’t something that really existed. I just decided that I was going to try it. So when I compose, when I play, I never think about what has been done before.
What I ask of the musicians I work with is to get beyond the frontiers we have in our minds. This is a quality I need from my musical partners, and it means I get to work with some very interesting people. You put the music in the middle, and nothing else matters. Then you can go much further than you think.
Can you say more about your relationship with the harp? You’ve said previously that you view yourself as a musician, but not necessarily as a harpist.
Yes, I said I'm a musician because for me, the harp is an instrument to play music. So the goal is music.
It's interesting. I had an interview the other day, and the interviewer kept on asking about this, and it made me realise that I never question the fact that I'm playing harp. I just play the harp. It's normal, but actually, nothing around me would make it normal to play the harp - not in the music I'm drawn to, not by knowing any harpists or having any musicians in my family.
So why the harp? I have no clue, but it feels very natural, it feels obvious. I can't explain it, it's just the way it is. For me, it’s the right instrument to play music.
How did you develop the electronic side of your playing?
It’s an extension of my instrument, and was also very natural for me. It started because everyone around me was playing with effects, and I wanted to do it too. I play an acoustic harp, which means it’s not easy to make this happen. Whatever, I thought. Let's do it. Let's try it.
I have a lot of technical help from friends and musicians who have helped me build a solution. For me, it's important because it means I can travel with my electric equipment, and play whatever concert harp is available. It makes travel much easier, and the reason I play music is that I love playing concerts and connecting with the audience. It’s what feeds me.
How did composing start for you?
I was co-leading a band with a singer. She composed most of the pieces at the beginning, but then I started to put together a few compositions.
My first experience composing for someone else - not for my own band - was for the Swiss radio. There was a contest to create a jingle. I had an idea for it, and thought, if someone does that, it’s going to be amazing. And a friend said, “Well, why don't you do it?”
I had 10 free days (which has never happened again!) and I didn’t really know how to do it, but decided to try. I was playing around with music on my computer, and recorded with my phone. It was underground in a way. And I won the contest, which I found unbelievable. I’m definitely someone who learns by doing.
I decided to do more composing, not just for my bands, and I took some classes in composing for film. And people started inviting me to compose. It’s something I really like and I’m happy developing the composing and performing side by side.
Composing is a state of mind, and I think that composing improves my performance, and performance improves my composing. I always have stories in my head that I want to tell through music.
How would you describe what you do?
I am a musician, I am a composer, and I’m also a producer. But before that, I'm a human being. I'm a mother. I am a citizen. That's also very important for me because it influences who and how I am as a musician.
What led you to the music you make today? What were your earliest experiences of music?
I don't remember when I started playing music. I was in an opera with my classmates when I was six or seven. And then I asked my parents to play the harp. I don't remember this, and they waited for me to go to the next idea. But I kept on asking about my harp. And, after a while, they realised I was serious about it.
I went to the conservatory in Geneva and had a very old-school, classical training. I was there from age eight to eighteen. I didn't fit in, but I kept on going. I don't know why. I liked the music, I liked the instruments, but not the universe I was in. It was complicated!
After I finished my Baccalauréat, I went travelling for two years. When I came back, I continued the harp with private lessons. My teacher started to give me the contracts she couldn't do, because I was at a good level and had been playing for a long time by this stage.
One of these gigs was with a big band, and that's how I discovered jazz. It was very sudden for me, like a click in my head. I said to myself, wow, I don't know what's happening here, but I like it. It's called jazz? Okay, I want to play jazz. Harp jazz is not a thing? Okay, let's try it and see what happens.
How did you navigate this transition?
I just jumped in. I had no clue about jazz. I was completely lost at the beginning, very deeply lost. I was unable to play at the beginning, even though I had a good level on my instrument, because I couldn’t read a jazz chart. And then I just immersed myself to discover everything I didn’t know.
I remember my first Latin jazz class at the AMR in Geneva. I knew nothing. I arrived, and they gave me the score, and I had no idea what it was. I was almost crying and feeling so profoundly lost.
And then I went to the bathroom and I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself: “Okay, I have a decision to make. Either I take my harp, go back home, and do something else with my life. It's fair enough. It's a good choice. There are plenty of things to do in life. Or I take my ego, and I put it in the toilet, and I go back, and I start from scratch.”
And I did it. After 12 years of playing, I was a beginner again. It wasn’t easy in the moment, but it gave me a lot of strength over time.
I took theory classes in jazz and I went back to conservatory, this time in Lyon. I started a band with a singer, so I also learned how to have a band, find concerts, earn money - I learned everything at the same time.
Who were your early influences?
It's always a difficult question for me. I never had this feeling that I want to make music like a particular artist. It was more, here is something I can learn from.
I listened a lot to Keith Jarrett’s Sun Bears Concerts album. It’s not an influence as much as a recognition of a mindset, though it's very far from what I do. I'm a big fan of Lhasa, the singer. There's an album of My Brightest Diamond that I love completely - All Things Will Unwind. I listen a lot to Tom Waits. I love Radiohead. I love Mozart’s Requiem. So, it’s all different and very eclectic.
I don't really care about technique. I would never go to a concert and say, their technique was amazing, and be profoundly impressed by it. I have to feel something, a feeling that something important is going on and the person is taking a risk.
I played for the 12 Points Festival and a journalist told me: "Normally when a band is playing, after a few minutes, I can tell what their influences are. But with you, I could not." I thought that was a nice compliment!
What drew you to experimental music?
Jazz and experimental harp music weren’t something that really existed. I just decided that I was going to try it. So when I compose, when I play, I never think about what has been done before.
What I ask of the musicians I work with is to get beyond the frontiers we have in our minds. This is a quality I need from my musical partners, and it means I get to work with some very interesting people. You put the music in the middle, and nothing else matters. Then you can go much further than you think.
Can you say more about your relationship with the harp? You’ve said previously that you view yourself as a musician, but not necessarily as a harpist.
Yes, I said I'm a musician because for me, the harp is an instrument to play music. So the goal is music.
It's interesting. I had an interview the other day, and the interviewer kept on asking about this, and it made me realise that I never question the fact that I'm playing harp. I just play the harp. It's normal, but actually, nothing around me would make it normal to play the harp - not in the music I'm drawn to, not by knowing any harpists or having any musicians in my family.
So why the harp? I have no clue, but it feels very natural, it feels obvious. I can't explain it, it's just the way it is. For me, it’s the right instrument to play music.
How did you develop the electronic side of your playing?
It’s an extension of my instrument, and was also very natural for me. It started because everyone around me was playing with effects, and I wanted to do it too. I play an acoustic harp, which means it’s not easy to make this happen. Whatever, I thought. Let's do it. Let's try it.
I have a lot of technical help from friends and musicians who have helped me build a solution. For me, it's important because it means I can travel with my electric equipment, and play whatever concert harp is available. It makes travel much easier, and the reason I play music is that I love playing concerts and connecting with the audience. It’s what feeds me.
How did composing start for you?
I was co-leading a band with a singer. She composed most of the pieces at the beginning, but then I started to put together a few compositions.
My first experience composing for someone else - not for my own band - was for the Swiss radio. There was a contest to create a jingle. I had an idea for it, and thought, if someone does that, it’s going to be amazing. And a friend said, “Well, why don't you do it?”
I had 10 free days (which has never happened again!) and I didn’t really know how to do it, but decided to try. I was playing around with music on my computer, and recorded with my phone. It was underground in a way. And I won the contest, which I found unbelievable. I’m definitely someone who learns by doing.
I decided to do more composing, not just for my bands, and I took some classes in composing for film. And people started inviting me to compose. It’s something I really like and I’m happy developing the composing and performing side by side.
Composing is a state of mind, and I think that composing improves my performance, and performance improves my composing. I always have stories in my head that I want to tell through music.
Your solo project "Unspoken" pays tribute to women and feminine strength. What motivated you to create this work?
The origin comes from motherhood. Becoming a mother made me feel the gender gap very deeply and the weight of our society placed on women. I say this from a position of privilege, and before motherhood, I thought I had been spared the gender gap.
I’ve always been active in politics - politics in a big sense of the world, in how we organise ourselves to live together. So it was very natural for me to look for some feminist thinking to listen to and read.
This gave me a lot of strength and inspiration, even though it was hard because when you go deep, you go very deep and there is no end to the deepness. But in this deepness, I found so much strength.
I wanted to be part of this movement and use my voice, my music. I wanted to be part of it and make it grow. So that’s how it came to life.
How do you choose which women's stories to tell?
I worked with a documentarian who gave me a list of hundreds of women around the world. There are so many amazing women. And it made me realise how it's a conscious choice of society to ignore half of humanity. I'm not saying it's a conscious choice of each person, but as a society, we are choosing to do it. We women are everywhere, in every corner, we are here, and we are not heard.
So it was an impossible choice, and I just followed the ideas. I hope it's the beginning of a series, but even so, my whole life would not be enough time to pay tribute to all the women I would like to.
Have there been particular challenges for you as a woman artist and composer?
I don't have a big #MeToo story to tell, and most of the time in the jazz field, you are surrounded by a lot of very well-intentioned people.
Of course, there are some very patriarchal things going on. Like comments where you’re told "It's very good" - with that unspoken "for a girl" hanging in the air. Of course, I have plenty of stories like that, but if I questioned it each time it happened, I would have to change my job, and I want to make it.
With the people I work with closely, I have to feel 100% safe. And with the others, I just wear a mask, like everyone does. Otherwise, you can’t move forward with your life.
Switzerland is a strong country for its citizens, but it’s not great for family life. Childcare is expensive, and most of the time, it’s not the man that stays at home. Even in this hugely privileged place, there is a gap in support. This is a societal issue, and I’m lucky to have my family around to support me. My partner is a musician and he’s really involved in our family life. So in the Olympic games of privilege, I am winning, but even so you feel the gap and know that it’s not fair for women.
In the music field, I have had good support. I had wanted to play at the North Sea Jazz Festival for years, and when the call came, it was for a gig ten days before my due date for my second child. I got straight back to him and said: “Okay, I’m ready to give birth in the Netherlands, but you may not be ready to have a concert cancelled at the last minute because the musician is giving birth on stage!” I felt insecure having to say this, and he told me not to worry, we would do the concert next year. And he kept his word. This behaviour is precious for a woman and a mother.
So, in general, I focus on what is great and what gives me energy. And I walk away from the bad experiences, to keep my energy for my projects, my life, my family. Otherwise, it takes too much time and energy to fight each time. So I decide to fight over the long term, by just keeping on going.
What advice would you pass on to young people embarking on a career in creative music?
Don't create for the algorithm. Of course, we have to be aware of the algorithm; it’s not something we can ignore anymore, but don’t make any compromises for it. Have your safe place for creation, and all the business things should never go inside this space. At no cost. Because if you lose that, there is nothing else left.
And what advice or support do you wish you'd received?
Ask for help. I didn't do it, and it almost cost me my mind. Luckily, I was with very wonderful people who supported me. So ask for help, but ask from the beginning and don't wait for the emergency.
Where do you see your artistic journey heading next? What ambitions do you have?
I don't really work with ambition. I work with ideas. Suddenly, I have this idea and I want to do that.
I am producing a solo album at the moment. That's already a big step for me. Being alone on a stage was a huge challenge for me, I had never pictured myself playing solo. I love to play with other people. It came with COVID and I was surprised to like it.
I love developing this solo work and having the quartet that I've been playing with for nine years now. It's amazing, really developing over that time with the same musicians, a privilege and a gift. So I want to continue all this. The solo work, having two bands and always having new projects on the side.
I also want to continue developing my composing for others: radio, theatre, movies… I love to dive into the universe of another project and create the music that works with it. Composing is more meditative and lonely work. So again, it’s very complementary with the performance side of my job.
Which female and non-binary composers and artists are you most excited about at the moment?
My highlight at the moment is listening to Anohni. Her voice touches me very deeply in my soul. I could say a lot of blah blah but everything comes back to that for me. She touches me profoundly.
www.juliecampiche.com
YouTube
Soundcloud
Facebook
Instagram
X
Image credits
The origin comes from motherhood. Becoming a mother made me feel the gender gap very deeply and the weight of our society placed on women. I say this from a position of privilege, and before motherhood, I thought I had been spared the gender gap.
I’ve always been active in politics - politics in a big sense of the world, in how we organise ourselves to live together. So it was very natural for me to look for some feminist thinking to listen to and read.
This gave me a lot of strength and inspiration, even though it was hard because when you go deep, you go very deep and there is no end to the deepness. But in this deepness, I found so much strength.
I wanted to be part of this movement and use my voice, my music. I wanted to be part of it and make it grow. So that’s how it came to life.
How do you choose which women's stories to tell?
I worked with a documentarian who gave me a list of hundreds of women around the world. There are so many amazing women. And it made me realise how it's a conscious choice of society to ignore half of humanity. I'm not saying it's a conscious choice of each person, but as a society, we are choosing to do it. We women are everywhere, in every corner, we are here, and we are not heard.
So it was an impossible choice, and I just followed the ideas. I hope it's the beginning of a series, but even so, my whole life would not be enough time to pay tribute to all the women I would like to.
Have there been particular challenges for you as a woman artist and composer?
I don't have a big #MeToo story to tell, and most of the time in the jazz field, you are surrounded by a lot of very well-intentioned people.
Of course, there are some very patriarchal things going on. Like comments where you’re told "It's very good" - with that unspoken "for a girl" hanging in the air. Of course, I have plenty of stories like that, but if I questioned it each time it happened, I would have to change my job, and I want to make it.
With the people I work with closely, I have to feel 100% safe. And with the others, I just wear a mask, like everyone does. Otherwise, you can’t move forward with your life.
Switzerland is a strong country for its citizens, but it’s not great for family life. Childcare is expensive, and most of the time, it’s not the man that stays at home. Even in this hugely privileged place, there is a gap in support. This is a societal issue, and I’m lucky to have my family around to support me. My partner is a musician and he’s really involved in our family life. So in the Olympic games of privilege, I am winning, but even so you feel the gap and know that it’s not fair for women.
In the music field, I have had good support. I had wanted to play at the North Sea Jazz Festival for years, and when the call came, it was for a gig ten days before my due date for my second child. I got straight back to him and said: “Okay, I’m ready to give birth in the Netherlands, but you may not be ready to have a concert cancelled at the last minute because the musician is giving birth on stage!” I felt insecure having to say this, and he told me not to worry, we would do the concert next year. And he kept his word. This behaviour is precious for a woman and a mother.
So, in general, I focus on what is great and what gives me energy. And I walk away from the bad experiences, to keep my energy for my projects, my life, my family. Otherwise, it takes too much time and energy to fight each time. So I decide to fight over the long term, by just keeping on going.
What advice would you pass on to young people embarking on a career in creative music?
Don't create for the algorithm. Of course, we have to be aware of the algorithm; it’s not something we can ignore anymore, but don’t make any compromises for it. Have your safe place for creation, and all the business things should never go inside this space. At no cost. Because if you lose that, there is nothing else left.
And what advice or support do you wish you'd received?
Ask for help. I didn't do it, and it almost cost me my mind. Luckily, I was with very wonderful people who supported me. So ask for help, but ask from the beginning and don't wait for the emergency.
Where do you see your artistic journey heading next? What ambitions do you have?
I don't really work with ambition. I work with ideas. Suddenly, I have this idea and I want to do that.
I am producing a solo album at the moment. That's already a big step for me. Being alone on a stage was a huge challenge for me, I had never pictured myself playing solo. I love to play with other people. It came with COVID and I was surprised to like it.
I love developing this solo work and having the quartet that I've been playing with for nine years now. It's amazing, really developing over that time with the same musicians, a privilege and a gift. So I want to continue all this. The solo work, having two bands and always having new projects on the side.
I also want to continue developing my composing for others: radio, theatre, movies… I love to dive into the universe of another project and create the music that works with it. Composing is more meditative and lonely work. So again, it’s very complementary with the performance side of my job.
Which female and non-binary composers and artists are you most excited about at the moment?
My highlight at the moment is listening to Anohni. Her voice touches me very deeply in my soul. I could say a lot of blah blah but everything comes back to that for me. She touches me profoundly.
www.juliecampiche.com
YouTube
Soundcloud
X
Image credits
- Lou Barthelemy
- Serge Heimlich
- Gerald Langer
- Serge Heimlich
- Jean-Henri Bertrand
- Gerald Langer
