Exclusive Interview with BAAJ & BAAJ

BAAJ & BAAJ is a musician, singer-songwriter, and frequently more who have been heavily influenced by the brit pop and new wave music of the 1980s. Modern beats and new wave music are blended in creations and covers, where sweetness dances with in-depth reflections on our cruel and fleeting world. He is a talented musician who can play several instruments. He was born into a family of jazz musicians, and his first piano instructor dubbed him “the little Mozart.”

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

BAAJ & BAAJ: Sure! I come from France, and I live in Cognac. Baaj & Baaj is my solo project for two years that is very exciting and new for me.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

BAAJ & BAAJ: I’m a musician since 1980 but I made my first band in 1988. I learned music with professional teachers at the beginning of my life. Then I decided to learn the bass guitar alone. It allows me to understand different type of musicians.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘BAAJ & BAAJ’?

BAAJ & BAAJ: When I was 3 I heard on the radio the song Hey Jude by The Beatles and I found it marvelous. Later I discoverd the 80’s british New Wave (The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode…) and I loved it. Baaj is the way my friends called me when I was young. As I record every instrument on my soundtracks then I play the piano and I sing over it, so I’m multiple. I’m Baaj and Baaj. Laugh.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

BAAJ & BAAJ: I try to create songs that make the listener feel good or be melancolic. I have a mission : give back all the joy I received when I listened to the artists I like.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?

BAAJ & BAAJ:

Meanwhile I love a lot of music styles, the one that resonates most in me is pop music.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

BAAJ & BAAJ:

I think that helping people to see the world as it is should be the main goal for artists. We have responsibilities. It does not mean we must be boring! Laugh.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

BAAJ & BAAJ:

For now I’m just a beginner in music marketing. I hope I could find enough fans to make a living from my music, not to become Michael Jackson. Laugh.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

BAAJ & BAAJ:

I always create the music first and more precisely the harmony. I use a piano for that. Then I sing a melody, finally I write the words. In this project I’m singer, songwriter, producer, musical technician, seller etc….

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

BAAJ & BAAJ: Loosing people you love or being very ill is the only things we should complain for. Other states permit you to create again.

10. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

BAAJ & BAAJ: in life you can’t please everyone. Ourself we don’t. As I say in my song “Hate the Haters?” : “No Will to Hate the Haters, Prefere Vigor and Healers”