Picture: Jude Todd’s Instagram
Somewhere between the nostalgic sounds of britpop and the warmth of modern Indie lies the musical world of Jude Todd. The rising indie-pop singer-songwriter has been building a sound of his own, bringing a fresh perspective to a sound that feels both familiar and entirely unique to him.
With releases such as his latest single ‘Old Toyota’, Todd has continued to develop his musical identity, and explore different sides of his music, with each release offering something new to discover. Having explored different approaches to songwriting and production, his discography brings together a mixture of sounds and influences, making for a catalogue that moves comfortably between different genres and styles. We caught up with the Franco-British artist to discuss his musical journey, creative inspirations, and what’s to come next from him.
If someone had never heard your music before, how would you describe your current sound?
I’d like to think my music gives out end of summer evenings on the beach vibes, with a smell of sun cream and the taste of melting gelato. I want my music to make people feel good, and feel like they’re living in the moment and not overthinking about stuff. I’m a big fan of Rex orange county, Mac deMarco, Daniel Caesar, Beabadoobee, surfaces and more so I hope my music can be seen as a similar vibe .
Are there any impactful musical influences on your music that people wouldn’t expect?
I love mixing different genres in my music like using Lofi keyboards and drums, 80’s synths, saturated basses but also folk guitars and sometimes grunge electric guitars, I honestly like testing stuff !
Are there any music genres or sounds you're keen to try out, but haven't tried out yet?
Nothing really comes to mind, I just like fiddling around with all the different possibilities I have in my DAW and my plugins! I usually don’t think too much and go with the flow !
Can you tell us a bit more about your latest single, 'Old Toyota'?
Yeah! Old Toyota is about the importance of being optimistic, of loving yourself, not overthinking too much and just enjoying life.
I describe a simple love story about 2 people who have basically just met and one of the protagonists wants to reassure the other person that things will go well and that they should enjoy the moment and see where it leads them. It’s pretty catchy (I hope cos that’s what I aim at with my songs) with an old school chord pattern throughout.
What usually begins your songwriting process, do you more often begin with lyrics, melodies, beats or ideas?
I don’t really have a typical process : when my music was more acoustic I’d just strum the guitar, hum a melody and if I liked it I’d try and write lyrics. Now that my music is a little more produced and upbeat with filtered and altered sounds, I usually open up my DAW, find a beat and bpm that inspires me and just mess around with keyboard chords or a bass line that can then inspire me for the rest or not.
Looking back, what do you remember most about the songwriting process of your EP Life on the Riviera? Would you say your writing process has changed since then?
Making and producing Life on the Riviera was so much fun! We spent a lot of time with my 2 best friends and musicians in our little home made studio just having fun on looking for sounds etc. I made the demos by myself so my friends (who are better all round musicians then me) could make it all sound better! So we reworked everything in the studio, adding stuff in and just having fun together. The EP actually got us to sign with a big digital distributor which got us on big DSP playlists and gave our music some exposure!
You are Franco-British, does this impact your songs in any way? I read you live on the French Riviera, which part of it inspires you the most when writing?
My British side totally has an impact on my songs: I’ve always only listened to UK / US music that my dad got me hooked on (oasis, the verve, the who, Coldplay, bob Dylan…) and those where and are the artists that still inspires me. My French Riviera side probably gives me those upbeat, optimistic and summery vibes though.
What can fans look forward to coming from you?
Loads of new music is being made as we speak and I feel like my music is taking another direction, it’s a little bit more mature in the different topics I talk about, maybe a little darker sound wise without being sad as the songs are still upbeat. I’m testing out new sounds and ideas and I can’t wait to share them out there!
What do you hope fans take away from your music, is there a certain way you hope they feel?
I’d like fans to feel good, relaxed, cosy and maybe a little nostalgic but in a good way when they hear my music. A little like how I feel when I’m making the songs and performing them.
Is there a standout reaction you've had from an audience when performing live?
I’ve played loads of cool shows but I think the craziest moment was opening for Livingston at the Bataclan which is a famous French venue and about 1000 people sang the chorus of my new song that was about my girlfriend who actually was in the room.
Does a song ever change for you once you've played it live?
Yeah, sometimes when we play the song live we give it a different texture, a different bpm, make the song structure longer, slightly change a melody…
If you could only listen to three albums for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Only 3 albums is so unfair but I’m gonna go for the albums that made me wanna do music when I was a teen:
Arctic monkeys : Whatever people say I am that’s what I’m not : the lyrics of each song are sooo so good and the more I listen to the songs of the album the more I admire Alex Turner’s writing.
Maroon 5 : « Songs about Jane » : this album was such a sound track to my life when I was around 12 years old, my dad used to play it all the time in the car and every song was such a vibe.
The Kooks : « Inside In, Inside Out » : saw the kooks for the first time ever 1 year ago and they played all the songs off the album and it took me back to when I tried to learn their songs when I started out on the guitar
