New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Thaïs Teams Up with Lucill on Breezy and Coquettish “Si j’ètais toi”

Rising Paris-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay Thaïs specializes in an atmospheric and delicate take on pop centered around the French Canadian artist’s ethereal vocals. Thematically her work focuses on melancholy, loneliness and dysfunctional, confusing, heartbreaking love. 

Last year was an enormous year for the rising Paris-born, Montréal-based artist. She signed with Bravo Musique, who released her highly anticipated full-length debut, Tout est parfait, which featured three singles I wrote about on this site:

• “Arrête de danser,” a slickly produced bop centered around glistening and atmospheric synth arpeggios and trap beats that saw the rising French Canadian artist alternating between a syncopated trap-like flow for the song’s verses and ethereal cooing for the song’s hook and choruses. And while arguably being one of her most club friendly songs, “Arrête de danser” is a bitter tell-off to an unhealthy, dysfunctional lover that the song’s narrator knows deep down is wrong for her — and yet can’t quite quit.  
• The Cœur de Pirate co-written, Renaud Bastien-produced “Vieux Port,” a danceable and deceptively upbeat bop featuring wobbling bass synth, glistening and arpeggiated synth melodies, twinkling keys, some brief bursts of industrial clang and clatter and soaring strings paired with Thaïs ethereal cooing. But just underneath the surface is a song that details a relationship that’s seemingly on the ropes while contemplating the passing of time and the desire to turn the clock back — with the knowledge you have now. 
• “Le vent,” a breezy pop song but around twinkling and atmospheric synth arpeggios and skittering trap-like beats paired with Thaïs ethereal cooing. The song structurally was written to evoke a gust of wind for its verses and a brewing storm for it choruses. But at its core, “Le vent,” continued a remarkable run of material imbued with a bittersweet ache over a long lost love that deep down she knows she’ll never get back.

Thaïs also played a high-energy opening set at last year’s M for Montréal‘s Believe Presents Meet and Bowl at Darling Bowling Showcase that proved to me that she’s a superstar in the marking.

The rising Montréal-based JOVM mainstay’s latest single is a collaboration with Chibogamau, Quebec-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and musical Raphaël Bussièrs, best known as Lucill. Bussièrs can trace the origins of his musical career to his childhood: The young Chibogamau-born artist assiduously taught himself bass. After spending a period of several years as a touring and session musician with a number of acts around the world, Bussièrs decided it was time to step out into the spotlight as a solo artist. With Lucill, the French-Canadian artist specializes in a sound that features elements of indie rock, indie pop and folk paired with a straightforward approach.

Bussièr’s 2018 self-titled debut EP won the Indie Rock EP of the Year Award at 2019’s GAMIQ Gala. Building upon a growing profile across the province, the French-Canadian artist followed up with his full-length debut, 2020’s Bunny, which was released to rapturous critical praise and his sophomore effort, last year’s Snake Eyes.

“Si j’étais toi,” the Montréal-based artists’ collaboration together is an ethereal pop confection and a remarkably seamless meeting of musical minds built around shimmering and atmospheric synths, twinkling keys, the duo’s ethereal and yearning cooing, a relentless motorik groove and their unerring knack for a catchy hook. The song’s narrators express a desire for each other but they don’t quite know how to proceed with that knowledge — or if it’ll be successful. And as a result, the song is rooted in a coquettish yet frustrating push and pull.