Girl Boss JoBee Project wears many hats, she’s a singer, composer and activist. Just recently the Belgian-based artist released a magical album dubbed ‘The Blossoming.’
JoBee creates space within her music, with her sultry vocals and stamp your feet productions. The bilingual artist sings in English and in Polish, her motherland. Oozing with delicious urban electro beats, JoBee has made her mark in the music industry standing tall, and out loud.
We sit down with JoBee and chat about what her album ‘The Blossoming’ is about, how she fuses genres and why it’s important to empower women.
You just released your album, can you tell us what it is about?
‘The Blossoming’ evokes several ideas: a new chapter in life, an elevation, moving forward, spring, flowers, colours, novelty and diversity. It is an invitation to join my musical universe and to fly away, to disconnect from reality and travel into JoBee Project universe, dynamic, multifaceted, uplifting, and energetic! The album is the antithesis of “The Falling,” my previous album. I wrote‘The Falling’ after an accident that blocked me in bed for six months. I have learned many life lessons and got up, literally and metaphorically speaking. It’s also the result of great meetings and trips with producers from New York, Paris, Brussels, Orleans, Wroclaw, Warsaw, Dublin, Ghent… I took my time to finalise it and it has many various influences, but I like to call it electro ‘experimental progressive album. In Poland, it sits in the “alternative” department of music stores.
You seem to be able to mix genres flawlessly, how do you do this?
I simply follow my heart and the calling from the inside following my intuition and inner energy that drives my artistic process. It stems from my mixed music experiences, as well as inspirations, ranging from punk, grunge, rock, alternative electronica, to hip-hop, soul, jazz and pop. I love diversity, it is crucial to me!
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
If I could collaborate with anyone! Wow! That would be epic! The list is countless, but if I had to choose one living artist today that would be Flying Lotus! Yes! We met for the first time in LA in 2008, and I remember playing his tunes on the radio in Belgium when he was still unknown at that time, blew up very rapidly! Then we had a chance to hang out in Rotterdam with him and my SupAfly crew in 2009- fly times. I wonder if he still remembers me! Yes! I got his number, gonna call right away!
You’re involved in many projects, how do you keep up with them all?
Prioritise! Stay focused, and very well organised! Being in communications and PR expert helps, sticking to deadlines, deliver on time, be responsive and responsible at the same time. It is surely not easy, and very often overwhelming to coordinate many projects at same time, therefore I try to shift and plan wisely, in order to be able to deliver in a timely manner. Deadlines are best to keep me going! I am most productive then!
You also started SupAfly Collective, can you tell us about it?
We are the seven hip-hop minded female artist! Supafly seven- the match made in heaven! It was the beautiful summer of 2009 when I met Jeanette Petri, the editor in chief of Anattitude Magazine (the first and only existing international Hip Hop magazine on print, to present the female side of hip-hop culture), she was about to finish the 3rd issue of her magazine.
We decided to throw a big release event in Brussels! We wanted to bring together a team of creative and motivated ladies with a heart for hip-hop, exactly in the spirit of Anattitude. They arranged a meeting in Ghent together with 5 others: urban photographer Lizairo, CYMO-blogger & music manager Nadia-O, singer/DJ Fatoosan, music manager Vaneeshua and musician/DJ MikiGold.
It was instantly clear that they were on the same page when it came to the rich culture of hip-hop. Their first event took place in October 2009 at Tavernier in Brussels and was a huge success. That’s when SupAfly Collective was born as a collective and started a long-lasting and inspiring journey. In 2010 we got a weekly live radio show on BRUZZ, the capital’s largest radio station. I have been a radio host already since 2008, so I went from Implosief to Supafly radio show!
Empowering women is also one of your passions, can you tell us what we can do to support women in the music industry?
Put women in the front! In the music industry, it is still the case that majority of events is purely male, I am very often the only female in the line-up at urban events! Highlighting the presence of women in the music business, statistically, in the music industry, women are still underrepresented and I find it important to support women and promote women! Empowered women should empower other women!
What are your next projects?
Future looks very bright! I am currently working on several collaborations with both female and male rappers, as well as on my on EP with a Belgian producer!
You are about to hear more about JoBee in near future! New videos coming up as well, I am working with an amazing creative film director from Poland. Also, concerts and hopefully a new tour in spring! Stay tuned fly bees.
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