Hastings singer offers "song about having hope again"

The single comes with a video made in collaboration with up-and-coming Hastings-based film-maker Scarlett Warrick.

Joëlle said: “I wrote the song more than six years ago. It has been on the back burner for a while but really it's about finding that light in yourself after some really dark times. It's about the little reminders of life. It's about nature; it's about feeling connected with yourself after a difficult time. It is about discovering the light in yourself, your potential. Sometimes life can go through unexpected things where you can begin to feel that you are lost. You don't know who you are any more and you lose that sense of self. You find yourself questioning everything. But the light is that glimpse of your true self and the feeling that it is coming back. For me it was about a relationship at the time. It was so many years ago. But it was something to do with not living my purpose and not finding myself but facing some challenges and needing to make some big decisions. That's what I was going through. Music was one way out but it was also about being brave enough to make the change and to rediscover who you are. And sometimes you need to be alone to rediscover that – which can be a bit scary. But it's a very hopeful song. It is a song about having hope again.”

As for the title: “One of the lyrics is ‘You can feel it inside your bones’ and I think that’s quite strong. The bones are as deep as you can get! This song's got an 80s or 90s guitar solo to it. It's quite progressive. It starts quite slowly. You can feel it's pop or maybe rock and also a bit experimental but it has got something quite nostalgic about it.

“The single took time to get together, maybe a year and a half. It was very important to me to make a video with it and that took a while as well but I've been working with a really great film-maker Scarlett. She is based in Hastings and she has got such a lovely eye and really connects with what she is shooting. We started collaborating on the video.”

At the moment Joëlle’s approach to music is single by single: “But there will be, I am pretty sure, an EP at some point and there will be a couple of remixes. There is a lot of potential.” Joëlle is also looking towards gigging more: “I have found an amazing guitarist and I collaborate with different musicians. We have started rehearsing and in the summer we're hoping to book some gigs and do some live shows. Gigging is important. As much as I love the studio experience, the live element is where you really connect with people and the songs take on a different persona altogether and a physical form. It's like putting a bottle out to sea!”

And it all comes at a good time to be in Hastings: “Hastings is good for music especially the last few years. After lockdown happened, the town has gone through quite a change. There are a lot of musicians and artists around. You walk into a pub and find the most amazing jazz musicians there just jamming between tours.”