Chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot is a lot like her hometown of Paris: French at heart, but with a soul that’s truly international. Her multi-ethnic French / Chinese / American upbringing colors the songs on her debut album. It’s called Le Chemin, “The Path,” and for good reason: Jessica takes the listener on a twisting journey out of the French chanson tradition, into the lands of gypsy jazz, Chinese and Latin American folk music, through the classic American repertoire, and off into the wilderness of her imagination.
Born in the U.S. to a French father and a Chinese mother, Jessica was raised in France in a multicultural environment. A youth spent playing music in Parisian coffeehouses and concert halls led her first to graduate from the School of Audio Engineering in Paris and then from Berklee College of Music in Boston. School was followed by a stint writing children’s music for educational programs - her work includes over a hundred songs published in over a dozen countries - and later, for television. When Jessica moved to Los Angeles, CA, she began writing and recording the songs that would eventually form the backbone of her new album.
The album’s center lies with her sophisticated writing and arrangements, her pure, beautiful vocal work - sung mostly in French, along with some Chinese, Spanish and English - and her piano and accordion playing. She also enlisted over 20 musicians to give each of her songs just the right mood...sometimes intimate, sometimes epic.
Following the success of her first release, Jessica Fichot has brought her songs to audiences in France, China, Canada, Mexico and across the U.S, performing on vocals, accordion and toy piano and backed by an amazing quartet of clarinet/sax/flute, upright bass, guitar, and drums. This is only the beginning of her travels, as she is preparing a new album and even more touring in 2010.
Short Bio: Chanteuse/songwriter Jessica Fichot draws from her French/Chinese/American heritage and her youth in Paris to create a delicious blend of French chanson, gypsy jazz and international folk. Following the acclaimed release of her debut album “Le Chemin”, she has performed packed venues in China, France, Mexico, Canada and across the U.S. – backed by her fiery band, and armed with her accordion, toy piano and multilingual vocals. “Delightful.” – L.A. Weekly