Even without any proper knowledge of how to play the bass, the love Grichu had for music pushed her to start her first band, she never gave up on becoming one of the best as she strived to make long-lasting sounds that can be enjoyed across, regardless of the language barrier.
Talk of music that can be enjoyed by everybody, I would like to introduce you to the latest single by Grichu Ma Ma. After being in several bands Grichu decided to try EDM on her own, with only her laptop as a music partner
Everything you hear in Ma Ma was by her, the sound, instruments, and production, she did everything from start to finish.
Before I could say jack, I found myself dancing to Ma Ma by Grichu, honestly writing this review was quite tough, I could not stop myself from dancing, and this is the type of music the multitalented artist Grichu aims to produce. Songs that sweep you off your feet before you realize it.
Growing up in an artistic family really had a huge influence on her and the type of music she likes to produce.
In a recent interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh, Grichu shared how her growing process was, she said;
“I learnt how to sing in karaokes. Then I created my first band, barely knowing how to play 2 notes on the bass, but it didn’t matter cause we were all beginners. That’s how I learnt. I’ve always learned by doing”
She went on to say;
“Took me a couple of years to master my production software, and now I am moving towards deepening other topics of interest, like sound design and bass groove.”
More of this was shared in the interview, she also touched on some of the challenges in the music industry amongst other things.
Get the full story below while you enjoy Ma Ma
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What is your stage name
Grichu
Is there a story behind your stage name?
Yes! It actually comes from my hair. When I was little, my hair was curly and frizzy. In French we call this “Grichou” hair.
Where do you find inspiration?
Most of my lyrical inspiration for this upcoming short album comes from the news. As for the music, inspiration comes from the tracks I like and play in clubs. I spend well around 15 h/week researching new music and the very best remix for each track, and my goal as a Dj is always to find the danciest catchiest material to play on the dancefloor.
After a few years of doing this, the songs have created an inprint in my head, and when I write, I catch myself using some elements reminiscent of the songs I play: a slurred vocal here, just like Philippe Katerine. A little rap there, in the style of Kah-Lo. A tape stop effect, just like in that Kid Goodman’s remix that I like. I often realize well after the song has been written, how much of an influence the tracks in my repertoire have on my writing.
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
My parents were very big on music. My dad always played songs that got me emotionally. So very early on, I got an understanding of the power of music on my mood, and later realized that the ones that hit me the hardest were hits, most of the time. Songs that hit you, they hit everybody else’s feelings too. That’s how they become “hits”: they are songs that people wanna hear over and over again cause it brings up a certain emotion in them.
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
My mum loved to sing, we used to sing together all the time, as early as when I was 3 years old. On my mother’s side, pretty much all of my cousins play some kind of instrument as a hobby. On my dad’s side, I have 4 cousins, and 3 of them studied the conservatory, and are now playing in an orchestra: Dillon and Talia Hatcher, and Antonin Cuerrier. Dillon married another musician: Sarah Arsenault, she writes music for a very famous children’s show in Quebec, called Passe-Partout. So yes, it runs in the family.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
Originally it was Patti Smith. I fell in love with her deep dark voice, her rebel attitude, and one very specific song, her cover of Gloria. It was that song that made me to want to sing in front of people.
How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
I learnt how to sing in karaokes. Then I created my first band, barely knowing how to play 2 notes on the bass, but it didn’t matter cause we were all beginners. That’s how I learnt. I’ve always learned by doing. A couple of Youtube tutorials, and there you go! You are a Youtube PHD!
she I’m grateful for online classes like EDMTips, DMP (Dance Music Production), Warp Academy, Zen World, and so many more! I’m also grateful I’ve had access to feedback from my peers that helped me improve my songs tremendously.
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
I don’t remember the first one to be honest! But the most memorable so far was Dj Tizi! I saw her this February at Montreal en Lumières and she was absolutely crushing it! Her remix of Edith Piaf’s La Foule just absolutely blew my mind! I’ve been watching most shows online now, my favorite being Miss Shelton’s Twitch livestream. She’s constantly on the lookout for new bangers to spin and share, and I love her style!
How could you describe your music?
My songs are always a mix of genres. Ma Ma is somewhat of a Italo-House song with French lyrics. Two of my upcoming songs will be in the Grunge-Dance style. And the last one is a cheeky little one, driving and dancy, almost synth wavey, but definitely uplifting and bouncy. It’s actually the bounciest of them all, but I can’t quite put a genre on it. I guess you’ll be in for a surprise this summer!
Describe your creative process.
I take one hour each day to fiddle with the piano and mic, with the goal of finding catchy motifs. Most days it’s just crap and I move on to other tasks but when I find something I like, I spend the whole day beefing up the idea. I come back the next day to see if I still like it. Usually I don’t. But if I do, that song’s got something.
I then make a rough arrangement, write the vocals, record, re-write the vocals, re-record, polish up the track for a few months, then send it out to mixing and mastering. Approximately one song out of 60 will make it to completion.
I don’t see the point of releasing a song I’m not 100% excited about. Strangely, a lot of the inspiration for the track will come to me when I’m about to take a nap, or in the shower. I quickly hum the part in my iPhone not to forget it, then integrate it to the track. It comes to me when my head is empty.
I always feel as though someone is whispering the song to me, I just have to take notes of what is playing in my head to catch it before it vanishes.
What is your main inspiration?
Currently I’d say club songs. This is very deliberate, cause making dance tracks doesn’t come 100% naturally to me yet. I come from an alternative/indie background, so I’ve had to study the dance part. I definitely think the indie/alt influence gives my tracks a crunchier texture than just regular dance tracks. I think that the mix of both genres is fun to listen to, and fun to make.
What musician do you admire most and why?
Dj Dark. He makes excellent remixes, and outputs a lot of songs per year. He has excellent musical taste: I’m absolutely hooked to his weekly podcast featuring his weekly discoveries.
I always find gems there for my own sets! I admire a lot of other Dj remixers, I follow about 75 of them on YouTube to be notified when they put stuff out, and the reason I love them so much is that their releases are pretty consistent: most of the time, they just make good songs.
For me, of all musicians, Dj producers that make remixes, those are my heroes. They can turn pretty much any track into a dance floor banger, like magic! That’s the kind of superpower I wanna acquire!
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
Absolutely! I used to write more indie stuff. Being a Dj was an absolute game-changer for me! I had noticed a long time ago that most of the tracks I liked came from Djs, but didn’t know why. Until I became one. Being a Dj, most of what you’re asked to play is dance songs. People will hire you for this 99.5% of the time.
This means you spend all your free time listening to dance tracks, and all your gigs playing dance tracks as well. Your brain works in the background to decipher the recipe and eventually you become able to cook it yourself.
Unless you’re completely immersed in it it’s more difficult to get the recipe right. It’s like learning Spanish in a class vs going to Mexico for 4 months. You learn way faster in Mexico.
Who do you see as your main competitor?
AI, lol! But not in the style that I’m making, at least not for now. As for real human beings, if I hear someone making music in the same style as I am, I’ll make damn sure I treat them as allies, not enemies, and invite them to collaborate on one of my releases!
What are your interests outside of music?
Friends and family. Growth in all areas of my life. Health & fitness.
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
Nothing lights me up as much as music. I’d just be doing the same thing while working at 3 other jobs for substance. But I’ve been fortunate enough to meet an amazing Dj booker that finds me killer gigs, allowing me to make a living out of playing music. That’s François Lemoine from DJMTL, he’s in charge of all my bookings.
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Staying the course and being focus. Giving up security. I’ve given myself this year to go all out, which means I’m taking in less paid gigs, so that I can focus on doubling down on my producer abilities.
There is always a temptation to trade my time for money, but work is not going anywhere, there will always be work, so I can say no to one opportunity and there will be something similar next month if I need it.
The way I see it, I gotta focus on growing my producer abilities, because this is the best thing I have to offer to people: writing dancy uplifting music that makes people happy.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
I would shift the money balance in favour of the artists vs what we have right now, which is that the record labels and digital music providers are making 89% of the money, leaving only 11% to artists. This is why I have yet to meet more than 5 musicians that actually make a living out of music.
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
I was looking for something that wouldn’t sound too cliché, nor too kitch, honestly I thought of calling this original “Maman”, but I was afraid it would make the song look like a ballad, so I went for Ma Ma that sounded just right, bouncy, short, and fun.
What are your plans for the coming months?
I’ll be de-constructing some of my favorite remixes to learn from them. After that, my goal is to write 2 remixes per month for one year. Always a mix of genres, always dancy. Remixes take me less time to make than originals, so I can learn from them faster than when I work on originals.
The goal is to get faster at producing music. When I’m satisfied with my updated production speed, I’ll get back to making originals.
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
I want to collaborate with fellow Dj Producers in the club-dance genre for my remixes. This collaboration will cut production time even further (cause there will be two of us writing the song), allowing me to output more songs per year.
What message would you like to give to your fans?
Thank you for listening! Just keep on dancing! A full Ep is coming soon! Stay tuned!
