Juliette Katz was in Hyderabad with Benjamin Benoliel on an invitation from Alliance Francaise for a live performance.
Says Juliette, “I was in school at Auroville and have fond memories of India. Later in France, I was not very good at studies and so I stopped my studies at the age of 17 and joined a music school.
I was playing the piano before I started expressing myself through vocal music. For me music means ‘rhythm’.
The grooves of a rhythm and the voice can sway you into a different world. Lyrics are important, but they come later. Of late, I have also started writing my songs.
“Earlier, I was really shy to show my writings to my collaborators. I teach music in France and have students from a varied age group. The music profession in France is as complicated and tough as it can be in any country, including India. With the advent of Internet, the concept of cutting compact discs has shrunk and everything is available at the drop of a hat. Now I am working on a music production, which also includes the rhythms of tabla and melody of the harmonium. The groove and rhythm would be French, but the Indian melody would become a part of it.”
Says Benjamin, “I met Juliette at one of the concerts. We introduced ourselves and understood that somewhere there were similarities in our approach to music. I sing and also play the guitar. Today there is a lot of electronic music that is taking over the music scene. Maybe it’s because of the speed of music or the ‘new feel’ that it’s giving to the youth. I find that it’s interesting to combine our songs with electronic music and we have started getting stage offers. It’s also possible that this form is becoming more popular since it is affordable when compared to a large band.”
— Writer is a musician, creator of ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer
