“I’m very good. I’m very happy to be here at Mulcahy’s. It’s my first time here, and I’m celebrating my birthday,” she said.
Joli shared that “Gonna Get Over You” is her personal favorite song to perform live. “I’ve always loved R&B, and I just love it. I enjoy the funky part of disco. It’s in my roots and what I loved all my life,” she explained. “I love performing all the songs because it takes me back when I had success and when people were buying my records. It brings me that great feeling every time.”
When asked if her voice has changed over the years, she said with a sweet laugh, “Sometimes, I tell my fans that if I had known that 40 years later I would sing these songs still, I would have toned it down just a bit. I’m still in the same key and I’m proud of that. It’s not as easy as it was but as long as I can still do it, why not.”
For Joli, a difference exists when she sings in the studio vs. performing live. “They are two different beasts. In the studio, you tend to get more technical, but you have to go into the lyrics and the music in the song to relay the message. In the live performance, you draw your energy from the fans, and I love performing. The fans give you love, and the more they give you love, the more energy you have and the more you want to give back. This exchange is absolutely one of the best gifts that I’ve ever had,” she said.
Her song “Come To Me” is played consistently on New York’s hit radio station 106.7 Lite FM. “I’m pretty amazed that 40 years later a lot of radio stations are still playing my music. I’m so grateful that people are playing that music and they are offering to a brand new generation. It’s pretty awesome,” she said.
Looking back over the last three or four decades, Joli sees a great deal of effort, love and compromise. One of her proudest moments was at the Yamaha Music Festival in 1985, where emerged as a big winner. “It was one of the biggest world festivals for music. Not only did I win for ‘Best Performance’ but I also won the ‘Grand Prix.’ That was the first time that one artist had two medals, and it made me feel proud,” she said.
Regarding the key to longevity in the music industry, Joli said, “Authenticity. Still working on your craft, and to be your best competitor.”
She noted that if she were not a musician, she would want to be a figure skater as her alternate career choice. She listed the late Barry White as her dream male duet choice.
Joli’s definition of success is as follows: “Success has nothing to do with my career. Success is having a good balance in your life, try to evolve as a person and try to stay away from the dysfunction. Become the best person you can be. If you take care of the person inside, then in all the other areas, you will be the best at what you can do.”
For more information on disco songstress France Joli, check out her Facebook page.
