PARIS: For more than 20 years, Norah Jones has been the soundtrack to millions of people’s lives, including some of their most intimate moments.
“Giving birth to my music, getting married to my music, having sex to my music – I’ve heard them all and I love them all,” she told AFP during a visit to Paris this week.
“One of my friends said ‘Sunrise’ used to be his wake-up song, though, and I’m not sure I’m happy about being an alarm clock,” she added, laughing.
Jones has been a fixture in people’s homes ever since her 2002 debut, ‘Come Away With Me’, which sold close to 30 million copies around the world and won her an armful of Grammy Awards.
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Now 44, she has settled into a groove with her music making that sounds as relaxing as her ballads.
Her eighth album, ‘Visions’, released last week, was the result of occasional sessions with multi-instrumentalist and producer Leon Michels.
“Neither of us had a huge plan and we didn’t work very much – once a week for a few hours while our kids were at school,” said Jones.
“It was very chill. That’s why it took so long – a year and a half!”
Jones has often broken out of the dinner party jazz with which she was associated at the start – working with rockers like Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) or rappers Q-Tip and Outkast.
‘Visions’ sees her dip into Western-tinged country music, retro soul and some light touches of psychedelic rock, along with the familiar piano ballads.
“This is a fun record,” said Jones. “We had an actual blast playing music together and I think you can hear it in the recordings.”
‘Freaked me out’
She takes a similarly laid-back approach when it comes to listening to music.
“I had to give up streaming because my kids took it over and now it’s all songs about poop,” she said, laughing.
“I rarely listen to stuff that was a huge influence on me when I was starting. I have a record player and a bunch of vinyl but I’m too lazy to put it on, which is insane.
“Lately, I’ve found myself listening to pop radio. I haven’t done that since I was 10 because then I got into jazz and was totally on a different path. I really enjoy it. Billie Eilish is pretty awesome.”
She remains cagey about unpacking her lyrics.
“Sometimes it’s my journal, sometimes it’s not. It’s whatever pops in my head.
“And then you go back and refine it. If you cringe at a lyric you have to fix it. But if it feels honest – even if it’s a cliche – you have to leave it.”
If Jones sounds even more chilled-out than expected, it is hard-earned.
The turning point, she says, was working with hip-hop and rock producer Danger Mouse on 2012’s ‘Little Broken Hearts’.
“It was the first time I had gone into the studio with no songs prepared and that freaked me out,” she recalled.
“But we became so comfortable with each other. And he taught me to see that it’s ok, it’s not brain surgery. The songs will come when they want to come.
“I feel less worried about it all since then.”
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