Joan Thiele
Joan Thiele is a young Italian singer and songwriter who doesn’t like certain definitions, because music "is increasingly contaminated and indefinable, and it’s fundamental to see it as a blank canvas, not to have limits”. A mixture of Colombian and Swiss origins, Joan sings in English and lives a little in London and a little in Milan. A fascinating harmony of cultures that finds expression in her album ‘Tango’ and in her style. Try not to be charmed by her.
The South American roots are evident in the features of your face, in the atmosphere of your music and in the lyrics you write. What else did you inherit from Colombia?
Colombia is an important part of my life, because it’s where my family is and it gives me a great sense of freedom and rhythm: I want to dance whenever I pass the ocean.
You also stood out thanks to the cover of Drake's ‘Hotline Bling’. Do hip-hop culture and music affect you?
I grew up with Spice Girls, J.Lo, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and then rediscovered the folkloric rhythm and dance of cumbia. I think it's fundamental to listen to anything. Later on, hip-hop influenced me particularly, starting with Lauryn Hill, up to Anderson Paak. That being said, the more I listen to music, the more I realize that it's difficult to talk about musical genres today, I don't like to give a name to music. It’s increasingly contaminated and indefinable, and it's essential to see it as a blank canvas, not to have limits.
The more I listen to music, the more I realize that it's difficult to talk about musical genres today, I don't like to give a name to music. It’s increasingly contaminated and indefinable, and it's essential to see it as a blank canvas, not to have limits.
In an interview, you defined fashion as the ‘pursuit of beauty’. Do you have any beauty icons?
The pursuit of one's own style through fashion is, in a sense, a pursuit of beauty. When I think of beauty in music, I see the uniqueness of Italian singer Mina.
You started spreading your music through Youtube. Now, your Instagram profile has more than 70K followers. What’s your relationship with social networks?
I have a strange relationship, hate-love. I avoid the addiction, and I try to use social networks in the best way, to promote my concerts and my new releases. However, it's a fundamental mean, also very powerful for communicating who we are.
Do you like to mix these two souls of yours, European and South American, even in fashion?
I absolutely love to mix my origins through my clothes, like wearing a poncho with 70's red boots.
Describe the ideal outfit for treading the stage.
The stage represents my feelings, so I must always feel at ease with what I wear. I'm a lover of men's suits.
If you had to choose a country to live now, which would it be?
I'd like to go to Colombia for a while, I'd live on a tropical beach if I could. In the meantime, living in Milan and London is not so bad.
You travel a lot. What can never be missing from Joan’s suitcase?
In my suitcase, definitely all of my clothes I can’t forget and then my computers, headphones and keyboard to produce music. This is definitely the essential.
Do the judgments of your fan base affect your musical choices?
It's important to be faithful with one's own artistic line, and this doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t change over time, rather it’s a natural part of a musical development. It’s essential to be sincere, the people who listen to you immediately understand whether what you do is felt or not. People's judgments are obviously important, but they don't have to be decisive, because you can't please everyone. There will always be someone who won't appreciate your work, and at that point if you're honest with what you create, you shouldn't let the bad condition you.
Are you self-confident?
I’m learning to love myself, music is the protagonist in this process, it helps me to understand others and understand myself. In a sense, it gives me security every day.