
Bianca James debuts with «Monaco», evoking the sensation of driving a speedy vintage car along a sun-drenched, coastal Mediterranean roadway.
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Bianca James of Toronto creates a classic mood with her debut song, «Monaco»
She makes a bold statement with a slice of delicious retro pop. Lifted from her self-titled debut album out summer 2023, the vividly detailed, R&B-fuelled ditty dives into Bianca’s adventurous spirit ignited by her own travels.
On the release, Bianca explains: «’Monaco’ is the artistic embodiment of wanting more. It’s a fantasy about escaping the greyness of daily life, throwing your high heels in a suitcase and flying somewhere glamorous where you can be a wilder version of yourself».
«Monaco» is a high-energy blast that captures Bianca’s daring ideas, with references to Bond films and Hollywood screen star Grace Kelly. It was produced by JUNO Award-nominated & Platinum certified producer Thomas McKay, Michael Bublé’s former musical director Gene Hardy on saxophone, and it was inspired by 60s group The Ventures.
Bianca has always used music as a tool to turn heartache and pain into power and liberation. Although there is a message of triumphing and finding hope on the other side, I don’t believe I composed songs about empowerment with that in mind. Although she frequently draws on personal experience when writing songs, she says, «My mission is to inspire others to live their life, and their dreams, to the fullest. That’s an undercurrent in all my songs».
Bianca James glamorised the wild, free lifestyle of the Italian and French Rivieras as well as the swinging rock ‘n’ roll scene of 1960s London while growing up in Montreal with her Italian father and mother of UK heritage. She continues, «She was always singing, honing her voice by singing along to the old records that were playing on the family turntable». «I imagined moving to London, taking the car to Paris or the south of France, and performing at gigs with a fantastic backing band. That’s the vision that gave birth to this record».
The most appropriate word to use to describe Bianca’s current interpretation of a really timeless, worldwide sound is timeless. This sound, which incorporates Motown, Soul, and contemporary pop components, is inspired by American and British styles from the 1960s. «I didn’t give a damn about fashion or what people were doing. I tried to make my writing sound authentic and earthy when I wrote it».
The vocalist has created a universe of traditional sounds, and ‘Monaco’ is just the first taste of what’s to come.