Mélanie Dahan is a French vocalist who balances the art of chanson with a modern vocal jazz aesthetic. She will be at Ronnie Scott’s on Valentine’s Day 2024
She has performed worldwide and collaborated with musicians including Giovanni Mirabassi, Baptiste Trotignon and Manuel Rocheman. Her four recordings have seen her cover French contemporary poets, as well as chanson-style jazz repertoire. She lives in Paris with her children, aged eight and two.
UKJazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling motherhood and career?
Mélanie Dahan: I’ve never really received any advice, but I quickly understood that being a mother brought me great happiness, great love, smiles, laughing, a strong, unique and very special thing. And therefore, parenthood gave me the strength to follow my career, my desires and my dreams. Time needs to be adjusted differently but everything is possible.
UKJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?
MD: The method to sleep a whole night, without having my 2-year old girl still waking me up!
We are not taught to become a mother: I’m still in the process of being a mother, instinctively.
And I think I am not the best mother to say “no” with firmness. Yet, firmness reassures the children.
UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other mothers in jazz:
MD: Anticipate! Optimize your time! Organize well! Prioritize! Take time for yourself outside of work and motherhood. We are not superwomen, and we must know how to delegate certain things.
UKJN: Baby/child gear tips for travel/touring/gigging:
MD: I confess I’ve never toured with my children. They are still too young and I need to stay focused on the work during a tour. I am lucky to have a husband and a family to help.
UKJN: Best general travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice:
MD: I recommend « Bookinou », a French great invention: you record your voice in Bookinou « story box » so that the child can listen to your voice telling many stories of his/her best books. You can record a story even if you are on tour via an app on your phone.
UKJN: What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?
MD: I’ve released four albums so far. The third one was recorded while I was pregnant. The fourth one was released while I was pregnant too. I could not imagine that I’d be able to cope with all those situations at the same time. Pregnancy can give you a huge energy! Luckily, Covid allowed me to spend the first two years of my second daughter enjoying time with her, without working a lot.
UKJN: What boundaries have you set for yourself as a mother in jazz (could be related to travel/touring, riders, personal parameters, child care decisions, etc.)?
MD: Since I don’t have the time of other jazz women who don’t have children, I am more selective on the time I spend, the gigs I choose, the lessons I give. I cannot spend hours on social media and that’s all right with me. I learn how to split my time and when I am with my children, I try to stay 100% focused on them. When I am at work, I stay focused too. I am a Jewish mother but I managed to cut the cord! This is what Jazz is about: each moment is unique, and I try to live in the present and enjoy every moment without interference.
Mélanie will be performing at Ronnie Scotts in London on 14 February 2024. BOOKINGS
Mothers in Jazz was started by vocalist Nicky Schrire. The initiative aims to create an online resource for working jazz musicians with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Mothers In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a mother and a performing jazz musician.
