INTERVIEW: dBoy (JE T'AIME) - April 2025

QUICKIE OF THE WEEK: A short interview with dBoy (JE T’AIME)

written by Marko Jakob | 07.04.2025 | Link -> Deutsche Version

Pix666: Hello and thank you for taking the time for a short interview in the middle of your tour stress. I hope you’re doing well and that the tour is going great?

dBoy: This tour is going really well. It got off to a very bad start with an Uber running me down in Marseille and food poisoning in Orléans. But in the end, even after 40 concerts all over Europe, we’re still alive!

Pix666: You are playing an incredibly long tour with your band Je T’aime, traveling from January to April. What do you miss the most when you’re on tour, and what are the advantages for you when spending so much time in different countries and cities?

dBoy: The thing we’re missing most on tour is a washing machine! If I could, I’d like to be on tour from January to December. I’m lucky because I’m doing a second European tour with IAMX in May. As for your question about the advantages of visiting so many cities, I’d say it helps us to know where to come back to on holiday!

Pix666: Of course, you have your new album ‘Useless Boy’ with you on tour, whose release you celebrated with a show in Paris on January 24th. Are there any significant differences between this album and your previous releases, and why should fans who don’t own it yet definitely buy ‘Useless Boy’?
https://jetaime-music.bandcamp.com/album/useless-boy

dBoy: Where previous albums (JE T’AIME in 2019 and Passive/Aggressive in 2022) oscillated between post-punk energy, coldwave hedonism and romantic provocation, Useless Boy marks an inward, almost existential retreat. The lyrics are more vulnerable, less cryptic, often narrative, like fragments of a diary. Useleess Boy is more intimate, more melancholy, more constructed, and probably the most touching and accomplished of our discography to date.

Pix666: How do Je T’aime songs actually come to life? Do you have a specific approach or even a division of work, and are there particular themes you prefer to cover in your lyrics?

dBoy: There is no real construction plan. Sometimes we compose together, sometimes we work separately. What’s certain, though, is that we like to finish our albums together. When it came to creating Useless Boy, we wanted to move away from our previous albums, because we can’t stand monotony. When I started writing the first lyrics (‘Dead Leaves’, ‘Silent Monsters’ and ‘Letter From Hell’), I was in a very dark frame of mind and little by little a certain atmosphere took shape. In the end, it was the song ‘Useless Boy’ that really set the direction for the album. From there, we shaped the rest of the album to resonate with those initial foundations. The idea was clearly to write a dark record about this lost and useless child.

Pix666: If I’m right, you are not touring with a fixed tour support. Do you play alone in some cities, or do you always have a local support act? How do you choose them?

dBoy: We invited the French band Denuit on our French tour. We really enjoyed sharing part of the adventure with them. As for the rest, it’s often the event producer who decides whether or not to take on a group as support act.

Pix666: Do you have any rituals before going on stage?

dBoy: No, we have absolutely no rituals. Apart from making sure there’s always enough smoke on stage.

Pix666: Your energetic post-punk shows must be physically demanding. Do you prepare in a special way to stay fit for the performances?

dBoy: I run a lot, well I used to run a lot, about 100km a month, to strengthen my cardio. Unfortunately, during the tour it’s often very complicated to be able to run. We get back to the hotel late at night and leave early in the morning with the van. But yes, this band requires a lot of energy on stage.

Pix666: You founded Je T’aime in 2018. What have been the most beautiful experiences with the band so far?

dBoy: There are so many memories. The last one that really touched me was in Turin a few days ago. A fan came from New York to see us play.

Pix666: Who or what actually inspired you to become a musician?

dBoy: Guns N‘ Roses, I had the VHS of their Live in Tokyo (1992). When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to get together every weekend and watch the tape over and over again, drinking really bad beer and dreaming of girls and glory.

Pix666: Your music has a certain connection to the sounds of the 80s. Tell me, dBoy, would you have preferred to be a musician in the 80s, or is the present better for you?

dBoy: In those days, it cost a fortune to make a record. Around €1,000 per studio day. Nowadays you can do everything at home. So, yes, we sell a lot fewer records, and we won’t end up as miliardaires in Los Angeles, but it’s all a lot simpler now. No, the really annoying thing today is that young people are losing interest in concerts more and more. That’s really sad.

Pix666: Do you also have time for other things than music? Do you have any interesting hobbies or additional talents?

dBoy: The same things I imagine a lot of people do. Like going to the cinema, a nice restaurant or reading a good book. But the truth is, when the music’s gone, I get bored of it very quickly.

Pix666: One last question. In the seven years since the band’s formation, you have already played a lot of shows. What are your favorite venues and festivals, and where would you absolutely love to perform in the future?

dBoy: There are so many great places where we’ve played. It would be difficult and unfair to name just one. The best gig will always be the next one. My dream is still the same: to go and play in the US, particularly in Atlanta where I lived as a child.

Pix666: Is there anything else on your mind – maybe a message for the fans?

dBoy: I’d like to thank all the people who came to see us on this tour. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Pix666: Thank you for the interview! I wish you and your bandmates lots of fun for the rest of the tour and, of course, for the shows with IAMX.

https://jetaime-music.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jetaimethemusic
https://www.instagram.com/jetaime_music
https://jetaime-music.bandcamp.com/