Camille Jansen’s dreamy sound goes everywhere, but it starts in Paris

The new-school shoegazer takes us on a trip around the 11th arrondissement of her home city.

Crack Magazine has teamed up with VanMoof for I Know A Place – a four-part series exploring four European cities through the eyes of the people that inhabit them. We’re speaking to musicians and tastemakers to find out what about their city makes them feel free, and energises them to create.

When you first hit play on one of Camille Jansen’s quiet hits, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to music of a different time. 

Take Blurry Days – an understated Gen Z anthem about youthful malaise. It’s racked up well over six million Spotify streams but somehow sounds like the opening act of a 60s community folk festival at a coastal US town. But we’re a long way from Woodstock. 

“Paris means home to me” the half-French, half-British 24-year-old tells us from her apartment. “What I love about living here is you can choose the pace of your day.” There’s a clear harmony between her hometown’s historic sereness and the drifting charm of her songwriting. “The city sparks ideas… watching people as I ride to the studio everyday.”  

Exploring the city on her VanMoof S5, captured by Paris creative Fares Bouadi for Crack Magazine, Camille took us to rifling through vintage bins at Re.love, recharging on coffee courtesy of Ten Belles and soaking up the stillness as she trailed down Canal Saint-Martin, painting a picture of a city that she’s completely attuned to. Having spent periods of time in Los Angeles, it’s Paris which has established itself as the backdrop for her impulsive, dreamy music. “You can grab a bike and get you where you need to go.”

“It takes more time, but I like the experience of it. I love the journey.”