We Speak Music
Marie-Claire Giraud Releases Powerful New Single “BLU X”—A Story of Healing, Survival, and Hope
Featuring Lisa Marie Simmons | Co-Written with Grammy-Nominated Songwriter Jeff Franzel
– Acclaimed vocalist and genre-defying artist Marie-Claire Giraud unveils her deeply personal new single, “BLU X,” a moving collaboration written with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jeff Franzel and featuring acclaimed vocalist Lisa Marie Simmons. The single serves as a powerful preview of Marie-Claire’s forthcoming album, MY BIG BOLD & BEAUTIFUL TECHNICOLOR FANTASY, a project that celebrates resilience, transformation, and the courage to reclaim one’s voice.
“BLU X” is far more than a song—it’s a testament to survival.
Inspired by Marie-Claire’s own experience of enduring ten years of childhood sexual abuse, the single reflects an emotional journey from unimaginable pain to healing, empowerment, and hope. Through vulnerable lyrics and an unforgettable vocal performance, Marie-Claire transforms personal trauma into a message of strength for others who may be facing similar struggles.
“My hope is that this song becomes a source of healing,” says Marie-Claire. “If sharing my story helps even one person find the courage to seek help, to keep going, or to believe that healing is possible, then this song has fulfilled its purpose.”
Featuring the soulful vocals of Lisa Marie Simmons, “BLU X” delivers an emotionally rich musical experience that blends intimacy with strength. Together, the artists create a heartfelt anthem that encourages listeners to embrace their own journeys toward recovery and resilience.
Marie-Claire Giraud has built an extraordinary career by refusing to be confined by genre. A true Renaissance musician, she is known for creating HipHopera, her groundbreaking fusion of hip-hop rhythms and operatic vocal artistry. Her rich contralto voice effortlessly moves through jazz, reggae, classical, and contemporary music, creating a signature sound that is both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.
Her remarkable versatility has led to collaborations with reggae legend Spragga Benz on “Rastaman Chant” and hip-hop artist Rob $tone on RCA/Sony’s Out of the Comfort Zone series. Her reggae-inspired EP Dreamland further showcased her artistic range, while her interpretations of jazz standards and original compositions have earned widespread praise.
Marie-Claire’s artistry has also inspired some of music’s most celebrated creators. Jamaican music icon Bob Andy wrote the song “Constellation” specifically for her, while Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison composed a four-song cycle tailored to her extraordinary voice, with Marie-Claire contributing original lyrics and melodies.
Raised in the Bronx with Caribbean roots from Dominica, Marie-Claire has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the United Nations, Barclays Center, where she performed the U.S. National Anthem, and Central Park SummerStage. International audiences have embraced her performances at the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, Cartagena Jazz Festival, and Creole in the Park in Dominica.
She has also captivated audiences in legendary venues including Preservation Hall in New Orleans alongside the Preservation Hall All-Stars, Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., Smalls Jazz Club, Joe’s Pub, and Omar’s in New York City.
With “BLU X,” Marie-Claire Giraud offers one of her most courageous artistic statements to date. The single embodies the emotional depth, fearlessness, and musical innovation that define her career while reminding listeners that healing is possible, even after life’s darkest chapters.
As anticipation builds for MY BIG BOLD & BEAUTIFUL TECHNICOLOR FANTASY, “BLU X” stands as an inspiring anthem for survivors everywhere—proving that vulnerability can become strength, pain can become purpose, and music can become a powerful force for healing.
We Speak Music
Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’
For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.
Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.
Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.
At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.
Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.
The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.
Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.
‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.
‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.
The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.
The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.
Even the title reflects that feeling.
‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.
Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.
She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.
‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.
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