A Chat with Jemily Rime (07.07.25)
Mixing elements of jazz, pop, rock, folk and soul into an eclectic brand of sound, singer-songwriter and bassist Jemily Rime brings jazzy, soulful, hard-hitting music to our ears. We speak with the French musician about her new single, ‘I Don’t Think About You’, her upcoming EP Phantom Feels, what music means to her and more.
OSR: While you are currently living in the UK, you are a French artist and have performed on stages in both countries. Do you feel the different cultures influence your work and performances? If so, how?
Rime: The crowds have been just as lovely and supportive in both countries. I’m French, but I sing mostly in English, and therefore, it’s so nice to hear French people following along in another language. In both places, it’s been so heartwarming and inspiring hearing crowds sing my songs back at me. Culturally, you can find influences of both countries in my music. I love the quiet existentialism of French artists like Pomme, but my songs wouldn’t be the same without the English language or the influence of British pop and rock production in general.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Rime: I don’t think I can even put it into words. It means everything to me. Composing has always been a necessity; it’s how I process my feelings, how I communicate. My best relationships have been formed around music, and my entire family is made up of musicians. I would be an entirely different person without it.
OSR: You recently released your single ‘I Don’t Think About You’. What can you tell us about the single?
Rime: It’s a feel-good break-up song, about trying to let go of someone who was really wrong for you. I wanted it to sound a little like those pop-rock break-up anthems from the nineties and noughties (‘You Oughta Know’ by Alanis Morissette or‘Since U Been Gone’ by Kelly Clarkson) but still capture the jazz and fusion references that influence me. There are still plenty of odd meters and cluster harmonies in the backing vocals, but you can (and should) shout the chorus at full lung capacity to exorcise that ex you don’t want to think about anymore.
OSR: You also mention an upcoming EP, Phantom Feels. What can you tell us about the EP, and is it a true representation of your sound at the moment?
Rime: Phantom Feels is a series of heartfelt songs wrapped in jazzy and progressive arrangements. Musically, it is a great representation of who I am at the moment, giving space for honesty in terms of lyrics, music, and production! There is one more single coming, and then a few more tracks on the EP itself – including the song ‘Whatever’, which I’ve been playing live for over a year and has been the undeniable highlight of my sets because people sing along to it every time.
OSR: Your single, ‘I Don’t Think About You’, is an emotional and intimate one, looking at the complexities of relationships. Does your personal life influence your music, and do you think infusing your experiences and emotions in music is important?
Rime: I write songs all the time: I have notebooks entirely filled with chords and lyrics, and my voice notes are stacked with bits and pieces of song ideas. I don’t think it’d be sustainable to only write about my own feelings, sometimes I need to take a break from introspection! But in a lot of cases, the songs I prefer, and therefore the ones that make the cut and end up being shared, are ones that help me process a thought or feeling. In Phantom Feels, the whole point is to highlight the songs that I’ve felt particularly connected to in the past few years, hoping people will also resonate with them.
OSR: What do you hope people take from ‘I Don’t Think About You’ and the upcoming EP?
Rime: It’s been so sweet to see ‘I Don’t Think About You’ added to break-up songs playlists. I hope people can listen to it and feel all the feels they need to in order to get over that toxic relationship that still lives somewhere in their brain. In the same way, I hoped the first single ‘Kinda Liked It’ was relatable for the overwhelmed introvert on a night out, I want all the songs from Phantom Feels to be a conversation with the listener. Take what you need from the music. These songs were useful to me, and so nothing would make me happier than having them be useful for someone else too.
OSR: Regarding Phantom Feels, what does it mean to you? What do you take from your music?
Rime: Phantom Feels has been in the works for a while. I wrote the first song for it (‘I Don’t Think About You’) in 2020, but it took years for it to fully come to life. The idea for this collection of songs is to be a respectful nod to feelings gone by – I tend to push things under the carpet, so I wanted to take the time to acknowledge the fleeting feelings and moments that inspired my songwriting over the past few years.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend?
Rime: Start with ‘I Don’t Think About You’ – it’s the best representation of my music right now and of what’s to come for the next six months or so. If you want to put your music-detective hat on, there’s a song called ‘Work It Out’ on my first EP that you’ll definitely like if you enjoyed ‘I Don’t Think About You’ and ‘Kinda Liked It’. I’ve added it back into my live set recently because it’s such a fun one to play.
OSR: What can we expect from Jemily Rime in the future?
Rime: More songs! More bass! More gigs! I’m really excited about the next single and the EP as a whole. It’s been so fun creating the world for it, so you can look forward to more sad ghouls singing bittersweet songs in 2025!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Rime: Go listen to ‘I Don’t Think About You’! And if you’re in London, I’m playing at the Theatreship on the 1st of August, come by!
Many thanks to Jemily Rime for speaking with us. Find out more about Jemily Rime on her Instagram and Spotify.
