Interview: St Lucia

Jean-Philip Grobler has had it with being cool. The St Lucia mastermind spent his formative years trotting the globe as part of the South African boys’ choir, whose legendary tour antics led him down a path of sex-crazed excess. Invited to the UK by Sir Paul McCartney to hone his songcraft at LIPA University, the latest twist in Grobler’s jet-setting tale came with a move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn after completing his studies.

“It’s very trendy round here,” says Grobler of his new home, where recent research suggests you are never further than 3ft away from a one-time recipient of a Pitchfork ‘BNM’ award. “My studio is right next door to The Dap-Kings’, so we see Mark Ronson all the time. Every person you see out on the street is talking about music, but there’s also a very alternative vibe to the area.”

In spite of all that, Grobler says he isn’t concerned what the hipsters will make of his music, which is of a somewhat poppier stripe than is strictly the norm round these parts: “I wouldn’t say I worry, but I am aware some people might think like that. But I feel comfortable knowing I’m not making music that’s trying to appeal to a certain demographic, I’m making music that excites me. And a lot of the best pop from the ’70s and ’80s has that quality, stuff like Earth, Wind And Fire or Bowie’s poppier stuff.”

Most recently the Johannesburg-born musician has inked a deal with independent label Neon Gold, whose 7” series saw releases from Passion Pit and Ellie Goulding among others, and helped broker a deal with Columbia in late 2010 that will see them move into the albums game (more releases are currently being teed up). St Lucia, however, is the first act to benefit from the new arrangement, with a pop-as EP that that deftly suggests everything from Friendly Fires to Fleetwood Mac and is slated for release in the spring.

Which is all well and good, but what of our recovering former cool person’s time at choir school?

“I was there for five years from the age of ten,” ’fesses Grobler. “It was up in the mountains in this very rural area, kind of a fairytale childhood really. You could go hiking in the afternoon or swimming in the river. When you’re a younger kid it’s awesome ’cos you can do whatever the fuck you want, but as you get older and you start becoming interested in the opposite sex it’s difficult, because you’re so removed from the world. But there were benefits as well. When we toured we had like this exotic appeal, we’d be staying in these different places and there were all sorts of sordid things going on…”

Like the choirboy equivalent of groupies?

“Ha ha, exactly!”

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