Toulouse. Former world figure skating champion, Jansi throws herself into music

Her name is Jhansi (Séréna Giraud in real life) and begins to make a name for herself on the Toulouse music scene. A former world figure skating champion, the young artist could have launched a brilliant engineering career once she graduated… but she chose to bet everything on music. Not really a choice, according to her:  It was imposed on me. » Between French song, slam, rap and electro influences, she has just released a new EP, « 43 millions ». Meeting with a young artist full of talent.

“ I don’t have a classic background at all! ”

Actu : Â How did you become a singer, musician and artist?

Jansi: “I don’t have a classic background at all! I come from a rather sporty family. My dad is an engineer, my parents are very straightforward. And in fact I did 20 years of high-level sport, figure skating, for 20 years. Afterwards I returned to INSA for sports studies in Angers.

So I played high-level sport and I went to school, it took up all my time. I still played a little piano in my room because I always wanted to make music.

During my studies, I met a person who made me understand that I had the right to think of music as a professional future. He offered to accompany me and helped me get started. I graduated in 2022 and after that I threw myself headlong into music, telling myself that I had things to do there and that in any case it was a bit imposed on me. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. HAS”

So from the moment you had the click, you started to compose songs?

Jansi: “Yes. I’ve always written a little bit of my own, little slams, little texts for the birthdays of my loved ones. But from the moment I wanted to get started, I had so much to say that I put everything on paper and then into music.

And I also learned to compose from A to Z because I had some knowledge of music, of music theory, but I didn’t know at all how to write a song. In two or three years, I learned to use computer-assisted music software, to compose, to write. I wrote my first songs and from these first songs we made a first EP of six tracks. HAS”

“I found myself in front of 3,000 people”

And very quickly the scene arrived!

: “I went on a professional stage for the first time in 2024 because I did the Bijou springboard in Toulouse. I made it to the final so it was pretty good for first scenes!

And a month later, SACEM asked me to open for Calogero at the Carcassonne Festival. I found myself in front of 3000 people, so that really put me in the swing of things! Following that, I did lots of small scenes and springboards all over France. HAS”

Playing directly in front of 3000 people must be weird…

: “Yes, that was weird! Afterwards I was lucky enough to have had a career as a skater so that got me a little used to being in front of people. I wasn’t starting completely from scratch, but managing stress on the body and managing stress on the voice are not the same!

It took me a while to learn this, and I can’t always completely manage the emotions and their impact on the voice. And there are events that stress me out more than others. Everything that involves springboards and competitions stresses me out a lot because it reminds me of competition.

Whereas at concerts, people come just to have a good time. As long as you make them happy, you’ve done the job… It stresses me out a lot less. HAS”

 I’m in the deep end, so you have to learn to swim…

There is a lot of competition in music, you have to find your place… How do you experience it?

: “Yes, that’s precisely the title of my EP: “43 million†. This corresponds to the number of songs released each year around the world. That’s one song per second. How do I experience it? Now I’m in the deep end, so I have to learn to swim.

It’s super stressful but I try to fight so that we’re not competitors with each other. I do a lot of outreach, I try to meet other artists, but I realize that in the eyes of labels we are often seen as competitors. I don’t want to believe that. I want to tell myself that there is room for everyone! HAS”

In your EP, there is notably the song “Wanted Notice†, where you address a stranger with whom you had exchanged a look on a train to try to find him. Is this experience?

: “Yes, that really happened to me! Afterwards, I didn’t write this song just to find this person, but I told myself that it was a situation in which many people could identify.

And maybe push them to take the first step next time when they’re in a similar situation! HAS”

This song sums up your musical universe quite well…

: “It’s true, she represents me quite well. There is a kind of hybrid “slam-rapped-sung” style, there are choruses that are also sung. And she’s quite dancing. It’s a direction that I like to explore. HAS”

« Bigflo and Oli invited me to their Zenith ! »

On the networks too, you have called out Bigflo & Oli quite a few times. How did it happen?

: “I first responded to one of their trends where they invited people to rap and they supported me. So that was cool. And recently I provoked them a little because there was their Zenith on the day of my release party and so I told them – just for fun – to come to my release party rather than to their Zenith. And they answered me straight away. They invited me to their Zenith! HAS”

Are these influences for you?

: “Yes. By their journey, by their niac, by the hunger they have. They actually have it and so do I! I listen to them a lot because they have lyrics that talk about everyone and everyday life but they do it in their own way and it’s always very touching. They have super catchy choruses and toplines. I like them very much. HAS”

Have other artists inspired you?

: “My very first encounter with music was Grand Corps Malade because my dad listened to it loudly in the car. And that’s really what made me want to write texts. Afterwards, a lot of French songs like Jacques Brel, Pierre Bachelet, Dalida too. So you see, good old French song! And more recently I’m much more into Orelsan, Bigflo & Oli type rap. Afterwards I also draw a lot of inspiration from Stromae and Pomme. HAS”

 There is a slightly rebellious side…

This newsboy cap that you wear all the time, what does it mean to you?

: “There are several meanings! Already it’s a bit for the minstrel 2.0 side, the very French side, in quotes. I really like the French language. I really like the song. I really like words. It’s super important to me.

And it’s also a bit of a rebellious symbol, with a bit of a rebellious side. There is a slightly mischievous side and I find that these are things that are found in the music that I try to make. And then I like wearing caps like that too. Perhaps also because there is a little “Gavroche” side to what I do. HAS”

 Jansi is my middle name…

On social networks, you offer quite original formats… Do we have to stand out today?

: “On the networks, I am more into “test and learn†. That’s very engineering indeed. The process is: you test, you move forward and you look based on the results. I don’t know if it’s a strategy but today I think that on the networks quantity takes precedence over quality unfortunately. I try to find a compromise between the two, to offer something qualitative but at the same time to remain present so that the algorithm does not forget me.

It’s pretty terrible today, we have to think like that because the labels, as long as you don’t have 100,000 or 200,000 subscribers and 300,000 monthly listeners, they’re not interested in you. But it’s part of the job and you have to deal with it. HAS”

And by the way, your stage name, Jansi, where does that come from?

: “It’s my middle name! It was my godfather, who is Indian, who gave me this second name when I was born. So I used it on stage because I thought it was pretty. And I thought it was nice to be called something other than my first name on stage. It allowed me to have an alter ego that was a little different from the one I was every day and to allow myself more things too! HAS”

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