Author, composer, performer and guitarist, Julien Pierson has many strings to his musical bow. A newcomer to the Club Med Live programme since November 2023, he tells us about his journey from open stages to resorts and television studios. With a repertoire ranging from covers to creations, and perfectly embodying the human values of the Club Med Live programme, we decided to ask him to tell you his story.
Great pleasures and big rains
Julien Pierson, who has obviously never stopped playing, then got back in the saddle and back on stage. He went on to play a series of concerts in bars, small venues, larger venues and festivals. "I love the fact that I get to play in venues of varying sizes and with unique atmospheres. It allows me to meet extremely different people, whether it's the technicians backstage, other musicians on stage or the audience in front of me. And then there's that magical moment when people start dancing, even though they didn't seem to be in the mood at the start of the concert, because we've taken them with us, into our world, and we've passed on our energy to them. It's an absolutely extraordinary feeling! He adds: "Of course, there are also the hassles. The concerts where you have to pack up your gear thirty seconds after the start because it's raining cats and dogs. You have to cover everything up in a hurry and empty your speakers because they're so full of water. Not to mention the days when it just doesn't work, when no matter how hard you try, nothing happens. Every musician has gone through that at some point, but it doesn't make it any more pleasant to live with.
But Julien Pierson's taste for diversity goes even further. "I've been working for years with an association that helps children in difficulty. Within this structure, I teach them music and we create pieces together. It's very important to me, it's part of my ongoing desire to meet more and more people, each one different and more unique than the last", continues the folk music lover. It's a desire that also led him to join the community of artists of all kinds that Club Med welcomes to its Resorts every year.
Since last year, Julien Pierson has been part of the Club Med Live program, giving live performances at the Tignes resort in the Alps and then at the Opio resort in Provence. "Musician friends had been talking to me about it for years and invited me to join them on several occasions, but the timing never worked out. And then I finally took the plunge, starting with Tignes. Everything was incredible: the resort, the welcome we received from the G.O. and the public. Not to mention the jacuzzi overlooking the mountains and the incredible diversity of the food. For someone who loves to eat as much as I do, that's quite something!
An incredible experience for artists
Once on the subject, Julien Pierson doesn't stop: "It's a real pleasure because we play four or five times a week, for an hour each time, but not always in the same place. Sometimes in quiet places, sometimes in more festive parts of the Resort. This allows us to offer a variety of sets, so we're able to change things up every day. And when we're not playing, we have time to enjoy the Resort and all the activities. It really is an experience that I would recommend to every artists - and that I already recommend to all my friends in the industry - both artistically and humanely".
And with good reason, according to the former Ben Harper enthusiast, he's always in a good mood when he plays at a resort with his fellow musicians. "The audience is always easy-going, everyone's smiling and having a great time. Some nights there's a lot of dancing, others it's more relaxed, but in the end it's always very positive. And then there are the songs that always work at Club Med to light up the atmosphere a bit, like 'Twist and Shout' by the Beatles, it's unstoppable", says Julien Pierson. "The first time I came, I was accompanied by two musician friends who went out on the first night as I was going to bed. The next day, they knew everyone and we spent an incredible week in the company of the teams.
In Opio, I also met up with other musicians I knew, as well as some lovely and talented technicians with whom we had a lot of chats and laughs", he laughs, before concluding: "Music is something that can be shared in many ways, and is part of the holiday atmosphere".
So what if it was your time to play now ? Club Med Live's program is waiting for you.
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Read the full article on Club Med Magazine
📷 Amélie Culerier
