Expert article: Catchy or Catfish?
Catchy or catfish?
A study of how Gen Z got Jazz music back on stage.
Have you ever been catfished? This means someone is tricking you with a fake online profile.
I studied classical music for 12 years, but don’t be fooled; I am a catfish in Jazz.
So this is based on what I like and what Adele likes (stay with me now). I discovered Jazz through
my best friend, who said, “You need to listen to Berlioz, he’s doing Jazz, it’s fire.”
I didn’t believe him at first, but now, I know he introduced me to something truly remarkable.
Before that moment, I had as much knowledge of Jazz music as you might have of Zorbing.
If you know what that is, congratulations, you are an expert on rolling down a hill in an
inflatable ball.
Jazz originated in New Orleans in the early 1900s at the hands of many musicians
such as this charming fellow. Don’t you find him charming? Nice smile, great jacket,and musical genius. But I am not here to tell you about Louis Armstrong’s career.
On the contrary, I want to talk about what is happening 50 or so years after
his death: Jazz music is coming back into our ears thanks to Gen Z.
Gen Z is rediscovering Jazz, but we are also reshaping it with their remixes. T
o show this we will go over these two elements:
Jazz in Gen Z music
Gen Z as a significant element of Jazz’s comeback
Jazz in Gen Z music
McKinsey defines Gen Z as “the people born between 1996 and 2010” (“What Is Gen Z?”),
so I have reasons to believe that you are a member of Gen Z.
Do you actively listen to Jazz music? Maybe not, but I suspect that you listen to
house music or at least pop music. Perhaps you don’t know Laufey (lay-vay),
and I understand that, but I am sure you know one of her songs: From the Start or Santa Baby. Listen at least to the start of either, enjoy it, and then come back.
https://youtu.be/plxCx5o-5s0?si=WxWFEEI2tTcJER30
https://youtu.be/6_SsGMeJIHk?si=CzjEN6LluoFf_VwN
Now I am sure you know what I was talking about. Laufey says that “jazz great Ella Fitzgerald [is]one of her biggest influences” (Dunavant). Adele likes Ella Fitzgerald, too, so you listen to jazzthrough them but never realize it. However, they are not the only ones incorporating jazz in their songs.
This is more of a niche, so you might not know who they are, but if you do, I am so so so glad.
Berlioz, Bolden., and Dublon all have more than 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
They specialize in jazz houses, and I definitely recommend you listen to them.
Berlioz is my favorite (you will see, I am a fanboy). He perfectly blends house music and jazz.
His little thing others lack is sampling, which he uses in many songs.
He uses different samples, such as a woman talking about Picasso or a man saying he likes dancing.
But at this point, you may ask me, “What has Gen Z to do with them?”
I have to ask you not to give up yet; I am getting there.
Gen Z as a significant element of Jazz’s comeback
We all use TikTok, and there is no denying that. My dad has it, my sister has it, and my mom uses
Instagram reels, but it is close enough, come on. Many Gen Zers, including you and I, use TikTok,
and we shape today’s trends that way. So, what better marketing strategy than going viral on TikTok?
This genre still has a small audience, but I hope it will grow exponentially from now on.
As a good Gen Z, you have watched La La Land, right? Whether you think of it as a horror movie or a romantic movie is up to you (horror for me, why would they end it like that?!). However, we have to admit that it started Jazz’s comeback.
Do you remember the name of the bar Mia and Sebastian went to in Paris? It is okay if you don’t,
I will tell you anyway: Caveau de la Huchette. This is the name of a real jazz bar in Paris that went
viral on TikTok. Once again, thank you for this fantastic social media for promoting jazz to us.
From there on, many influencers started making videos in Paris about jazz clubs left and right:
La Gare Le Gore
Caveau de la Huchette
Le Duc des Lombards
Le baiser salé
Even though they extensively collaborated, TikTok and a nice movie can’t make Jazz come back to life;
it is simply not enough. That is where we come in.
Now for a comparison let’s take a look at fashion. It runs in a cycle, and now we are leaning towards a
more “old-money” clothing style with minimalist looks. This was in vogue in the middle of the 20th
century. The same goes for many things, and music is not an exception.
Gen Z is moving to a more elegant clothing style and architecture resembling American speakeasies,
so what better music than Jazz to fill the ambiance? But going back directly to Armstrong would be
forgetting all of the progress we made in the last century, so we reimagine, invent: Jazz-house,
jazz-pop, jazz-dance…
We are eager to be seen and make a name for ourselves, as do musicians. However, their industry
is saturated, and everything is done and redone, so they find themselves trying new things. Jazz
appeals to them because it contains tradition, meaning, and freedom. As a genre, it is, by definition,
free as it relies on improvisation. Back then, they would perform live and change the solos every time,
so What a Wonderful World, played 50 years ago, is as relevant as the one you heard in le Caveau de la Huchette yesterday.
This amount of liberty allows artists today to stand out and create their own style, keeping a
background and inspiration that worked and still does. As I see it, the best application to jazz
today is either high BPM songs such as techno, house, deep house, dance music… or slower,
more emotionally loaded indie or pop songs.
This is to thank Gen Z and TikTok for bringing it back, Berlioz and Laufey for making it happen,and my dear, gentle reader for allowing me your precious time.
And now, fellow Gen Zers, go out there, make music, and catfish others into thinking you are a
musical genius. Use some easy samples, add some saxophone and catchy drums with a very angry
piano, and you will create a hit. I hope to like your song on TikTok soon!
Work Cited
Brasted, Chelsea. “Gen Z Is Fueling a Jazz Comeback.” Axios, 10 Jan. 2024, www.axios.com/2024/01/10/gen-z-jazz-comeback-trend.
“CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE | EN.” (C)2025 CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE All Rights Reserved., www.caveaudelahuchette.fr/2.
Dunavant, Ally. “Who Is Laufey? The Genre-defying Singer-songwriter Bringing Classical and Jazz to Gen Z.” Classic FM, 2 May 2024, www.classicfm.com/discover-music/laufey-singer-instruments-family-concerts.
Gilbert-Cross, Richard. “The Best Jazz Clubs in Paris | Bestofjazz.org.” Best of Jazz, 28 Sept. 2024, bestofjazz.org/the-best-jazz-clubs-in-paris.
Herbert, Isabella. “Jazz Revival.” CNHS Media, 5 Feb. 2025, cnhsmedia.com/48840/opinion/jazz-revival.
“What Is Gen Z?” McKinsey & Company, 28 Aug. 2024, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z.
“What Is Jazz?” National Museum of American History, americanhistory.si.edu/explore/projects/smithsonian-jazz/education/what-jazz.
Wikipedia contributors. “Adele.” Wikipedia, 14 Feb. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele?
Image 1: https://www.blackpast.org/wp-content/uploads/Louis_Armstrong_New_York_Sunday_News_August_10_1947.jpg
Image 2:
I love your connection of fashion and music and our retreat to "old money" aesthetics.
ReplyDeleteBig fan of this sort of music so was a great read. Like how you've personalised the topic as well. Overall good work.
ReplyDeleteHi Alessandro, I think your topic is so interesting. But I also think the way you wrote your article was extremely engaging and hooked me from the beginning.
ReplyDelete