Juli Chan – Joe Le Taxi (Video)

Juli Chan rejuvenates the legendary French hit of the eighties with her delicate and sensual cover. Discover what Joe Le Taxi sounds like today, 34 years after it topped charts around the world.

Juli Chan has already got her fans used to her spectacularly sung covers. Recently, the artist paid tribute to Ariana Grande – her longtime mentor and music inspiration, interpreting the song “Bad Idea” from the bottom of her heart. Today she reaches for “Joe Le Taxi” – the essence of the 1980s POP. Introducing contemporary sounds to the French hit, she vibes with the song and her candid voice.

“Joe Le Taxi” is a song about a taxi driver who knows all the romantic streets of Paris very well. Joe loves the Parisian nightlife, with all the secret bars and shining bridges over the Seine. There is always good music in his cab. Standing in a traffic jam, the taxi driver Joe treats his passengers with a rumba, mambo, saxophone sounds and good old rock.

When I was researching the song I discovered a fascinating story behind the lyrics. Joe is the pseudonym of Maria José Leão dos Santos, Portuguese female taxi driver who fled to France in the 1970s. Maria José was persecuted because of her sexual orientation. When Mari José’s mother discovered her daughter was a lesbian, she took her to an exorcist, later to the hospital and eventually put her in a school run by nuns. In the French capital, she took the name Joe and a profession stereotypically reserved for men. She could be herself safely traveling around night Paris with guests of LGBT clubs. I think this story about the need for tolerance, non-discrimination, as a tribute to all strong women – it is worth recalling today as well as the beautiful melody of “Joe Le Taxi” from years ago.
-Juli Chan said

Julia Chmielarska is an ethereal and girly singer, performing since 2020 under the pseudonym Juli Chan. She professionally trained her voice and performed on stage across competitions and festivals from an early age. Often compared to Ariana Grande, she performed alongside CLEO in the Polish edition of the Voice Kids that brought the spotlight to the 16 year old powerhouse performer.

CREDITS:

Lyric: Étienne Roda-Gil
Music: Franck Langolff
Music Production: Saint Rock
Vocal Producer: Przemysław Puk
Mix: Jarosław Baran
Mastering: Jarosław Baran
Executive Producer: Maciej Pichlak (Metascope Music)
Publisher: Agora Muzyka, under exclusive license from Metascope Music

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