’As if heartache is chased through a prism and shattered into a thousand pieces’, is how one of his friends described his music. Jennifur, alias Hector Devriendt, is a young Belgian artist who explores memories and relationships through electronic sound. On Thursday 26 October he takes the stage at overdrive Festival to present his new album. We talked to him about the intersection between private life and professional work.
Hi Jennifur. You will play at Het Depot in Leuven for the overdrive Festival. Why shouldn’t we miss this?
The festival wants to give a place to emerging musical talent from Belgium. My new record, Things Don't Change Until They Do, will be released the following day on all online platforms, super exciting. It will be released under the Antwerp label Sweet Sun, founded by the artist Supreems. To celebrate the release, my band - Thibault Goudket on drums, Michiel Ardaen on guitar - and I will be performing many new songs at overdrive. Enough reason to come!
<img class="editorial-image-50-left" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa62ebe17bbb0c2c0dd_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_16.webp"/>
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Can you tell us what your new album is about?
The record is about relationships and everything that goes with it. Dramatic changes in relationships can include a breakup or the loss of someone. But change can also occur in more subtle ways. The title of the record, Things Don't Change Until They Do, is about that. You only realize it when the change has taken place. For this record, I also started investigating my musical DNA. For many people, as for me, puberty is the period when music becomes important. I went back to all the records I listened to at the time. It was an unconscious but fundamental development during the creative process.
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<img class="editorial-image-50-right" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa529fd17a0b6ae945d_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_12.webp"/>
Your work is very personal, isn’t it?
Humans are social beings, so relating towards friends is almost a reflection of yourself in a larger society. Relationships are so intense and important, we often forget that. A big part of me is Hector because of all the people around me. The record is an ode to all the relationships I have, in whatever form. It’s definitely a coming-of-age record, but I think in every period of my life there will be things that will trigger me to make music. It was also important to me that the designer of the record was on the same wavelength as me. Emma (Raymaekers, graphic designer), my girlfriend, knew perfectly how to convert all those stories into a visual image. The artwork is a bomb of emotions.
The record is an ode to all the relationships I have, in whatever form
<img class="editorial-image-50-left" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa45ff7a913e2b33cde_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_05.webp"/>
<img class="editorial-image-50-right" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa572227cb019f29aa7_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_04.webp"/>
The titles in your record are also telling.
If you read the titles, it almost seems like a Taylor Swift breakup record. ‘Teenage Energy’, for example, is about that unique energy you can feel as a teenager. I remember my EQ developing a lot when I was a teenager. I felt so much and didn't really know what to do with it - real puberty [laughs]. ‘Wietse's Teenage Energy’ is a cover that Wietse, my childhood friend, made on the piano. It makes perfect sense to me. Wietse and I listened to the same music in our teenage years. I tried to convey that feeling into the music. He felt it and transferred it to the piano. It's kind of a full circle.
If you read the titles, it almost seems like a Taylor Swift breakup record
Where did your musical journey start?
During my youth, I was involved in sports. Breakdance, gymnastics, skating, ... I started with gymnastics but the competitive part made me very unhappy. Then breakdancing came my way. It was the first time I came into contact with music. My parents and my brother were into music, but it didn't appeal to me yet. In breakdance, the contact with music is very physical. After that, it was mainly my brother Edouard (Devriendt, painter) who influenced me with all kinds of electronic music. That resonated very strongly with me. The fascinating thing about electronic music is that you can make any sound you can imagine because it can be built up from scratch.
<img class="editorial-image-50-left" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa5269a78eed55875e2_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_09.webp"/>
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So when did the producing part come into the story? Did you study music?
Around the age of fifteen, a friend of mine introduced me to Ableton, which I still work with. I was immediately sold. I started experimenting at home after school, discovering my ‘instrument’. During my bachelor’s degree in Art Sciences at UGent, I released my first album, What Happened Between 2015 and 2018. During my master’s degree, I released an EP, Ode to Bloom. But I was technically still insecure. In 2020, Shredders invited me to create the soundtrack for their new snowboarding game. This was a game-changer. It gave me the confidence boost I needed and a solid work ethic.
The fascinating thing about electronic music is that you can make any sound you can imagine
<img class="editorial-image-50-left" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa694aa04d73fdd4009_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_11.webp"/>
<img class="editorial-image-50-right" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa6170cd8e4388e8276_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_15.webp"/>
What is the essence of Jennifur about for you?
I am often busy reconstructing memories and the feelings associated with a certain period of life. I look for melancholy in my music. At the same time, I want to give energy for the future. I seek both comfort and strength when making music. I always hope that people can link a period, a memory, to certain songs. That a song is just as defining for them as it was for me when I made it.
I seek both comfort and strength when making music
<img class="editorial-image-50-left" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa556b669965cd9392a_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_10.webp"/>
<img class="editorial-image-50-right" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61eebcc683107b99137f4423/65253aa472227cb019f29a41_Jennifur%20(c)%20Nick%20MoonsJennifur_03.webp"/>
<div class="editorial-banner"> <div class=“editorial-credits”> @__jennifur__ / @hetdepot / @inuit_concerts </div></div>
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