Following the release of her debut dark-pop single, ‘The Hunter’, LOCK had the pleasure of catching up with vocalist, comedian, and YouTuber Jaime French to discuss her debut single and EP ‘The Ripple Effect’ in more detail.
“The Hunter” explores insomnia in a really vivid, almost cinematic way. When you were writing it, did it feel more like storytelling or more like processing something personal in real time?
I wanted to get my thoughts out of my head but tried to do it in a way that many people would be able to relate to, so really it felt like both.
You’ve built a massive audience through comedy and digital content. What made this the right moment to step into music, and why start with a track as emotionally intense as “The Hunter”?
The Hunter was actually the 3rd song I wrote after Carry Me and Ties of Blood. I had started the process of putting my experiences into songs and couldn’t stop. Once the concept of The Hunter came to me, I thought “wait a minute…this could be a really cool idea”. And then once the song was done, it was a no brainer to release it first. The song is truly a masterpiece, in my humble opinion.
There’s a strong sense of tension throughout the song, both lyrically and sonically. How did you and your producer approach capturing that feeling in the studio?
We started in a little back room of the studio with just Tom (the producer), myself, and his acoustic guitar. I played him my rough recording of the chorus on my phone and he composed the rest of the melody in a few minutes. I remember my heart racing with nerves trying to improvise while singing the melody of the verses that I didn’t even know yet (I have footage of this whole process). Once we were done we showed the musicians and I remember showing the drummer (Chris McHugh) the drums on a Demi Lovato song “Confident”. I said I wanted a similar beat. So I came to them with very little, and an hour later we had a masterpiece.
You’ve mentioned that your mind can feel like it’s “hunting” your sleep. Has writing and releasing this song changed your relationship with insomnia at all?
I wish it had! I still struggle with sleep. Although now when I jolt awake in the middle of the night I have a lovely visual of myself in a dark hood creeping through the woods, thanks to the music video.
Your upcoming EP, The Ripple Effect, is a powerful title. What does that idea mean to you, and how does “The Hunter” set the tone for the project as a whole?
The Ripple Effect is really about how the things we go through, especially the ones we don’t choose, don’t just stay in the past. They echo outward. They shape how we see ourselves, how we love, how we cope, and even how we tell our stories. For me, it’s about acknowledging that those ripples exist, but also realizing you can interrupt the pattern. You can decide what continues and what stops with you. “The Hunter” sets the tone because it feels like the most intense, cinematic version of that idea. It’s about being in a constant state of pursuit…of sleep, of peace, of relief – and feeling like you’re being chased by your own mind at the same time. It’s very raw and urgent, and I think it opens the EP by saying, “we’re not easing into this.” We’re going straight into the deep end emotionally and sonically.
Looking at the EP more broadly, what kinds of emotions or experiences do you hope listeners will walk away with after listening?
More than anything, I hope people feel seen. A lot of the emotions on this EP; shame, anxiety, feeling stuck in patterns, etc…aren’t things people always say out loud, and I used to think I had to carry them quietly. If someone listens and feels a little less alone, that means everything to me. I also hope it gives people a sense of release. It’s not about tying everything up in a perfect bow, it’s about being honest. And there’s something really comforting about hearing that kind of honesty and realizing you’re not as alone as you thought.