Ché Aimee Dorval On the Making Of “Joyride”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
The creative process was pretty all over the place, very much a pursuit of throwing everything against the wall to see what would stick. I wanted to fully embrace my own creative independence with this song, and I also wanted to figure out where I was at with music without anything being diluted by outside perspectives. In my last album, ‘The Crowned,’ I explored collaborations in ways I never had before, and while that was beautiful and led to some of my favourite songs I’ve ever written, I really wanted to get back to whatever made me me. “Joyride” was writte and rewritten over the years, and every time I revisited it, it would drastically change from whatever it had started out as. Sometimes that was a good thing, and sometimes it was a hiccup that made me circle back to what it was before. Honestly, this song drove me crazy while I was writing it, but I think it did because I really nailed down who I am now as a songwriter and a producer.
With “Joyride,” I didn’t want to touch my guitar, I didn’t even want to look at it, so instead I immersed myself in synths and sound design. That let me bypass my technical limitations and really just intuitively craft a song with whatever felt right in the moment. It was also the first time I’d ever tried my hand at creating any sort of beat, which is definitely out of my wheelhouse, but in the end, I think I was left with something that’s very much me at this moment in time.
What impact do you hope “Joyride” will have on your audience?
“Joyride” is all about stepping into your power and enforcing your boundaries when you need to. It started out as a response to an oppressive romantic relationship, then somewhere down the line, it took on a whole new political meaning for me when everything started kicking off in America. As Canadians, we’re always pretty sorry, it’s in our nature to be apologetic and make nice, but these days, as a country, we’re finding that we need to put our foot down, stop apologizing, and stick up for ourselves. I hope this song can help inspire that in any area of life where people need it.
What was your favourite moment in making the music video?
I wasn’t physically there while Joi shot the music video. We collaborated remotely and actually had only ever spoken over email at that point, so my absolute favourite part was getting the footage and being blown away by how stunning, powerful, and emotional Joi’s performance was. This performance was originally created for another song from my last album, but due to budget and time issues, we never had the opportunity to move forward with it. When the time came to put something visual with “Joyride,” I remembered Joi’s gorgeous footage and it all made sense. This dance was waiting for this song. It was very much meant to be.
It also allowed me to explore the world of music video editing, which was another favourite moment. Telling a story through editing is powerful, and I think we all managed to create something pretty impactful.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
My family is very musical, so I grew up singing and writing. I was also a shy, insecure kid who didn’t really know how to connect with most people, so music gave me a way to join in and connect in a more creative and intuitive way. I guess my first proper introduction to music as a way of life was singing at a little French bistro called Café Montmartre in Vancouver, where Tim Readman, a local singer-songwriter, hosted a songwriter's circle every Thursday night. That’s where I performed the very first song I ever wrote, and where I slowly started to come out of my shell.
From then on, I just kept writing, playing, and meeting local musicians, which led from one opportunity to the next, like starting a band with Devin Townsend called Casualties of Cool, collaborating and releasing music with Bob Rock, and singing on a track with Gord Downie (one of my heroes), and here we are. I really only started taking my music seriously as a career about five years ago. Before that, I’d slip in and out of the music world, never fully committing but also never really leaving it behind.
Covid put everything into perspective for me and forced me to either fully commit myself to making music or walk away entirely. The threat of having live music taken away made me realize how much I actually valued it, so from that point on, I’ve been doing everything I can to keep making and performing music for a living. It’s really hard, but the alternative doesn’t feel like an option at this point, both logistically and mentally, which I’m still not sure how to feel about these days.
I’m not sure how others feel about their career choices, but for me, this thing I’ve chosen to do is something I love. It’s where I feel most like myself, and where I feel a direct connection to whatever magic is out there. On the flip side, it’s also the thing that can hurt me the most and leave me feeling unstable. Sometimes, the idea of having a stable, secure job where I just clock in and clock out is super appealing, but never quite appealing enough to make me switch.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as an artist?
I feel like you need to keep taking chances and experimenting with new songs, genres, and styles. Explore music in all its forms, and do it for the love of it rather than whatever gain you think it might bring. Try to lose yourself in its creation and that lovely feeling of timelessness that happens when you’re writing a new song. I don’t know if that’s growth or evolution, but it’s fun and it feels meaningful.
