French Kiwi Juice, or FKJ for short, is the moniker of Vincent Fenton, a no… Read Full Bio ↴French Kiwi Juice, or FKJ for short, is the moniker of Vincent Fenton, a nod to his Gallic mother and New Zealander father. He grew up in a small French village outside of Tours, isolated from his friends, and so he turned to music for company. He got hooked on his parents’ records by Pink Floyd, Billie Holliday, Nina Simone and Queen, and took up guitar; then, aged seven, the saxophone. “I would play with whatever toys were around, and that helped develop my imagination, and then that evolved into making instruments – I found whatever I could and started putting it together,” he said of his rudimentary one-man bands.

That one-man-band mentality has persisted, collecting instruments as he goes, though he’s never been formally trained; instead developing his own ear. Prestigious music colleges were too expensive and so he eventually moved to Paris to study the sound and film, which helped give him grounding in cinematic arrangements. He fell into the city’s nightlife scene, playing live instruments in clubs in Paris, and became known as a Soundcloud producer who blended house and jazz, as on his vibey 2013 Time For A Change EP.

But then in 2015, he played a festival in the Philippines that changed everything. There he met June, who performs as ((( O )))) and who he’d remixed a track for. Eventually they got married and moved in together on an island off the country’s south coast, where they have created a tropical studio idyll that looks out onto lush rainforest. You can see it in the live session FKJ recorded there in 2019 (over 19m views on YouTube), as he flits between piano, singing and sax.

The seeds for his more introspective sound were sown with his 2017 self-titled debut, while the track that he did with Masego that same year, ‘Tadow’, further evidenced his effortless ear for intriguing rhythms – the pair made the hip-hop-speared jazz jam out of a day-long improvisation in Paris, duelling on their saxophones, their keyboards and drums interlocking effortlessly. There’s an ease to his collaborations – nothing forced; artists who are like-minded about being guided by groove – see the meeting of minds on the track “Risk’ with the American rapper Bas or his latest remix for PinkPantheress.

But in 2019, FKJ started drawing more from within. He released the Ylang Ylang EP, the result of a tumultuous and devastating year when June miscarried. The couple cancelled their commitments and holed up together to recuperate and make music. The sweepingly romantic jazz of the title track is the EP’s centrepiece, encircled by crisp R&B beats, acoustic guitar flourishes and ambitious sax instrumentals on the other songs. The making of it soothed them as much as it did his growing international fanbase. “With music, I feel safe,” he says. “So when I hear that my music is healing for people, it’s the best compliment.”

Back in the Philippines, with no wifi and an impending global lockdown, FKJ was quite literally cut off from the world, able to explore music’s endless possibilities. “Sometimes I would get into it for the whole night and go to bed when the sun came up.” Out of this freedom comes an expressionistic, touching album that’s impossible to pin down. There’s no more hiding behind a branch of leaves, as he did on the cover of his 2017 debut: V I N C E N T marks FKJ out as a crucial new voice. He’s redefining chillout music with his bursts of late-night jazz sax and piano, coupled with his wood-cabin whispery vocals, recalling Bon Iver’s early work, and those Santana-styled guitar flourishes.

V I N C E N T is a marvel – and testament to the magic that can happen when you dig deep. “This was a challenging record,” he says. “I’m a perfectionist and it’s hard to shake that off. But once I did, and I let the music take over, I felt totally free.”

Lying Together
FKJ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh

Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh

Baby
You needed me
Hey, hey, baby
Oh baby
Come closer to me
Come closer to me
Closer to me
Come closer to me
Hey baby
Come closer to me
To me

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)

Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh (oh I need it)
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh, oh baby
Oh, oh baby, oh
Oh

Oh

Oh

Overall Meaning

At first glance, the lyrics to FKJ's song Lying Together may seem simple and repetitive, but upon closer analysis, one can discern a deeper meaning. The lyrics consist mainly of the phrase "Oh, oh baby" repeated several times, followed by a few lines encouraging the subject, presumably a lover or romantic interest, to come closer. The repetition of "Oh, oh baby" could be interpreted as a representation of the strong connection or attraction between two people. The phrase is melodic, sweet, and familiar, giving us the impression that the singer is comfortable and content around their partner. The line "You needed me" suggests that the two people need and rely on each other, emphasizing the importance of their relationship.

The lines, "Closer to me, come closer to me" are repeated frequently, reiterating the need for the two people to be physically close to each other. Additionally, the line "Oh, I need it" indicates the physical and emotional desire that the singer has for their lover. The song's stripped-down lyrics supplement the song's composition, which has a largely leisurely, sophisticated, and calm feel. All in all, the lyrics appear to demonstrate the intimacy, passion, and connection between two lovers, combining expertly with the song's calming tone to create a song that is both relaxing and emotive.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby
Addressing the partner.

You needed me
Acknowledging that the partner needs the singer.

Hey, hey, baby
Repeating the acknowledgment of partner's need.

Oh baby
Expressing affection towards the partner.

Come closer to me
Asking the partner for physical intimacy.

Come closer to me
Repeating the request for intimacy.

Closer to me
Emphasizing the desire for intimacy.

Come closer to me
Repeating the request for intimacy.

Hey baby
Using an endearing term to address the partner.

Come closer to me
Repeating the request for intimacy.

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby, oh'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby, oh'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby, oh'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby'

Come closer to me (oh, oh baby, oh)
Repeating the request while expressing affection with the repeated phrase 'oh, oh baby, oh'