We caught up with NYC-based electro-pop singer and Elite Model Jenny Bapst to discuss her work in both the fashion and music industries.
She recently debuted a music video for her song, “Yes You Are” on Afropunk. Bapst is known for creating and performing infectious uptempo, dance-party tracks and has graced the pages of Vogue, Elle and Vibe.
Jenny Bapst Boussaert was originally born in Paris, France and at the young age of 19, she moved to NYC in pursuit of a modelling career. When she met her grandfather – the famous Italian rhythm and blues singer Rocky Roberts – Bapst revisited her life-long dream of creating music and started using her modeling reserves to fund her artistic endeavor.
Enjoy Jenny’s take on the music and fashion combination below….
‘Even though music and fashion are both in the entertainment business, to me they are both extremely different. From my perspective, modeling was always more about adapting to the job I was hired for or the product I was selling. In music, I am able to be myself and freely express my feelings, wear what I want to wear, just simply be me. To me, fashion has always been a job and music has been my passion. People always see the fashion world as glamorous and fun, but for models while it is fun, it’s still a job. My style is definitely reflected in my music. Like my music, I like to mix everything. My music goes from electro-pop to R&B and hints of rock influence. I mix my look as well. One day I dress urban and edgy and the following day I might dress rock n roll. It’s fun to not have to choose, as I am a mix too (black, white, French and American).
In modeling, I’ve worked with every kind of client or designer from the Haute Couture Runway with Jean Paul Gaultier or Dsquared, to hair campaigns for L’Oreal or Garnier, to more commercial work with swimsuit catalogs for Macy’s. I’ve also worked with Victoria’s Secret and Rachel Roy during the creative process while they designed the clothes on me. I’ve gotten to see the entire process of fashion from start to finish; from creation to retail…it is such an amazing learning experience and extremely interesting. But I have to say the most fun is definitely when they let you be yourself while working. For example, one time I did a runway show in Paris while dribbling a basketball in a skirt and high heels!
Fashion and music inspire me equally in the making of my original music because it is all a part of me, a lifestyle…how I grew up. They both go together for me.’
