Music can effortlessly open people up and connect them – themes that run through everything I do – so it’s a joy for me to have music as such a big part of my work
Music has always been a part of my life, from taking grades in classical piano and flute as a kid, to dancing round the living room to Motown on scratched vinyl as a teenager, to student jobs singing late night jazz ballads at Cambridge Balls.
In 2010, I treated myself to guitar lessons – an instrument I’d always wanted to play – learning to play songs I’d written years before and then, starting to create new ones. After a few years I was gigging regularly solo. Then in 2017, I added to my repertoire a whole different kind of gig with the creation of my ‘Lady J’ persona – with red hair pieces, bellydance belts and big boots! Initially Lady J was for Lady J and the Troublemakers – a loose collective of some incredible musicians from across Suffolk, who got together for occasional exuberant gigs full of banter, audience percussion and cherry-bakewell-awards!
In 2018, I took Lady J in a new direction by creating Busking Nights with Lady J. These open mic nights have all the joy of a Lady J gig – and the audience percussion! – but welcome a joyously eclectic mix of open mic-ers from across music, spoken word, improv – and pretty much anything you can do in front of a microphone! Creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere at those nights, encouraging audiences to get involved, supporting great performers to be heard and new performers to take those first tentative steps, is everything I love about entertainment.
In 2022 I got back to my jazz roots by teaming up with keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist Bill Stoddart to form Bill & Behn – so called because we met when I was playing Aphra Behn in a play Bill was musical director on! We play in pubs, care homes, community events – and anywhere that wants to share our joy in playing the music we love – whether that’s jazz standards, classic covers or musical favourites.
If you’d like to know more about Busking Nights with Lady J, Bill & Behn, Lady J and the Troublemakers or my solo singer-songwriter gigs, then do check out the links below:
www.justinedemierremusic.com – www.facebook.com/justinedemierremusic
“Justine is an incredibly creative and open minded musician. She is always open to new ideas and willing to try something different”
Harley, Musician
www.facebook.com/groups/buskingnightswithladyj
www.ladyjandthetroublemakers.co.uk – www.facebook.com/ladyjandthetroublemakers
You can also find out more about my Darklove show, which combines, songs, stories and poems all about the darker side of love at