If youâve ever wondered what it really takes to bring music alive in Paris, todayâs story will sweep you straight into smoky jazz bars, vintage rock-and-roll riffs, and a little bit of cinematic romance.
My name is Krystal Kenneyâan American who chased her creative dreams all the way to Paris and turned them into a life. Through La Vie Creative, I sit down with artists, dreamers, and rule-breakers from around the world, sharing their stories not just to entertain, but to spark something in you too. Creativity isnât a gift reserved for the lucky fewâit’s wired into every single one of us. We just need to remember how to use it.
Todayâs guest is the perfect reminder of that.
đ¶ Meet Cecilya Mestres
Born in Barcelona, raised by rhythm, Cecilya has been playing music since she was three years old. In 2019 she packed her bags, landed in Paris with no job, no plan, and no networkâjust a feeling.
A feeling that life was waiting for her here.
She was right.
Within months she was performing across the city, bringing 1950s rock-and-roll, blues, and smoky rhythm & blues to stages hungry for something both nostalgic and new. Her music is fresh with vintage fingerprintsâa revival of what many might call a lost era, made electric again through her voice.
And then came the pandemic.
Everything stopped. Concerts vanished, bars closed, inspiration ran quietâyet something beautiful happened. In that forced stillness, Cecilya created her first album.
âI always wanted to make an album, but I never had the time. The pandemic gave me that time.â
Sometimes the world closes a door so that you finally walk through the one you were meant to.
đž The Paris Discovery (and the Surprise No One Warned Her About)
Arriving in Paris, Cecilya was shocked by two things:
- People loved her music.
Not just enjoyedâloved. Paris had space for her sound, and more importantly, no one else was doing what she was doing. - Almost no musicians spoke English.
Which made jam sessions⊠fascinating.
So she learned French. She learned the scene. She learned how to survive gigs where crowds were loud, distracted, and sometimes drunk.
And she kept going.
Cecilya sang at every jam session she could findâtiny bars, jazz clubs, any corner of the city where people gathered to make noise and call it art. It was there she found the musicians who now play beside her. It was there she met her partner, guitarist, and co-composer, Rudolf Jamon.
A little A Star is Born, a little Parisian magic.
âWe fell in love first. He didnât want to work with me at the beginning,â she laughed. âBut I insisted. And now here we are.â
đ„ The Candy Kings & The Power of the French Arts System
Cecilyaâs band, The Candy Kings, has toured all over Europe and even performed in Las Vegasâher dream since the moment she first heard a Sun Records vinyl spin with raw, old-world rock-and-roll.
But success isnât just talent and timing.
France, uniquely, pays musicians a salary through its cultural system if they meet a minimum number of gigs each year. Itâs one of the only countries in the world where being an artist can financially sustain you without compromise.
âIn Spain I had to sing every day just to survive. In France, I can create what I want to create.â
đ The Stage is Her True Home
Paris may have been the launchpad, but Cecilyaâs wings spread far beyond it.
Today she performs less in the city and more across Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and festival stages around the world. There’s a line outside Cavern every time she plays in Paris, and yet, sheâs happiest on the road:
âI love connecting with new audiences. Every country reacts differently. My job is to reach them emotionallyâwherever they are.â
She speaks of creativity as necessity, not luxury. Something like breath.
âWhen I was a child, anytime I felt sad or overwhelmed, I’d come home from school and sing for three hours. Singing was how I made sense of myself.â
Even now, itâs the same.
đ§ Cecilya’s Advice for Creatives
Whether youâre a painter, poet, musician, or someone rediscovering your creative spark, this was my favorite moment from our conversation:
âDonât create for money. Donât wait to feel ready. Just start.
Creation comes like a blessingâbut only if youâve shown up first.â
Creativity, she believes, is discipline meeting divine impulse. The work is to be there when inspiration arrives.
Just like she wasâParis, 2019. No plan. Just a feeling.
And look what happened.
đ§ Listen, Follow, Experience
If you want to hear Cecilyaâs music, feel her energy, and get swept into that vintage-meets-modern world sheâs creating:
Listen & Follow:
Instagram / YouTube / Facebook â Cecilya Mestres
Website for tour dates & music â cecilia.net
If you’re in Paris, you may catch her at Cavern, especially around New Yearâs Eve. Otherwise, she might be in Germany next month, Switzerland next year, or perhaps⊠coming to a city near you.
Thank you, Cecilya.
Thank you, music.
Thank you for reminding us that creativity begins the moment we dare to trust our instincts.
Stay curious, stay creative, and Iâll see you inside the next story.
â Krystal
