Nico Chona in an interview: “The guitar became an obvious choice.”

Nico Chona is part of that young generation of French musicians we enjoy following and watching grow. Five years after Old Western Star, he returns with a new album, Sometimes the Tears, crafted with great care, carried by a broader and more nuanced sound palette. Writing, composition, production, recording: he takes on the entire process alone, as a skilled multi-instrumentalist and singer.

Knowing how to surround himself well is also one of his strengths. Mixing and mastering were entrusted to Bill Mims and Gavin Lurssen, two multi-award-winning American sound engineers, known for their work with many international artists. After a residency with his new quintet, Nico Chona is now preparing to hit stages in France and beyond to present this new release and reconnect with audiences. Learn more by reading the interview he kindly gave to Blues Actu Radio.

🎙️ Nico Chona interviewed by Sylvie Déclas

Hi Nico, how are you? Before talking about your current projects, I’d like to go back over your background, which the public probably knows little about. Learning music, influences, evolution: can you tell us the essentials?

Hi Sylvie, I’m doing very well, thank you. It’s a pleasure to talk with you again after quite a few years.
I started music at the age of 3, in a family of musicians where music was everywhere, all the time. I began with drums at that age. I quickly took lessons at a small municipal music school and, a few years later, joined the Dante Agostini school in Lyon. I graduated with a first prize at the age of 21.

At the same time, since my father was a guitarist and organist, I quickly wanted to play a second instrument. I started guitar around the age of 9 or 10. I learned on my own, listening to my father’s records, picking things up by ear from guitarists like Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton with John Mayall and Cream, or Dickey Betts with the Allman Brothers.

When and why did you decide to focus more on the guitar as your main instrument? Easier to carry, better for composing?

I never really favored guitar over drums, but I guess people know me more as a guitarist and singer, on stage or through my show Tone Factory on YouTube. I’ve always played both in my bands and other projects. Guitar simply became an obvious tool for composing, of course, but also for singing, which I started fairly early, around 14 or 15.

In 2017, you teamed up with video maker Dimitri Lazardeux to create the YouTube channel Tone Factory, dedicated to music. It quickly became a reference for amateur and professional musicians, as well as instrument brands and music stores. How and why did this project come about?

I had started making a few videos for the guitar shop where I worked, Aurel Musique in Bourgoin-Jallieu, when I met Dimitri Lazardeux. He also had the idea of producing high-quality videos. So we decided to join forces and create Tone Factory, to share our passion for music and fine gear through regular episodes released every Tuesday and Saturday, like an appointment, in the spirit of a TV show.

“I never stopped writing and composing”

I had the feeling that your career as a songwriter and performer, and your band, were on hold. Was Tone Factory what sustained you financially and took up most of your time in recent years?

No, I never stopped writing and composing, quite the opposite. I recorded a lot of demos in my studio. I just didn’t want to rush into making another album that would sound like the previous ones. I wanted it to sound different, to have something meaningful to say, with a sound and songs that felt fully developed.

But I still tour a lot, around sixty shows a year, in clubs, festivals, and so on. Tone Factory takes up a lot of my time and helps me make a living, that’s true, but music still holds the number one place in my life.

You’ve had some great collaborations in your career, with Robben Ford, Jean-Marie Ecay, Yarol Poupaud and others. Recently, Yarol invited you to the Guitar Fest in Montluçon, where you met other musicians. Could this lead to new projects?

Yes, of course, I hope so.

What memories do you keep from these encounters? Which ones stand out, and do you have any anecdotes to share?

They’re always very stimulating, enriching experiences, and fun too. Yarol Poupaud is really someone I love sharing the stage with. He instantly puts you at ease, and I love his energy.

Robben Ford, there’s no cheating with a musician of that caliber. He has his own musicality and language. He’s quite mysterious, and that’s exactly what I liked. You hear that in his playing and his tone. We also jammed between takes in the studio, which was one of my favorite moments. There was a great energy.

The most striking encounter was probably with Billy Gibbons, two years ago. It’s largely thanks to him and ZZ Top that I do this for a living. That meeting happened thanks to Ludo Egraz (Guitar Xtreme) and Yazid Manou, his French press agent.

Ludo Egraz once asked me: “Would you like to interview Billy Gibbons?” I couldn’t believe my ears. A few weeks later, we were there. Strangely, it felt very natural. After a few seconds, we started talking about cars. He loves them, and so do I, so that immediately broke the ice. It was a fascinating discussion, full of humor on his part and, of course, incredible anecdotes. We really connected and even exchanged phone numbers at the end of the interview to keep talking privately about cars and guitars. He’s someone of immense kindness, for whom I have great respect and admiration.

We first discovered Nico Chona & The Freshtones. You were a quartet of friends, with several projects each, like many musicians. In 2021, you created the acoustic trio Modern Delta. What remains of these projects today and for the future?

“Nico Chona & The Freshtones” was the name I gave to my project at the very beginning, even before recruiting musicians. Now it’s simply “Nico Chona”, and I have new musicians with me on stage. Modern Delta was a side project, but I still play that repertoire solo, guitar and vocals.

“I’ve always written and composed alone”

For Sometimes the Tears, you chose to do everything yourself, from writing to recording, playing all the instruments. Why such a personal choice?

I’ve always written and composed all the songs on my previous albums and EPs on my own, so the approach is the same for this new album. Playing all the instruments alone is also something I’ve always done for my demos. My close friends and family encouraged me to take it further and turn it into a full album. I was looking for new sounds and a new energy compared to my previous records, something I created alone and genuinely liked. So I decided to go all the way, to play and record all the instruments and vocals in my studio, on my 16-track tape machine.

The female backing vocals you hear on the album are sung by my aunt Catherine Chona, known as Shona as an artist, who kindly came to sing on a few tracks.

You created your own label, Bozeman Records, to remain independent. Why this choice, and where does the name come from?

Yes, I created Bozeman Records to be fully independent and free, to produce my records and tours the way I want. I founded the label with Johanna Courtois, who is its president and also worked on the artistic direction of the album.

For now, the label doesn’t support other artists, but I’d really like to in the future. Bozeman is indeed a town in Montana. I spent a few days there during a trip and loved it. Montana, Wyoming and Colorado inspired me a lot for the album, and I wrote a few songs there, including “Montana”.

This new album includes eleven original tracks, two of which are instrumentals. Where did you find inspiration for the lyrics, and what themes do the songs explore? It begins and ends with tears…

I draw a lot of inspiration from books and films. Sometimes I tell my own story too, but I mostly try to tell other people’s lives. Love stories, fleeting adventures, the tears of a painful breakup that eventually dry on their own and make us stronger. I also wrote a song for my grandfather, Georges, who passed away a few years ago and whom I miss a lot. I wanted to pay tribute to him and thought it might resonate with others. Knowing that someone can recognize themselves in the story I tell is what I like most.

Listening to the album, we hear influences ranging from JJ Cale, the Allman Brothers or Neil Young, between blues and rock. There are also more jazzy, even African touches on one track. Your playing seems more mature and subtle. How do you explain this evolution?

In recent years, I mostly listen to jazz and country. Of course, still blues and rock, but maybe a bit less. That probably influenced the way I play and sing. It’s hard for me to judge, but maybe I work on my guitar a bit more than before, with more refined tones in mind.

Do you ever plan to sing in French?

For now, no. I write directly in English, I don’t think about my lyrics and stories in French. It would feel less natural to me, but maybe one day I’ll give it a try.

For this album, you worked with professionals in the United States, with mixing by Bill Mims (The Black Crowes, Ben Harper, Alanis Morissette, Jimmy Cliff) and mastering by Gavin Lurssen (Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Steven Tyler, Robert Plant, Metallica, Gregg Allman). What motivated these choices and what did they bring to your music?

The sound engineers I had the chance to work with on this record are major names who made albums I love. They had a vision of my music that no one else would have had. Because of their background and culture, their approach to mixing is different from what’s usually done in France or Europe for these styles. This is their music above all. There was no need to explain what I wanted, they immediately understood my songs and gave them a color and energy exactly as I had imagined.

“We share the same musical culture”

How did you choose the musicians who will join you on stage? Can you introduce them?

The musicians I chose all come from blues, rock and country. We share the same musical culture and they immediately understood my music.
On guitar, there is Chris Loheac. Glenn Arzel plays guitar, mandolin and pedal steel. On drums, Julien Bonidon. On percussion, Nasser Saidani. And on bass, Dan Nambotin.

It’s a great lineup, and I’m really lucky to have them with me on the road. And on some dates, there will of course be a few surprises, with guest musicians.

The album release party is scheduled for January 8, 2026 at the New Morning, an iconic venue. Paris first, was that unavoidable? For the symbolism, for media exposure?

Exactly, and the New Morning is a venue I love. I’ve already played there twice, including once with my previous band. There’s a great energy.

An album promotion tour is planned. Which countries will you visit, and can you already share some dates?

It’s still being finalized, but there will be France, Belgium, Eastern Europe and the United States. All dates are listed on nicochona.com.

Will some of your older songs be included in the setlist, and which ones?

Yes, there are songs from previous albums in the setlist: Catalin Crest, Screen Boy, Old Western Star, and others.

Thank you, Nico!

Thank you, and see you very soon live.

To learn more, visit his official website or the Tone Factory channel