Talented musician Jill Barber is currently in town improving her French language skills and playing gigs. She took some time to chat with us at Nice's beautiful Negresco hotel. Although she is well known in her native Canada, Jill is less famous here in Europe. Surely that is going to change as she spends more time over here. Her style and songs are perfectly suited for the European Jazz Festival circuit.

When people ask you what kind of music you play, how do you describe it?

Yes that's always a tough one - I used to say it was "Smoky Folk", which seemed to link the style of songs and the voice style I have. Recently I've been saying it's Jazz, as I start using more instrumentation. But I guess people hear me and decide for themselves.

Your latest album, "Mischievous Moon", has quite a fifties era sound with lots of instrumentation.

Yes it's a style I like, I think it suits my voice, and it gives the guys in the band a chance to shine. I don't know if this a permanent shift or just a phase. I was inspired to try something like this after I got a chance to play with the Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra. It was really exhilarating to play with such a broad palette of musical colours.

Do albums still have a role in these days when people buy individual songs and play them randomly in playlists on their iPods?

For me as an artist they certainly do - they're like books describing the phases of my life. Then the songs become like chapters. It's a structure that allows me to be creative. If people listen to them as isolated songs it means the structure has been a success and made me creative!

At MIDEM there were lots of panel discussions about how the economics of the music business has changed and it's really hard to make money out of music these days what with all the filesharing and so on. How has the web affected you?

It's been great for me! I have been able to connect with my fan base in a way that would not have been possible in the old days of big music labels. People can share my songs illegally, that's for sure. But I make most of my money from playing concerts and from my music being placed in TV and movies. I guess it's harder for people to get massively rich from music than it was say thirty years ago, but it's probably easier now for more people to break through. People seem to listen to a wider variety of music and more musicians can benefit.

What kind of music was in the house when you were a child?

A lot of classical, and a key moment for me was when my mother introduced me to Ella Fitzgerald's songs. My parents wanted both me and my brother to play the piano, so we took lessons and hated it. They were pretty amazed that we both ended up becoming professional musicians!

Your brother is a musician?

Yes, he's called Matthew, and he is a bit older than me. He took up the guitar and I started listening to him and the songs he was writing. I was in complete admiration and I took up the guitar as well. He's very successful, and we even play together sometimes. We performed a series of gigs we called the "Sibling Revelry Tour" that was a lot of fun. I think that name says it all - we really enjoy each other's music and company.

What about other musical influences?

Oh, so many! Etta James, Nat King Cole, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and then of course the wonderful Canadian stars we have. There's Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and so many others. I don't know what it is about Canada but we seem to produce some great songwriters. Maybe it's because it is so cold people hunker down in basements and get writing!

Your are working hard on perfecting your French.

Yes that's a promise I made to a French Canadian audience after I mumbled some words in French in a show. They were so warm and appreciative, they got right behind me and we did one of our best ever gigs there. I think I owe it to them to be a better French speaker. I find French audiences are very passionate and responsive. It's a great atmosphere that suits my style.

Leonard Cohen said he spent ten years writing "Hallelujah". How long do you spend on your songs.

To be honest if it doesn't work for me in a couple of hours it's never going to work! Some songs just flow out, like "Oh My My", that seems to be one of my most popular numbers. I used to write by playing the guitar and working out a melody first, but these days I have a different technique. I go off into a room and sing in a kind of stream of consciousness until I develop an idea I like.

What's next for Jill Barber?

I'm going to be staying for a month in retreat in the Rockies, writing songs for my next album. Then after that I'll be back on the road. I am looking to develop my career more in Europe - I'd like to get as well-known over here as I am back home in Canada. We'll see what develops.

Interview also conducted by Marie Stoyle