Rising artist, Jazzie Young, puts her own spin on The Cranberries’ “Zombie”, dives into the evolution of her music, and describes growing up as Jesse Colin Young’s daughter.
BTS: What made you want to cover The Cranberries’ “Zombie”?
Jazzie Young: It’s one of my favorite songs, so it was at the top of my list when I decided to record a cover. I also love that it’s a bit more on the rock side of things than I’ve recorded before and I wanted to explore that type of sound with my voice and arrangements. It was a way to dip my toe into that 90’s genre while still working with a song that has such deep and meaningful lyrics. I’ve also been told that my voice sounds a bit like Dolores O’Riordan’s so I knew the vocal range would fit comfortably with my natural voice, even though we did end up doing the cover version a step down from the original key.
BTS: What was the process like recreating the song to make it your own?
Jazzie Young: Before we officially recorded the track, I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted my version to be. I knew I wanted to keep it in the same genre, and have the cover really pay homage to the original, while adding my own twist. I came up with the a cappella intro idea pretty soon after we started working on the song. I also love cello, so we ended up adding in some strings to the mix to give the song that extra bit of moodiness and drama that I can’t get enough of. From there, the creation process really just took ahold. My producer and engineer, Mike Post, was so fun to work with because we constantly bounced ideas off of each other until something stuck.
BTS: How did you come up with the concept for your video? What was it like filming?
Jazzie Young: When I was a lot younger and heard ‘Zombie” for the first time, I thought it was a song about internal struggle – about the external perception vs the internal, and the war that happens inside when what people see and what someone feels are so vastly different. So for the visuals, I wanted to play on that concept of the outside vs inside influences and how they coexist and interact with one another.
Filming was a lot of fun! I got to bring back some of the dancers I’ve worked with on my other music videos, as well as some brand new faces – even one of my best friends got to be in the video! I also got to collaborate with my friend Amy Ryerson on this project. She’s choreographed and creatively directed multiple videos of mine but this time, she took the director’s seat. It was a really cool learning experience for me. Every time I work on a new piece of visual art, I always learn so much about the things that work and the things that I’d like to change in the future. It helps me to hone my style of visual storytelling.
BTS: What do you want to show fans with this release?
Jazzie Young: I want to show them a new side of me as an artist. My first EP was definitely a singer-songwriter/slightly indie-pop based sound, but with this single, I was able to dive a bit more into a movement driven sound. It’s a direction I’m very interested in exploring with my own music.
BTS: What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Jazzie Young: I just hope that they like this cover and that they feel like it does the original song justice. It’s such a timeless piece of art and I think we made something really special that still honors that essence.
BTS: How has your life/ childhood impacted your music?
Jazzie Young: I started writing music from a very early age and I think that has a lot to do with my childhood and how shy I was. Songwriting has always been my outlet for my tougher and more sensitive emotions – a way for me to thoroughly express myself without judgment or fear. I think also growing up in a household where music was created and shared was very impactful for me and my pursuit of it.
BTS: How has being the daughter of Jesse Colin Young played a role in your love for music?
Jazzie Young: It definitely played a big part in my introduction to music. Growing up and having a parent who is a working musician opened my eyes to both the struggles and possibilities of that life. I’m lucky that my parents have always been very supportive of my goals, music or otherwise, but they never pushed for me to pursue music. It was always left up to me to decide who and what I wanted to be.
BTS: How has your career changed since the release of your debut EP grown up & grown apart?
Jazzie Young: I feel like I’ve learned so much since the creation and release of my first EP. That was the first fully formed body of work that I’ve ever done and it was really my introduction into the world as an artist. Now that I have that under my belt, I want to continue to evolve my sound and my vision as I put out new music.
BTS: What is your favorite part about being an artist?
Jazzie Young: Honestly the creation process. I love writing. When you first come up with a new song that you love and being able to figure out how it should be recorded – what instruments and sounds you want. I love that part because its fully yours and there are endless possibilities. Once it’s out into the world, I don’t feel like it’s mine anymore – it has a life of its own.
I’ve also really started enjoying the creation of music videos to further dive into the story of my songs. I’m hands on when it comes to my videos, from the makeup and styling, to the color palette, to the story driven visual style. I like to make sure the visuals are me through and through.
BTS: What can we expect from you next? Will there be concerts/ tours?
Jazzie Young: I’m currently writing some new songs and will be working on recording them this winter. I’d love to have a few more songs out before I tour, as well as maybe some more fun covers under my belt. But I’m looking to start touring in spring of 2022 when everything hopefully opens up a bit more.
BTS: What are you most excited for in the future?
Jazzie Young: All of it! I can’t wait to perform and get more comfortable with my art, and create and collaborate with new and talented artists. There are so many possibilities and I’m just excited to discover and experience them all.
BTS: What final message do you want to send to fans and listeners?
Jazzie Young: I hope that when my fans and new people listen to my music they feel seen and understood. I think that’s all anyone really wants.
Jazzie Young is just getting started. She has a lot in store for us and we can’t wait to see what tricks are up her sleeve, next!
Photos: Michaela Sprague
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