Fresh off the release of her latest single and video “Funeral For A Lover”, we chatted with the powerful rock-alt artist, JJ Wilde, about her music and the exciting 2020 that she has planned.
How would you describe your music to people who have never heard it?
I would say that my music is an extension of myself. It is a raw and emotional outlook on how I see the world and the different interactions I have with people in my life. It is an unapologetic sound for sure. Not trying to fit anywhere in particular but more just trying to get what I have to say out into the world.
How did you get started with music and when did you decide to pursue as a profession?.
I have always loved music since I was a little kid. I would sing along to whatever my parents or older siblings were listening to, until I found my own taste in music. My brother taught me how to play guitar when I was 15 and that is when I truly started writing songs. I began playing open mics, and coffee houses in high school and fell in love with performing. At 18, I started gigging and pretty much haven’t stopped since. I had experience touring with an old band of mine going across Canada multiple times, and when that ended, I wasn’t sure if I should continue music. But, like any struggling artists, the will to give up on that dream was less than the will to continue. So I continued to play gigs and try the scene as a solo artist until this past year, when I met my manager and eventually signed to his label. The rest is history!
Your latest music video for “Funeral For A Lover” is incredibly powerful and the song itself addresses mental health struggles. What message, or messages, are you hoping to send to your listeners with this song?
For me this song is about starting/ continuing a very important conversation. So many people struggle with mental health illnesses, and yet it is still a soft spot for many people to talk about. I think a big message is to accept that it is an illness. Everyone has bad days, but depression, bipolar, so many others, are not just a series of bad days, it is a real illness and there are options for support. I think we need to start by changing the way we look at those illnesses. The other message I want people to take from this is that they are not alone. The purpose of this video being so raw and open is that hopefully people who are going through something similar will see it and realize that in moments where they feel like no one else understands, that if you reach out you will find many people struggle with the same issues or something similar. I also wanted to make a point of saying that mental illness does not just affect the ones who have it. Often times it is the ones closest that also feel the pain their loved ones are going through. And I think it’s important for the support to also have a place to go for support. You can only be so strong for someone else keeping your own mental health in check.
Who do you make your music for?
I write my music for myself, as a way of expressing what I am going through. The writing process is very therapeutic for me in that sense. But that being said, I also write those songs for others to hear and relate to and hopefully make them feel something, whether that’s helping them get over something, celebrate something – I just hope it makes them feel.
When or where do you feel like you create your best work?
I find that I create the best when I feel inspired. Usually after I go through something that invokes real emotion, good or bad. No specific location or time, but more when I have a certain feeling, I know I should pick up my guitar.
Any artists that you’ve been digging lately?
I have been listening to a lot of country and hip hop lately surprisingly. I go through phases of music where I crave a certain genre and then listen to it non stop and then move on to an album or an artist. Currently listening to a lot of Mac Miller.
What are JJ Wilde’s plans for 2020?
I am about to head out on my first tour of the year in about a week going across the States, opening for The Bluestones and I can’t wait! Then I come home and go back on the road for my first Canadian tour opening for Jimmy Eat World ! The rest of the year is looking like a lot of traveling, touring, and new music to be put out. I can’t wait!
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