INTERVIEW: Jess Day releases new single 'Signals'

Adelaide singer-songwriter Jess Day has steadily been building a reputation as one of Australia’s brightest new talent’s since the release of her debut single ‘Waiting’ in 2018. Last year, the jangly, guitar pop single ‘Why Is She So Beautiful’, with its wry take on an ex-lover’s new partner gained Day a Featured Artist spot on triple J Unearthed. Further success continued with singles ‘Rabbit Hole’ and ‘Affection’, the latter becoming one of the most played Australian songs on national radio for several weeks.

Today she returns with the new single ‘Signals’, a smooth swinging track which introduces an ethereal synth backdrop to Day’s traditional guitar pop sonic landscape. Inspired by “the conflicting emotions of resenting yet missing someone who mistreated you”, the track is packed full of addictive melodies, smart lyrics and Day’s gorgeous vocals which switch between dismissive anger and warm harmonies. We recently spoke with Jess to find out all about her career and the creation of this track.

Hi Jess! It’s great to chat with you. How is everything in your life at the moment in these crazy times?!|
Hey! It’s going pretty well, considering. Releasing new music is always exciting so I have that
to keep my spirits high.

If we start by going right back to beginning, what are your first memories of music?
My first vivid memory of really connecting with music is of me in my bedroom listening to some
kind of compilation CD like So Fresh and ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ came on. I just remember thinking I LOVE
this song. It was a sense of expression I hadn't felt before and I felt it in my bones. That was my first
favourite song and led to me developing a real taste for music.

What role did music play in your childhood – did you learn any instruments, do any performing?
I have lots of memories of my Dad playing chords and singing on guitar and me just strumming the strings with him. He had a repertoire of songs he would consistently play including Nirvana, Crowded House, Powderfinger to name a few bands. I only properly learned guitar around 11 or 12 years old and was so incredibly shy of performing that I avoided it almost completely until it was absolutely necessary. I had to keep my computer in the hallway as a kid and I very clearly remember being embarrassed learning songs on guitar in front of my parents. I didn't sing for years because I thought they'd hear me.

When did you decide to make music a career – was there a ‘light bulb moment’ or did it happen organically?
I've always dedicated a lot of time to learning how to record myself and make my own music. The light bulb moment of knowing I could do this myself without a band was hearing Julia Jacklin's ‘Pool Party’. I'd only ever envisioned myself playing rock music in a band but I really adored this song and thought it was a style I could enjoy writing just by myself. I then wrote my first track ‘Waiting’ super fast, in about half and hour and thought this could be something worth releasing.

Your new single ‘Signals’ is out today and it is brilliant! You have said it is about ‘resenting yet missing someone who mistreated you.’ Can you tell us a little bit more about the inspiration behind the track?
Thank you so much! I tried to articulate feeling both of these conflicting emotions at the same time. I was inspired to write it in a way that takes you on the journey of being in complete denial about missing someone and eventually, ending up admitting the unfortunate truth to yourself that you do miss them and that's normal and okay but it doesn't mean that they can be in your life.

There is a definite synthpop groove in the skeleton of the song which we haven’t really heard from you before, was it intentional to bring different sounds into the track?
Absolutely. I wanted to try something a bit different for this one and get a bit of an 80's vibe in there somehow. I wrote the song on guitar like I usually do but added the synth parts in later for a bit more colour and wistfulness. I liked where it went and it just got progressively more "synthpoppy" as the demo process went on.

What does the typical creative process look like for you when you are writing and recording music – if there is such a thing a ‘typical’!
I think typical is different for everyone. It varies for myself from song to song too. But generally for me as a solo artist, if I'm trying to write a pop song, it’s always the rhythm of the melody and the melody itself that I start with to get a great hook. I'll work in some chords around that and it then starts to get a mind of its own. For less pop songs of mine, it’s the musical elements and lyrics that come first and I try to weave them into a coherent story that I feel does justice to my personal experience. Either way, I get the chords and melodies for the verse, chorus, bridge and anything else, record them in my bedroom studio, layer the other instrumentation over the top and finally tweak the structure until its the most potent and engaging it can be.

This is your first new music of 2020, can we expect more new tracks from you, possibly in the form of a debut album or EP?
Yes, you'll definitely be hearing more from me this year.

In the wake of the #metoo movement there has been a lot of debate around gender equality. What are your thoughts on sexism and gender equality in the music industry?
The playing field is starting to even out. I'm seeing more and more women in business roles in music but most
noticeably as role models, doing more than staying in the lane of the female pop star. I'm seeing more women in rock music than ever, women in male dominated genres like electronic and heavy music and it's so great to see the next generation is going to have women in these types of music be normalised. It won't be a novelty to see a woman fronting a rock band, or a female drummer or guitarist. Seeing this level of representation as a teen would have fast tracked the thought that I could do this as a career. There is still such a long way to go but the more women we get at the top of this industry, the more likely we are to feel motivated, heard and respected as we pursue our career.

Do you have any tips on navigating this unusual, and sometimes scary, new world of self-isolation and quarantine?
I would suggest that you be wary of what depression looks like. This could be a bit of a time bomb for those
who have suffered with depression in the past. If you socially isolate people, give them no sense of routine and a healthy dose of uncertainty for long enough, you're taking away a lot of coping mechanisms. I would say, try your best to make a routine. Rise at a regular time, shower and get dressed like you are starting the day, incorporate exercise as part of this routine if you can, have regular meal times set for yourself and let your support network know that you might need people to reach out and call you a bit more often. Reach out to your friends and maybe even do one day on, one day off social media if the news makes you anxious.

What else is on the agenda for Jess Day in 2020?
Lots of new music. I'd like to say some shows too but if we're in lockdown for a while, I'll be
writing a lot of new songs instead!

‘Signals’ is out now through Ditto Music. You can download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.

To keep up with all things Jess Day you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.