INTERVIEW: Sparrows talks new single 'Hide & Seek' and starting a record label
Sydney multi-talented artist Sparrows (real name Jessica Nittles) sings, produces and earlier this year added record label owner to her CV when she started up independent label Rola Door Records with fellow musician Fluir.
Sparrows worked behind the scenes in the music and entertainment industry for a number of years before switching to the other side of the microphone in 2015 with a number of vibrant electro-synth-pop singles with addictive melodies and unique vocals which both evoke classic eras of pop whilst remain utterly contemporary.
Last month, Sparrows released her first new music of 2020 with the single ‘Hide & Seek’, a more stripped back electro track with a persistent beat and multi-layered vocals, coupled with a surprise appearance by Sparrows’ young neighbour thanks to an iPhone recorded sample! It’s the kind of music that you want to play over and over and Sparrows should be on every self-respecting pop fan’s playlist in 2020. We recently caught up with Sparrows to find out more.
Hi Jess! Thanks for chatting to us. How is everything going for you in this crazy new world of isolation?!
No worries! Up and down, trying to stay present and take one day at a time – learning a lot about myself.. and my housemates ha ha!
What are your first memories of music?
Flash dancing to Stevie Wonder when I was 2 at Old Poppa’s house.
What steps did you take to get your music career started?
Quit my day job and enrolled into a Bachelor of Music at AIM. Spent a lot of time learning the craft of song writing and music production by making lots of crap songs!
You worked ‘behind the scenes’ in the music and entertainment industry before launching your own music career, what does it feel like to now be on the other side?
It feels much more me. I’m still very much behind the scenes with writing and producing my work but now have more creative control over projects.
You released your new single ‘Hide & Seek’ earlier in March, can you talk us through the inspiration behind this track?
A boy next-door was playing hide & seek, counting to 100 in an odd voice and I sampled him with my iPhone through the fence. In a writing session I played the sample along with a beat I had made to the producer and he was like, yep let’s build from that. It felt right to call it ‘Hide & Seek’.
You worked with Japanese Wallpaper on this track, can you tell us how this collaboration came about?
This collaboration was part of a 4 day APRA SongHub curated by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) in Melbourne. Our session included myself, Rob Amoruso and Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper).
You sampled a little boy playing next door to your house on the track, does he know yet that he is on a pop song?!
Nope! Ha ha!
You recently set up your own record label Rola Door Records with fellow musician Fluir. It is an incredible achievement, what was the inspiration for this, and what are your plans for the label?
Fluir and I are both at a stage in our careers where we’ve experienced enough to know what we do and don’t want. It felt like the best way for us to support one another on releases and other artists. Rola Door is a new age label run by the artist for the artist. We have a great team behind us who look after distribution, touring and PR.
There has been so much talk and debate around gender equality in the wake of #metoo. What are your thoughts on sexism and gender equality in the music industry?
My thoughts are we need to keep moving forward and learning from the past and continue to grow in our professions through being really great writers, artists, producers etc. regardless of gender.
Do you have any tips on how to get through this new, and sometimes scary, world of self-isolation and quarantine?
I exercise and meditate every day. Have some kind of daily ritual/routine but go easy on yourself if you don’t do it. I’m learning to give myself permission to have lazy days and not stress out that I’m not being ‘productive’. I laugh a lot with my housemates and check in regularly with my close mates via vid calls.
What else is on the agenda for Sparrows in 2020?
Going to just keep making songs, play a few shows via live streams and get creative.
‘Hide & Seek’ is out now on Rola Door Records. You can download in iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
To keep up with all things Sparrows, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
