- Words Louis Rabinowitz
Nottingham-born alt artist, Jalle, opens up about his musical healing process, writing as a form of therapy and what the future looks like for him.
I’ve listened to your new EP, and I love the mix of sounds there. Can you give us a little background on where you started with this mix of influences?
The mix of influences on ‘I’m Sorry’ comes from my two favourite genres of music – hip-hop and rock. I’m into all sorts, from Eminem to Paramore. I feel like this EP really reflects my love for both genres by colliding them together whilst adding some influence from pop music.
How did your time at Community Recording Records help build your musical sense of self?
The time I spent at CRS really paved the way for me and gave me time to work on my craft. It ensured I stayed out of trouble (which I often got into) and allowed me to focus my energy on creativity.
How have you built your confidence up from your time at school to tell your own stories in your music?
I think I just stopped caring so much about what people think of me. I took ownership of all the good and bad in my life and learnt how to use it in a positive way to fuel my songwriting.
What kinds of artists are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment, I’m listening a lot to this band called WAAX. They are from New Zealand and make really great punk music. They are just such a vibe, the album ‘Big Grief’ has been getting rinsed recently.
Your EP has a big variation in mood across its four songs. How important is it for you to capture different emotional states even within your projects?
I think for this project in particular it was important to me to capture the different moods as each song touches on a different type of pain that I’ve felt throughout my life. We all feel different emotions on different days and I think a good body of work can reflect that.
Do you feel any contradiction trying to find the peace from a bad situation to make an upbeat sound, like in “Lazy Bones”?
That was kind of the whole point of this track, I love the fact that I took an experience that was very emotionally draining and made a song out of it that I wanna turn up to!
“Hate Me” is a clearly autobiographical song about a real relationship. What does it mean for you personally to explore your own vulnerability in public? Do you think it’s part of the healing process to bring your issues into your art?
It’s definitely part of the healing process, I think it makes me own up to things when I write songs about very personal situations in my life, as I can’t hide from it if it lives in my songs. I see writing as a form of therapy for me.
Do you find yourself trying to strike a balance between apology and pride in your songwriting?
I think when I write, I think less about my pride because I like my music to be real. So, if I made a mistake in my life then my music is the place for confession.
What’s your typical approach to storytelling in your music? Why are your chosen genres the right ones to tell those stories?
I think I just get to a place where I feel comfortable. I usually write about the story on a word doc before turning it into lyrics, almost like my GCSE English essays, then I break down all the important parts in the story into lyrics. I’ve always been influenced by other artists’ storytelling ability through Rap, so I guess I’ve tried to do this but with my own twist on it. I like the idea of the listener being able to understand how I was feeling at that moment through my lyrics.
Your musical project is all about making others feel heard by sharing your own emotions. How has that communication with your audience been?
It’s been amazing to see people who relate to my songs. There aren’t many feelings that can top this. I feel this sense of unity and it inspires me to write more songs about my experiences in the hope that it can help other people deal with their issues.
You’ve just signed up to Warner Records, a huge step in your career. What does the future look like for you?
Yeah getting signed still feels kinda crazy to say that it happened to me! Getting signed to Warner is great, but it doesn’t make this any less hard work. I just want to keep being creative and releasing music. I think the future is exciting and I wanna build on what I have set out already. Expect a lot more music on the way!
