- Words Solly Warner
- Photography Tom Sloan
Rising Nottingham musician, Jalle, picks 10Trax that inspired his 'Hey' mixtape.
18-year-old Nottingham musician, Jalle, blends the storytelling ability of a rapper with the addictive melodies and sing-along vocals of your favourite band. From writing about doomed romances to growing pains and getting high with his mates, Jalle is quickly becoming one to watch.
Experiencing a tumultuous time growing up, Jalle turned to music to help him through that difficult period of his life. Solace came in the shape of his hometown’s Community Recording Studios, where he learned to make music and became an engineer. Joining in with the city’s thriving live music scene, Jalle honed his performance ability, sound, and soon became a regular fixture on the open mic scene.
Unsigned at the time, it was a massive feat for Jalle to have his debut single “Pick Me Up” played on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show. Clearly, the industry was wising up to his mounting star power. Now, he’s been snapped up by Warner Records for an album deal.
After three singles – the aforementioned “Pick Me Up”, “Hey” and “Shitfaced”, Jalle last week dropped a four-track mixtape, which included his three singles, as well as the standout track, “Someone I Could’ve Been Part Of”.
Now, Jalle has picked 10Trax for Notion that inspired his ‘Hey’ project.
"Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots
"This song was the inspiration behind the production of ‘Hey’. When I first wrote ‘Hey’ it was very lo-fi and needed some weight adding to it, and I suggested something in the world of this song".
"Hollywood’s Bleeding" by Post Malone
"I remember that I was struggling with what to do with my song ‘Someone I Could’ve Been Part Of’ – my manager sent over this track for the beat style and I loved it. Charlie from the Nocturns, who produced the track, added his own creative spin to the song but the drum was inspired by 'Hollywood’s Bleeding'".
"hot girl bummer" by blackbear
"blackbear was a big inspiration for me energy wise during the making of my EP, but particularly the way he delivered his vocals in this track especially, and the way his vocals carried a swagger to them".
"Deep End" by Holly Humberstone
"I always knew that my EP needed a stripped back track, but I thought it was going to be a piano one. I remember thinking it would be cool to just do a stripped back guitar track like this, and that how ‘Shitfaced’ came to be".
"11 Minutes (with Halsey feat. Travis Barker)" by YUNGBLUD, Halsey, Travis Barker
"With this song, I just loved the concept and it was something I related to. It inspired me to write ‘Pick Me Up’, it’s also about what I was going through at the time with someone".
"She Wants My Money" by Dominic Fike
"This song also inspired ‘Shitfaced’, and the feel of the mood of the guitar in this song speaks to me".
"Candy (feat. Trippie Redd)" by Machine Gun Kelly
"I just loved how honest Machine Gun Kelly is on this song, while still keeping it relatable. I wanted to recreate this on ‘Someone I Could’ve Been Part Of’, by being vulnerable on a song and just making something I truly believe in".
"Why Her Not Me" by Grace Carter
"This song speaks to me on a level I can’t explain. It was also written by Mike Kintish, who I wrote ‘Someone I Could’ve Been Part Of’ with, and this track motivated me to speak about my loss of a loved one and my experience of that".
"Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots
"This song was another reference, alongside Stressed Out, for the sonics that reflected over into the ‘Hey’ production".
"If You Want Love" by NF
"This track is on the playlist even though it didn’t directly inspire any particular track – but the mood of this song gives me the same feel that ‘Someone I Could’ve Been Part Of’ does".