What You Expect Sits With Jessica Jolia
I want to start with your new song “No Question”. It’s a great R&B/ Pop song. I feel like I can hear it on the radio. Was this a song in your arsenal for a while or was it something you recorded and released immediately?
This is actually a song that I wrote fairly recently. I recorded a lot of music last year. With this one, there was a track I had in a folder from a producer; his name is Dizzy Wolf. I listened to it about a month ago. I really liked it but at the time I was working on something else so I put it to the side. So, a month ago I revisited it and I really wanted to write to it. This one was cool because he titled his instrumentals and this was called No Questions. I played it off of that.
It’s a great song, I listened to it about 80 times already and it came out yesterday. When a song that good is released are you relieved because you worked so hard on it or are you nervous to hear what people have to say?
I’m always excited when I release new music. There’re some songs I have in the chamber for a while and some I recorded more recently but I’m always excited to release them.
I noticed you said you recorded remotely do you find that comfortable because you’re in your own space or would you rather be in a studio?
I prefer to be in my own space. Before the pandemic, I liked to be in the studio with producers and be very hands-on with the process. I wouldn’t mind having a few people in the room but if it came to me presenting my music I rather lay it out first. I’m always open to constructive criticism.
Going through your music catalog I see “Sweet Love” and “Sometimes” were your first songs. Comparing that to “No Questions”, do you feel like your music style has changed or you’ve always been the same Jessica?
I think that I strive to grow all the time. I would never put out anything I can put my stamp on but it’s always nice to look back and see maturity. Whether it's lyrically, sonically, or the music production. I’m very solid with everything I released up to this point.
What I think is interesting about “Sweet Love” is it’s a 7-minute song. I thought that exhibited some courage because that’s one of your first songs and it has some length to it. Do you feel that way?
I know there are times to focus on the length of a song because of the type of song, the genre, and the overall objective. If I’m writing a song and my goal is to get it on the radio it will be 2:50-3:30 minutes max. But if it’s a song of me just being me and it’s storytelling I do not focus on those elements because it’s not as significant at the moment. “Sweet Love” ended up being 7 minutes long because I wanted a nice string arrangement.
You‘ve worked with multiple artists such as King Real, Alex L, and Mickey Shiloh, and what I noticed about those artists is they all have different genres. Alex has a dance vibe; King Real is rap and Mickey has a reggae theme. Is it difficult to jump in different genres or is it just music at the end of the day?
When I have an opportunity to work with other artists and songwriters I think it’s really cool to be as versatile as possible, not to the stretch where it’s not translating and outside of your space. If someone invites me to something, it’s a privilege and I do my best to work in any space that song might require; and I enjoy it.
When did that love for music blossom?
I think in part with my love of music; I didn’t entirely have a choice. Before I was even born my dad put headphones on my mother's stomach and played different music while I was developing. He would play classical, jazz, R&B, and other genres just so I can be exposed to them. The earliest memory my parents have is being 1 playing with dolls and my mom would peep her head in and she said I made the dolls sing in an opera voice. As I got older I was in a band, choir and played instruments. I went to college on a scholarship for classical vocal. So, it's always been a part of me.
What was the motivation for starting your own label?
It’s similar to the motivation behind other things I’ve done. Initially, when I was writing and recording I would go to the studio with an engineer and I got to a point where I don’t want to rely on another person. If I have an idea at 2 PM or 2 AM I want to have the resources and ability to lay that idea down. Whether I'm going to a studio or doing it remotely I want to have the knowledge and skillset to do it on my own.
Do you have songs that were based on past experiences from your life and you just engraved lyrics in your notebook or verbally spit your emotions in a microphone?
My song “In the Water” I think represents me the most out of the songs I released recently. In a sense of speaking to who I am and the type of message, I would like people to get from all my music in some capacity.