Q&A: Jane. Builds a Vessel for Vulnerability Through New EP ‘Celeste’
RAJ JAIN JUST WANTS TO BE REAL — Whether he’s catching waves near his Southern California hometown or writing songs in the back of a tour bus, Jain’s end goal is raw authenticity. A self-professed “big thinker,” he believes that humans are defined by the process of coming up with questions and actively seeking out answers.
Multiethnic and multinational, Jain grew up between India and the US, and says this global perspective can sometimes be confusing but ultimately gives him “more colors to paint with.” He’s tried on various musical hats in his lifetime, but his latest project, Jane. (a play on his last name), is a vessel to show his truest, most vulnerable form to the world.
Following the release of his first EP in 2021, What A Wonderful Time To Be Barely Alive, Jain released his second EP, Celeste, on March 31. In it, he employs tender vocals and lush instrumentals to channel an earnestness not found in most commercial music. In the EP’s opener, “How I Long,” listeners are enveloped in a swell of yearning, the words “how I long to be heard,” reverberating like an echo. This primes audiences for the rest of the project, which touches on themes of faith, collective and personal trauma, and healing.
Aside from his personal projects, Jain recently toured with Suki Waterhouse as a part of her band and found much inspiration for his own music along the way. He is a prolific writer — he had already completed another EP at the time of Celeste’s release, and is already working on the next.
Read below to catch up with Jain and get his takes on what “being real” means.
LUNA: First of all, I wanted to say that I loved listening to Celeste — it felt very tender in an accessible way. What were the goals of this EP?
JAIN: If I got to the clouds in the last EP (What A Wonderful Time To Be Barely Alive), then this one was about going to the heavens. I’m talking to whatever kind of metaphorical god or universe you believe in and going, “Hey, why did all this stuff happen?” It’s about asking questions, and healing.
LUNA: What does spirituality mean to you?
JAIN: I grew up with parents [who] exposed my sister and I to some awareness of a higher power, while being really open on religion. With spirituality, for me it’s as simple as [meeting a friend] and going, “Man, there was a reason why we met. Like, that's crazy. I'm so excited that you're my friend. What could we do together? Why are we here? Why are we here together?” You know, allowing yourself to be a little intense about it.
LUNA: I wanted to ask about one of the songs off your EP, “Beach Inside.” I really resonated with the imagery of finding a “beach inside our heads.” Could you expand on that?
JAIN: The ocean is a place of solace for me, whether I’m surfing, swimming, or at the beach. When I started Jane., I spent a lot of time in the ocean, really reconnecting with Earth and Mother Nature. “Beach Inside” is really about finding your place of comfort — whether it’s the ocean or another place — and being able to dull all the chaos.
In the first half of the lyrics, I’m reaffirming [that] … I believe there is awesome stuff still here. Don't get jaded yet. I'm begging everybody — stay excited. It's still good. I swear. You just have to work a little bit for it.
LUNA: What are the goals of your music in general?
JAIN: There's, like, 30,000 or some songs that get uploaded to Spotify every day, right? And music has turned into a thing that is very easily accessible. My goal with Jane. is to cut through the noise by being as vulnerable and real and emotive as possible. Frank Ocean is so amazing because his records are so personal yet so ambiguous at the same time. So for me, it’s all gotta be real.
LUNA: In your personal process of discovering authenticity as an artist, were there specific things you realized weren’t for you?
JAIN: Yeah. I had a previous project, it was a disco soul project, and it was awesome and I was into it … I dressed the part and I really created a character. But then the character dies out and you go, “Oh dude, I don't wanna do this.” You know? But then again, there's no shame in trying.
LUNA: What’s your creative process like?
JAIN: It typically takes me one song to get an idea, and then I go from there. So if I make one uptempo song and I've incorporated, say, a new instrument into it, I’m like, alright, cool. How do I make a down tempo song with that same instrument? How do I make a mid tempo song with that instrument? How do I do a ballad incorporating that instrument? I get one song that I'm really passionate about and then I kind of formulate four or five songs around it.
LUNA: You mentioned that you stay a few EPs ahead of yourself and are producing a lot of music on a regular basis. How do you pare it down?
JAIN: I always have tons and tons and tons of songs. I think trust and taste — trusting your own taste is super-duper important. My goal is to make music that makes me feel the way my favorite music makes me feel.
LUNA: You recently got back from touring with Suki Waterhouse. What did you learn on tour?
JAIN: Getting the opportunity to play shows larger than I would headline, I’ve realized that everybody's one song away. Everyone is one song away from whatever their desires in music are, and that is a really awesome feeling to have.
LUNA: What do you hope people get out of Celeste?
JAIN: I hope people recognize the work that vulnerability takes and feel connected and feel inspired by it. And I don't mean work as [in] the hours. I mean work as [in], “Hey, if this person was able to tap into this place, that means maybe I'll be able to tap into it too.” Like, “This dude, he looks cool and is into fashion and smokes cigs and whatever, but he’s also super vulnerable and spiritual.”
I want people to look for their own answers within themselves and feel totally cool doing it. All these things: being vulnerable, honest, spiritual, insecure — these are all things that are okay. And when you talk about it, you’re less insecure.
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