Q&A: Bronx-Bred Artist jessa Explores Escapism With New Single “saying i’m fine”
QUESTIONING WHY SOCIETY HAS ADOPTED — the tendency to downplay struggling emotions, rising alt-R&B artist jessa peels back the curtain of her own inner thoughts in her dreamy new single, “saying i’m fine.”
Bronx-bred, jessa has had an affinity for everything music — especially R&B — all her life. Her passion for singing expanded into a desire to write over time, leading to the creation of a diverse discography that presents her own vulnerable stream of consciousness paired with soft yet soulful vocals.
So why fantasize about leaving New York, a city that seemingly everyone has a dream to flock to? “saying i’m fine” is rooted in escapism — whether you’re residing in one of the most buzzing cities in the world or living a more rural lifestyle, happiness tends to be associated with drastic change.
With lyrics such as “I changed my hair, my clothes / Now I’m someone no one knows,” jessa explores what it would be like to take on a new identity and become a complete mystery to those around her. She further unfolds this idea of change being the key to feeling more content as she sings, "saying i’m fines / makin me tired / made up my mind / change my whole life"
Frequent collaborator Invisible Will (Anna Shoemaker, Ricky James) produced a breathy soundscape with a rhythmic guitar and bass combination, aligning with jessa’s vocals and personal lyrics seamlessly.
Keep reading below to uncover the inspiration behind “saying i’m fine” in jessa’s own words, as well as her take on the New York music scene.
LUNA: How are you feeling about releasing new music this year?
JESSA: I'm really excited. It feels a little overdue. The year is kind of like flying, and I was like, “Oh my god, I need to plan this release.” But I'm really excited about this track. It doesn't get too deep. Lyrically, it still feels kind of light and airy. I always write kind of sad leaning stuff because it's what inspires me the most these days, so I like that it's not too dark and feels like the right thing moving into spring.
LUNA: The track dives into this escapism that so many of us crave, especially nowadays. What drew you to talking about this topic? Why did you feel like it was important to have this moment in your music?
JESSA: It really is just kind of mirroring my current thought process. I have been toying with the idea of moving away from New York for a while. When I was in college, I always wanted to live in other places. I really do see myself coming back to New York and sticking here when I'm older, so I just want to have different life experiences living in other places. So there's a little bit of that in the song. And while visiting friends who live in other states, I have been toying with moving where they are just for a year, [or] here near there. The song was really just about that. I've kind of created this fantasy in my mind where, if I move away I'll just feel better. I won't have depression, I will somehow not have any problems. I can just move away and it'll be fine. It is really just like chasing escapism.
LUNA: Can you share a little bit about the audio clip we're hearing at the beginning of “saying i’m fine”?
JESSA: That clip is not necessarily personal to me. My producer put it in. It must have been a sample he had. But it does start with a little voice memo that I took on my phone in the studio. I wanted to set the tone because it sounds and feels vulnerable. There's something almost desperate about it. I think it's kind of weaker as a voice memo and I feel like it's like the root of the emotions of feeling unsettled and unsure — the emotions that make you want to move away and change your whole life.
LUNA: Let's dive a little bit into your writing process. Are you someone who likes beginning the creative process alone or do you think you thrive more with collaboration?
JESSA: I think I thrive more with collaboration because it pushes for an end result. It's hard to self-motivate sometimes unless I'm feeling very inspired, which only happens when I'm really triggered or sad. I'm constantly writing down little lyrical ideas in my Notes app as they come to me, just so I don't forget them.
But for this song and usually, this is how it goes: I'll go into the studio with Will (Baker) and we will start from scratch. I'll give some reference tracks so he can get a sense of how I'm feeling that day and what kind of sound I'm trying to go for. Then as he starts building out the instrumentals, I'll start building out a melody and lyrics. Sometimes I'll pull from the lyrics I had before. If they're not really working, I'll start from scratch as well. Then it’s structuring it out into what makes sense for music these days. Then I lay down the lead [vocals] and will go back and do the harmonies and everything. Typically, it'll be a situation where I go in and we start from scratch and walk out with either the bones of a song or most of a song, and I'll probably need one or two more sessions to really flesh it out. This single happened pretty quickly. I think it was one or two sessions and it was done. It came naturally because I feel this way.
LUNA: Let's backtrack a little to baby Jessa years ago. You had some R&B influence in your upbringing, right? What specifically drew you to wanting to create music in the first place?
JESSA: Yeah, my parents both love music so much. My dad worked in the industry when I was younger, and years before I was born he was in a music group with his best friends. I don't even know if I've heard the music, honestly. I have a lot of cousins who sing so I've just always been around music and have always been encouraged to follow that. R&B in particular was always playing in the car with my dad, and my mom would always listen to Joss Stone. It’s something I’ve always loved and feels very classic.
When you're little I feel like there are a few things — you can probably count on both hands — [of] cliche dreams that children have. I was just lucky enough to be in an environment where that was encouraged. I was shy about it for a while, but a few years ago I started writing and recording, and now I’m bringing those dreams to fruition.
LUNA: What fuels your artistry today?
JESSA: Interesting question. I feel like I'm constantly inspired by the people I live around and that I work with. I have my favorite artists of the moment. There are some overarching, constant favorites, but my taste changes all the time. I'll make a playlist for each month or every few months and just keep changing it. I just got to keep having more and more. Growing up, I had a love for singing but wasn't really inclined to write. But as I started writing, it's become really therapeutic for me. It's really cathartic to take emotions that you haven't fully worked through, put them into a song, and release it to the world. It feels very satisfying. So now I think [of] that kind of chase — that feeling as well as the performance aspect of just loving to sing.
LUNA: What excites you most about the New York music scene?
JESSA: There are really interesting and cool artists in New York, and it's fun to have friends in the industry and see them grow. I love that I'm able to be around so many creative people, whether it's music or photography or whatever their medium is for art. I thrive being around people who like to make stuff. And I am a server for money so, you know, a classic singer in New York serving. But that is another way that I feel like I've met so many close friends who are also creatives. It keeps me grounded and it doesn’t feel like an isolating experience to be a musician in New York. So the community, for sure.
LUNA: Is there any aspect of the scene you wish could be shifted?
JESSA: How small it is sometimes. If anything gets dicey in your personal life with a musician or creative, they're gonna pop up somewhere sometime. And even if you don't, somebody knows them. That's also something that the song [“saying i’m fine”] is about. You don't want to be mentally tethered to something that has so much potential to pop up around you. That’s just how small it is, but it's a blessing and a curse.
LUNA: You released your first single back in 2016, and since then you really developed and flourished as an artist over time. What are a few things that you've learned creating over the years?
JESSA: I've just become way more confident in my ability to write music and in my taste of music. At the beginning, I really deferred to other people's judgment. It took me a few years to really figure out what I wanted to sound like and what my writing style was. I think I've just become more vulnerable and it's become way more of a “This is me” and less of a “This is a formula for an R&B hit.”
LUNA: What would you say to someone who loves making music but is scared to put something out there?
JESSA: To anyone who hasn't released yet, I would say… it's so cliche, but really just be yourself. And sometimes that'll change, and that's okay. That's great. Everybody grows and changes so lean into that because someone's gonna like it and relate to it. Because, frankly, none of us are that special. We all go through the same emotions.
LUNA: Love that advice. As we enter spring this season and continue with the year, what are you looking forward to for the rest of 2023?
JESSA: I am hoping to release a few more singles this year, for sure. I'm really excited about what I've been making lately and would love to put it out. I'm also so excited for more sunshine and longer days. I'm just like, get me to summer.
Photo by Richie Ramirez
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