Q&A: JESSIA Breaks Free with Independent EP Release “Okay With Every Part”
GRIEF CAN FEEL LIKE AN OVERWHELMING STORM – leaving us disoriented and shattered. Yet, within this tempest, there lies an incredible opportunity for growth and resilience. Navigating the grieving process is a deeply personal journey, but one that can lead to a transformation and rebirth.
Canadian pop singer and songwriter JESSIA has unveiled her new EP, Okay With Every Part. This release marks a significant milestone in JESSIA's career as she bravely transitions to releasing music independently after parting ways with her label. Taking her future into her own hands, she presents her first independent project, embodying a newfound freedom and artistic autonomy.
In the span of just three months, JESSIA faced the dual upheaval of losing both her label and a significant relationship. The experience shook her to the core, stirring a whirlwind of emotions. Despite the initial resistance, she embraced the necessity to move through these challenges, using them as a catalyst for growth and self-discovery.
“Losing a label and a relationship within the span of three months shook me,” JESSIA says. “I felt shame, rejection, anger, and frustration, but also freedom, adventure, passion and resilience. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to learn to accept and move through these new obstacles. Each song on this project represents a pivotal moment in my journey to finding peace and confidence again. This EP represents me accepting the good and bad parts of life so that I can look back and say, I’m okay with every part.”
Each track on Okay With Every Part represents a pivotal moment in JESSIA's journey toward finding peace and confidence. The EP is a raw, honest reflection of her acceptance of life's highs and lows, encapsulated in the title itself – an affirmation of being okay with every part of her story.
As JESSIA continues to navigate the music industry on her own terms, she remains an inspiring figure for aspiring independent artists and fans alike. Her story is a powerful reminder that setbacks can be transformed into opportunities for growth and that true artistry comes from embracing every part of one's journey, both the good and the bad. With Okay With Every Part, JESSIA not only redefines her career but also reaffirms her place as a resilient and dynamic force in the pop realm.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
JESSIA: I want it to feel like you're just going for coffee with your best friend and you're just dishing the tea and you're able to talk about the weird stuff. A very, very safe space. We're able to talk about how we're actually doing.
LUNA: You released your sophomore EP Okay With Every Part. Even the title itself implies such a vulnerable and intimate storytelling aspect. I would love to hear anything you would like to share about the EP’s inspirations and how the title came to be.
JESSIA: It's a collection of all of the songs that I was writing this past year and this past year was probably one of the hardest years I've had as an artist. I felt like I completely lost my identity. I was shaming myself and really, really angry with myself being like ‘you're an artist, you should be able to write songs and do things this way.’ And now being out of the whirlpool and pulling myself out of it, I'm able to look back and be like, I would not be this grateful for where I am if I had not gone through all of those things. I'm able to look back and be okay with every part.
LUNA: This is your first big project since your How Are You? EP in 2021. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with Okay With Every Part since your previous releases?
JESSIA: I think that it's a lot more mature. I think that my first EP was a very new process for me and it was my first experience making a bigger project. I feel like this one is a lot more mature and I've definitely honed into my sound. I have a really distinct sound now, which I don't think that my first EP was as cohesive. This one is a lot more cohesive and thought out.
LUNA: It feels as if the EP takes the listener through a journey. What themes or narratives do you explore in Okay With Every Part?
JESSIA: If you're going through a rough breakup, that's probably the EP for you. I think that we explore knowing that leaving a situation is the best thing, but also grieving it at the same time and really going back and questioning if it was the right thing or not. I think that usually we make a decision and we're like, ‘what did I just do?’ It's about that chaotic conversation that you have with yourself. Did I do the right thing? Could I have done better? Could this event have turned out differently?
LUNA: This is your first independent project and is self-written and produced. What are the challenges and rewards of taking on such a comprehensive creative role?
JESSIA: I feel like it's fully my sound now. I don't have to have approval of other people being like, ‘is this what I want to sound like?’ I've been working with an incredible producer Jason Parris. He's the best and we both have honed in on everything. It's just me and everything that I do get with this EP I've earned. I feel now being independent, it's like every single billboard that I get and every single stream, it's all very organic.
LUNA: What was one of the biggest lessons or breakthroughs you’ve had while transitioning into this becoming an independent project?
JESSIA: You don't need a huge team to be successful, you really don't need a label and also let the emotions and the sadness flow through you. I was suppressing a lot and it took the grievance process way longer than I could have. You never really want to feel sad all the time. As soon as I let myself heal and process and be like, ‘you know what, that did really suck and it's great that I'm independent and always find the silver lining.’ I let myself set into all of the feelings of freedom and resilience. It can shake a lot of artists when they part ways with their label and their huge team, so being able to know that I'm still swimming and I haven't sunk at all, so we're still going.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Okay With Every Part and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
JESSIA: Currently, it's “Happy Without You” just because it gives sunny summer vibes and I don't need you. The one I keep going back to is “Care About Me” and it was such a special writing process.
LUNA: What are you most excited for listeners to experience when they hear Okay With Every Part in its entirety?
JESSIA: I'm excited for them to hear the full journey. I'm excited to walk them through everything and to also inspire other people to be okay with every part and to realize that not everything is going to be fantastic and you've got to have the highs to experience lows and you've got to have the lows to experience the highs. I hope that they take away maturity from a very chaotic and painful situation.
LUNA: How are you celebrating the EP release?
JESSIA: We're going to have a really chill fire with a bunch of s'mores and some really incredible artists who are all coming in. I was thinking of going and throwing a huge party and then I realized I wanted to have a nice summer fire to celebrate.
LUNA: How has the support been from friends, family and listeners?
JESSIA: Incredible. All my listeners are on the same page of them saying that I finally found my sound and they love every single song. I feel like I've found what works for me and what works for them.
LUNA: If you had to give any advice for any creatives who are producing and releasing their work independently, what would you say?
JESSIA: I would say that social media, as much as a crazy thing that is, it is your biggest lifeline because you have the ability to be able to promote your song just as much as a label would for free on social media. Showing up on social media and having that connection with your fans is number one.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
JESSIA: I'm very excited. I'm announcing some really, really big things. Not only is the EP coming out, but we've got big announcements. I can't say yet, but follow me and you'll hear all of the huge announcements for the rest of the year.
