Q&A: JOBIE Chips Away at the Artist Façade in Debut Record ‘Grendel’
☆ BY Alicia Casey ☆
Photo by Jack Deutsch
THE MIRROR IS BROKEN — and JOBIE’s ready to put the jagged pieces back together to create a new reflection. In her independently released debut record, Grendel, released on Jan. 6, she explores the catharsis of moving on and growing from her past. Swirled with glowy slide guitar licks, rosy vocals, and snappy musical hooks, JOBIE reintroduces herself to the world as an artist.
Named after John Gardner’s novel Grendel, JOBIE relates to feeling like she was on the outside looking in, growing up as a child with undiagnosed autism. In this debut, she gets to share her point of view with others for the first time and let them see through her lens. Alongside introspective lyricism and a whimsical production, JOBIE lets herself dream fully and realize that there are still wonderful things to hope for.
Accompanying the release are music videos for the second track, “all is well,” and the seventh track, “irish goodbye.” In them, JOBIE is followed by people in animal masks, a visual representation of how she felt compelled to “mask” her autism when she was little. According to JOBIE, it isn’t until the fourth track, “so clean,” that her inner child starts to heal.
And she’s not done healing, either — this new era of music is all about being her authentic self and letting others join her on the journey. Just like with her music, JOBIE herself is going through a change. She’s asking what she can give instead of reaching for something else, and she’s going out of her way to practice self-compassion so she can extend it to herself first, and then to others.
If you’re looking for a little more kindness in your life, JOBIE’s Grendel can go a long way. Stream it now wherever you get your music and read below to learn more about the track, what JOBIE’s safe space looks like, and why she makes music.
LUNA: Where are you creatively now that you’ve released Grendel?
JOBIE: I’d like to think I’m being inspired by indie rock from the late 2000s and early 2010s, groups like Two Door Cinema Club and Passion Pit, as well as 2014’s The 1975, but I keep writing a lot of melancholic, minimal songs. However, I think the stuff I’m currently working on is a little more hopeful, as well as apologetic. I’m trying to acknowledge things from the past but move forward from them in a growthful and forgiving way. I haven’t had the chance to record any of these new projects but I can’t wait to get in the studio this summer and see what comes out of it.
LUNA: What made you relate to the monstrous Grendel from John Gardner’s novel of the same name?
JOBIE: I grew up as an undiagnosed autistic girl. I felt like a social pariah when I was very young, and I didn’t understand why other kids had the tendency to avoid or bully me. But I liked being alone because it gave me a lot of time to be creative and catch bugs. However, as I went through puberty, I felt pressured to fit in with others, and I turned to performing in choir and school plays as a way to be seen. Through these activities I tirelessly worked to become something I wasn’t, seamlessly pretending to be just like everyone else but knowing deep down that I was an outsider. Maybe I’m more like a version of Grendel that changed everything about himself to fit in with the Danes instead of terrorizing them. I am a notorious people pleaser, because I care about people’s feelings and I want them to be happy. However, when I miss social cues or take something too literally, I’m reminded that I am different and I wonder if that makes others uncomfortable.
LUNA: How have you transformed as a human while working on this debut record?
JOBIE: I learned a lot about how a record is made through working with my friend and collaborator Russell Lacey, who runs a studio called The Virginia Moonwalker out of his house just a few miles outside of Richmond. I am a person who learns from experience, and getting to watch Russell work as well as working alongside him has helped me to understand how certain sounds can be made and manipulated. I also learned that I really love recording — it is probably my favorite part of being an artist.
LUNA: Why do you tell the record’s story through a whimsical and wistful lens?
JOBIE: To be honest, I wrote most of these songs when I was 18–19 and still figuring out the world. Maybe I am just a whimsical, dreamy person. All of my teachers in elementary school would tell my parents, “Josie is always daydreaming” or “[She’s] off in her own world,” and that was true. I’m an introspective person, but I am a dreamer at heart. The record is deeply personal and honest, so I guess the lens is me.
LUNA: Of all the film and TV characters you can think of, who would you most want to stream this release?
JOBIE: That’s a hard one. Maybe Marceline from Adventure Time.
LUNA: When in the tracklist does your inner child start to heal?
JOBIE: Probably with the song “so clean.”
LUNA: How does your music connect to the art in your music videos?
JOBIE: Well, not to give anything away, but I use animal masks as a metaphor for “masking” my autism in the “All for One” and “cruel vice” music videos. I’m coming out with an “irish goodbye” MV that is kind of a sequel to “cruel vice,” and it will feature masks as well.
LUNA: What is something you wish you knew before starting this project that you would want to share with pre-Grendel you?
JOBIE: Probably that I should go with my gut and lead with my heart.
LUNA: Why were you put on this Earth to make music?
JOBIE: I ask myself this question sometimes. The simple answer is that music is meant to be heard, and I have a proclivity to write it. I sometimes wonder if I’m self-centered for writing so many songs about my feelings, but people like to hear music, so what’s wrong with sharing it? I want people to feel seen and heard when they hear my music. In my songs, I’m not really talking about anything that unusual, so a lot of people could relate to the stories I’m conveying. However, it is my unique perspective on these universal experiences that sets me apart, as is true with any artist.
LUNA: Where do you mentally retreat to when you need a safe space?
JOBIE: Mentally, I think about my mom. Also my stuffed animals, and my bed.
LUNA: Who do you want to be known as?
JOBIE: I want to be known as a clever, creative, and kind person.
LUNA: What is something you want to share but haven’t been asked yet?
JOBIE: Personally, I’m going through a bit of a change. I think I’m having some kind of heart chakra awakening or something. These days, I’m trying to offer myself up more to others. It’s easy to want to try and get as much as you can out of the world, or at least that is the American attitude as I know it. But I think the world would be a much happier place if instead we ask, “What can I give?” When you are kind to others, you are kind to yourself. When you give to others, you give to yourself. Sometimes, it can feel like we have nothing left to give, but kindness goes a long way. You are never hurting yourself by showing compassion to others — I try to remind myself of that every day.
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