Interview: JessB

From professional netball to being discovered on SoundCloud, JessB’s route into music wasn’t exactly mapped out. Now, with Matters of the Heart out in the world, she’s doing things on her own terms.

We caught up with JessB to talk about making music like therapy, redefining success, taking Aotearoa overseas, and what's next from here.

Let’s go right back. Was music always the plan for you?
‍Not at all. I’ve always loved music and been really interested in it, but I was never planning to be a musician. I actually started out as an athlete. I played netball for most of my schooling and then professionally for a couple of years. At the same time, I just happened to be experimenting with music.

Then there was this serendipitous moment where I stopped playing netball professionally and my SoundCloud was found by P-Money. He mentored me in those really early days and gave me the confidence to think, maybe I could actually do this. Then it just grew from there.

Who made you want to make music of your own?
‍The early to mid-2000s era of hip-hop was huge for me. I was a massive Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott fan. Missy in particular. That sound was something I was always trying to emulate in the earlier days. She’s like a god.

Music can be a tough industry. What keeps you coming back to it?
‍Honestly, sometimes I don’t know! But the experiences, connections and people I’ve met along the way are a huge part of why I still do it. So many of the people closest to me are people I’ve met through music. I love connecting with other creatives, I love travelling. It all ties in really nicely with who I am and the life I like to live. At least for now.

Your new album is Matters of the Heart. Where did that title come from?
‍Honestly, it just came to me. Not literally in a dream, but almost like that. Sometimes an album title or song name comes to you and you just know it’s right because it sticks. Pretty early on I thought, this feels like what all of this is speaking to. It’s a wide umbrella, but it felt right. So I stuck with it.

And the album itself wasn’t actually planned?
‍No. It kind of just fell out of me. It’s the only project I’ve made that focuses exclusively on love and relationships, but I didn’t go into it thinking I was making an album. Andrew, who’s now a really good friend of mine, reached out to do some sessions. Initially we were just having fun, but the more we talked, the more we realised we had some shared experiences around things we’d both been going through. We started writing about those things and it just kept going. Once we had about five demos, we looked at each other and went, Oh, this is kind of feeling like a project. Should we just make an album? So we did.

There’s a lot of vulnerability in it. Is putting that much of yourself into a song cathartic or terrifying?
‍The relationship Andrew and I built made it feel like we were going to therapy in the studio. Genuinely. We’d have these really long conversations about life and things we’d experienced before we even started making music. It created this space where we could both be vulnerable.

Even though he’s playing the instruments, he’s still putting his experiences into the sonic world he’s building. There was something really beautiful about sharing that. And all of the songs are based on true stories. They’re very literal interpretations of feelings I had during that time. We made the project over about a year, so it was literally: feel something, write about it. There wasn’t some grand plan. We just let it happen.

You’re doing things independently again. What does having that control mean to you?
‍I’ve actually been independent for everything I’ve done except one album, so for me it was more about trying something different and then coming back to what I knew worked for me. I like being able to make decisions for myself: what music I make, how I release it, what everything looks like. It’s a hard slog, but I think it’s worth it.

There’s so much pressure now for artists to think about TikTok, algorithms and what might “work”. Can you actually block that stuff out while you’re creating?
‍I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. But I actively try not to, because no one actually has the formula anyway. If you don’t know exactly how to make something go viral, you may as well make what you like and what feels authentic to you, then see what happens.

With this album, I made a lot of content for songs that weren’t singles because I wanted to showcase all the themes without being boxed into single, single, single, single. This project was really personal. I wanted to make it for myself, so I wasn’t as worried about commercial success as I might have been with other projects.

On that note, what does “success” actually mean to you now?
‍The further I get into my career, the more I try to move away from success being something tangible like numbers, views or streams. Andrew and I talked about this a lot. There was already so much success in the fact that we found each other, had so much fun making this album and experienced so much healing through the process. It had already served its purpose before we released it. That takes away so much pressure. I’m satisfied with the creative process. Now it belongs to the world and whatever happens to it, happens.

You’ve taken your music all over the world. What does playing outside Aotearoa give you that playing at home doesn’t?
‍Every major city has its own vibe and its own sounds that people connect with. When I play overseas, I almost treat it as an introduction: Hey guys, this is me. This is what I do. See if you like it. I love that. It’s a chance to test the waters outside of home. It’s a big world. There are so many people, sounds and artists doing completely different things.

I made my two projects before this one in Amsterdam with a producer called Max. There’s such a fusion in the sounds there, with so many different genres blended together, and that really suits me because I don’t like being boxed in by genre. I think I’ve brought some of that back home with me. It’s all part of the story.

So, album out. What’s next?
‍Honestly? I have nothing beyond today. I was like, I just need to get this out. Hopefully some shows. New music always brings new opportunities, so we’re just waiting to see what comes.

Finally, this is BurgerFuel, so we have to ask. You get your own burger on the menu. What’s going in it?
‍Okay. Beef patty. Some sort of tomato chutney situation, a little sweet moment. A strong cheese, like an aged cheddar. Really thinly sliced tomato because I have a problem with thick tomato. An onion ring is always good. And maybe pineapple. Obviously controversial, but I’d go there. Then a secret sauce of some kind. Secret even to me.

SOUND CHECK, VIBE CHECK

Your go-to song to blast in the car?
Definitely something dancehall. Something vibes.

Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve been listening to Dexta Daps. His new dancehall album has been on rotation.

One thing you can’t perform without?
A microphone! And a good fit. I need to feel good and look good, then everything else is easy.

Dream collaboration?
Missy Elliott. I’ve been manifesting that for a long time. I’ve still got hope.

Go-to BurgerFuel order?
A Single Muscle. Cheeseburger classic.

FIRE OR BACKFIRE?

Pickles in burgers? BACKFIRE.

Crocs? FIRE.

Karaoke? FIRE.

BurgerFuel Aioli? FIRE.

Acoustic performances? FIRE. “I love acoustic performances.”

NZ Music Month? FIRE.

Festivals? FIRE.

Singing in the shower? FIRE.

Pineapple on pizza? FIRE.

Supermarket in bare feet?

Contextually fire. If the supermarket is within a one-kilometre radius of a beach, or you’re in a town rather than a city? Fire. Grey Lynn? Probably backfire.

Check out JessB's latest album HERE, and stay up to date HERE.