From Self-Producing Struggles to Gen-Z Anthems: Inside Jess Stewart's Musical Universe
Jess Stewart, a dynamic singer, songwriter, and producer from Cambridgeshire, UK, is making waves in the Dance Pop and Soul genres. Drawing inspiration from artists like Ariana Grande and Mimi Webb, Jess's music reflects the Gen-Z experience with a blend of upbeat dance rhythms and soulful melodies. Her self-produced singles 'Rewrite Memories' and 'Twenties' have garnered positive acclaim, setting the stage for her latest release, 'Prince Charming (Went to Hell).' This track, with its smooth saxophone, groovy bass lines, and candid lyrics, humorously explores the realities of modern dating while affirming self-worth, all wrapped in Jess's signature vibrant style.
INTERVIEW
How have artists like Ariana Grande and Mimi Webb influenced your music, particularly in your latest single?
Ariana grande has always been a big inspiration with the way she writes her lyrics, I love how simple it is yet so powerful and to the point. Whilst Mimi Webb is more inspirational to me through her production, I love the big sound her songs create, with explosive chorus' and multiple elements that are hidden in the songs to boost it.
Self-Production Journey: As a self-producer, what challenges and rewards have you encountered in creating your music?
As a self producer, I've found many challenges along the way. One would be I don't have a team to tell me if it's sounding good or not! Sometimes I find myself stuck, unsure of where to take a song or if I've done too much to it and I have to just leave it for a bit and see if I still like it later on. I also have found it hard to expand my knowledge. For a while I was creating songs that all sounded very similar. However, because of this it has become one of my biggest rewards of working alone, as I have taught myself more on production, broadening my knowledge and I feel my music has definitely taken a step up from my first releases. And it's so rewarding to say you've done it all by yourself, it's a very proud moment.
Gen-Z Perspective: How do you capture the essence of the Gen-Z experience in your songs?
I believe I capture the gen-Z experience in my songs purely with my lyrics. As a Gen-Z myself, I write from the heart and that is rooted into the generation around me. I find this generation, from my experience, is so bad at love, prefering short-term fun over long term relationships. My songs reflect this with the upbeat dance tempos, and the honest lyrics.
What inspired the comically honest approach in 'Prince Charming (Went to Hell),' and how does it differ from your previous singles?
The comically honest lyrics in Prince Charming was inspired by my new favourite artist Caity Baser, you can hear the influence in my previous release "Twenties" as well. But I just love the spoken/sung songs. I feel it adds more personality and makes the songs more fun overall.
Can you describe your process for writing and composing songs, especially with the integration of live instruments like saxophone?
My song writing process varies. Sometimes I will write lyrics that come into my head on my notes app and then build a song around those lyrics, or I'll have a chord pattern or bass line and build a song around that. I produce the song as I write a song so it's an all in process for me. I used to write on the piano and then produce a song after but I find it's more envolved when I'm in the zone creating the whole song in one go. The saxophone on "Prince Charming" was always an idea I had in my head but the ad-lib at the end of the song was made up on the day by my wonderful saxophonist. I love when ideas blossom in the studio, it's unique.
What have been some of the most rewarding moments in your music career so far?
As I'm only just starting up as an artist, I have a few highlights but so far the reaction to my songs has been massive to me. It always pushes me to keep working harder, hearing reviews on the radios and seeing the number of streams is so exciting. Another career highlight is when I did a huge performance with dancers, lights, back drops, confetti alongside the tracks of my songs. I felt on top of the world and can't wait to do more performances.
What message do you hope listeners take away from your music, particularly your new single?
A message for those who listen to my music: I just hope my music is the embodiment of a warm hug and a big dance party. I find it's so easy now with social media to feel like you're 10 steps behind everyone else. I just wanted a song that kept it real, reminding people that no ones perfect and to just enjoy life with where you're at.
What future projects or directions are you excited to explore in your music career?
I have lots of new songs for the new year and I'm excited to give it my all with music videos, gigs, busking and more. Expect a new release early 2024.
How do you connect with your audience, and what role do they play in your musical journey?
What advice would you give to young artists starting in the music industry, especially those interested in self-producing their work?
Advice I would give would be to just keep going, don't give up when you don't go viral overnight. As long as you're doing what you love, nothing can go wrong. And ask for help if you need it. This year I've reached out to sound engineers to boost my mix and mastering which is where I struggle more and it's really improved my music. Definitely reach out to others.
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