ITS Home Edition: Jade Bird

And we started the home edition of the show to let you know how the pandemic has impacted the lives of artists and Jade recorded her new single, head Start, as well as her upcoming album in Nashville this last summer, just a few months ago. As she told our Quarantine correspondent Jordan runt Hog, she had to go to Mexico City to isolate for two weeks before going to Nashville, except I think she was in Upstate New York before that.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But when the music is this good, what else can you say? It's apt? Thank you. She also talked with Jordan about what it was like to be on stage at the Newport Folk Festival last year with Dolly Parton, Cheryl Crow, Marion Morris, Linda Perry, Brandy Carlyle, no big deal, just a bunch of icons and her as always. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the I

Heart Radio podcast that Jordan's hosts. It's called Rivals Music's Greatest Feuds, and it's available wherever you get your podcasts. Hello everyone, my name is Jordan run Todd, but enough about me. My guest today is a singer songwriter from the UK who's so talented that it's really quite scary. She has one of my favorite voices on the scene today, perfect for conveying both full throated and sndiary rock and roll and delicate country tinged folk. Her songs brim with

wit and maturity, not to mention irresistible melodies. In two thousand nineteen, she released her self titled debut, which boasted adult alternative hits like a Lot, Uh huh and I Get No Joy. Earlier this year, she went down to Nashville to record her second LP, which is on the way soon. Fairs were treated to a taste with her new single, head Start, which is out. Now. We're going to talk about new music, old favorites, and everything in between.

I'm so happy to welcome Jade Bird Na Absolutely anytime. Yeah, it's great to talk to you too. Your new single Headstart is incredible. I've been humming it all day. It's about when your crush just isn't picking up on your hands. Tell me more about that song. Where did that come from?

So it's interesting. I'm actually I've kind of started writing again because the second record is finished, and I was just going through my old book that I was like writing the whole record in, and the first page it's like,

got head start on it. And I think, you know, in a way, there was two tracks that the first two singles were the two tracks that really opened the door for this next record, And I think head Start was kind of less about a specific event or context and probably more about the opening of the clouds in terms of like I was getting back into the you know what I mean, I was sort of getting back out there and writing again for me. So I think Headstart is more of a mantra into the new year

for me. But as you said, in more literal sense, it's like you don't love me and I love you so well. Then you mentioned your second single, Houdini, which is supposing it's the flip side in a sort of in a way, it's like kind of the end of a relationship at a time when love sort of disappears and vanishes, which I thought was an amazing metaphor what does that song mean for you? Houdini is far the more in depth one. That's kind of why I chose to do the one too, because you know you have that.

I wanted to give a bit of energy and ject a bit of Catharsis into the first single, and then the second one is very personal. Um. So I started writing it. There was basically I was in a study and this airbnb study and upstate New York, and there was this a little framed picture of like a headless, upside down red figure, and it really cottoned onto like Hoodini for me. I just reading a book about him before, and I just really it was in the ether of

my brain. Um and yeah, I started writing, and the first lyrics as a quarter to three, it's clear clear to me that you're leaving, and all the things in the first verse relate to this kind of It was a bit of a shouting match. When I was younger, I was a bit of a you know, part of in a way, uh, and the context of the course, and the Houdini element is representative of a lot of male figures in my life, leaving and coming back, and leaving and coming back and just having no control over

that whatsoever. And I think I started, you know, the first writing trip writing that it was like a closure on the past. It was like, you know, here it is, here's what I want to say, and I and it was like, really cathartic to get that out. I was going to say one of my favorite songs of yours, as Love has All been Done Before, which which sounds so fierce musically but but lyrically has a sense of

love is doomed, Everything is doomed. And I was wondering if you'd change your mind a bit, And I guess do Houdini kind of answers my question a little bit. No, You're actually spot on in the other way. I've really changed my mind this past couple of years in terms of I've been in a really stable relationship with with someone who I really admire and respect, and and I was really worried about it falling apart because of my family. It's bad luck with the relationships, you know, two generations

of divorce you know, it's not it's not looking good. Um, so love has all been done before. Was kind of like a way of being like, this is never gonna work. I need to live my own life. It was quite self driven. And you know, since the pandemic especially, I feel like I've learned well. I certainly seem to care about others a bit more. I can see other's a bit more. You know, it's not so self focused. It's not so self driven this journey. So I'm really happy

about that. I'm really happy I got to do that so early on. Now this new album, you went down to Nashville, home of so much music that I know is so important to you, Dolly Parton Lorella ly in the Civil Wars. What was it like to be there and be surrounded by this energy and what sort of walk in those footsteps? Had you been there before? Yes, I've spent a lot of time in Nashville, but never with Dave Cobbs. So he was the guy who produced

this whole record. Um, and just a little guy knows he you know, did the Brandy Carlisle by the way, I give you Chris s Tableton, I mean, he's he's done it in that world. Ah, he's just a hero. Um. So I went up there and like, literally, you get into our CEO studios where we were recorded. I know, I know, it's ridiculous, and you're sort of it's I mean, just on parallel the history I've never you know, Dolly Elvis,

you're talking the big guys, the big hits. So yeah, we we we get in and we record everything live sort of in one room. Basically, I'm in a vocal booth and all the musicians room one room, and I played them the song and the many songs, and we went through sixteen songs. I just played it out on the acoustic and I swear to god, like they pick it up so quick. They're just like yeah, cool, great, awesome, and then and they do it, and then you do it literally no more than three times, and then you've

got the pretty much the take of everybody. It's wild. Those those national sess and folks are are insane or quickly get there and you recorded all those tracks live, I mean pretty much. Yeah, I mean live live in the sense that, yeah, the takes that we got, especially Houdini Judini was pretty much everything you hear was played simultaneously, which you know is live. I guess in a in a kind of nerdy way of breaking it down. But

but yeah, it was all done. You know, there was some overdubs, but the core of every song was done done live with each other. What was it like working with Dave car What did he bring to the bring to the table. He brought a lot of surprises. He's got quite even though it's from Georgia, he's got quite a British grounded way of working. You know, it's very much like get to work kind of we're all we're all in listen to do our jobs, which is very

very British um. But for me specifically, he brought like respect. So me and my partner went really close to other and he's my guitarist and he treated us as equals, which, as you know, if you know you have a partner, it's really important someone sees you like that. And creatively it's even more important because you're trying it. This is

a combined vision that you're trying to get through. So I think because David worked with you know, Jason Isabel and a Man of Shots or Chris Stapleton and Organ Stapleton, I think he really saw us as one unit and got the best out of us in that way. So yeah, he's he's really really, really really special. Did you get to explore much in in Nashville or Tennessee when you were down there city operator stuff or was it still in heavy lockdown mode, really heavy lockdown, like really heavy lockdown.

So when I when it was what mid summer kind of time, Um, so things were really in the thick of it. And before I went to Nashville, actually I was in Mexico City because I had to quarantine for two weeks. I don't know how this works, by the way, the American government just casually like yeah, yeah, go to a new city and quarantine and it will be you were way safer. So we did that and I ended up writing a lot of tracks for the album there as well. Oh wow, that's I mean, it's it's so fastating.

What is it about music from from this part of the world, the American stuff that that speaks to you so deeply? Why it's really interesting. I was listening to a podcast I think it's Dolly Partner's American This America or This American. Do you know Dolly Partners America. It's

an incredible podcast. It's literally just phenomenal. And I think what's phenomenal is the universal feeling from American artists or Southern artists in terms of I think when you come from quite humble beginnings, either with your family or your situation, I think there's some sort of sense of community in songwriting for that. You know, I think it's very rare you'll meet an artist or you know, real true artist who hasn't probably been through something I find to give

their music that depth. But maybe that's a cliche. Just certainly who I have noticed ice around myself with or you know, who I'm d of who I love, artists I love so Loretta Len is a great example that coal miner's daughter and her background. It definitely adds a death to her music that you just feel, even if it's not in the lyrics, you can just sense it from it. Oh my god. Absolutely, And I think you know what was so interesting for me was knowing that,

you know, they have that incredible musician. The name escapes me right now. Literally just listened to it last night, but she talks about the banjo and its history in you know, Africa and how you know slavery. Basically what brought bluegrass music to America, and it's now so like focused as like you know, country music. You know, it's sort of like quite conservative white music, and it just

wasn't the start at all of that music. I found that so fascinating, um, you know, because I think music community is just it kind of overshadows any sort of you know, anti diverse kind of behavioral mentality. You know, it's the joy of it. We all go through the same things, the same emotions were all literally human being, so and a cross pollination just musically is so strong throughout the world. As you said, yeah, absolutely, I was good slack about that. It's funny, my, I don't know

if you've experienced this. My my father growing up, he never stopped listening to new music. So I grew up with him playing Jagged Little Pill or Tory Amos or Liz Fair and Nirvana and stuff, which was, you know, looking back on it was great. But I discovered the music that I really love, which I guess a lot of people call oldies like Little Richard and Chuck Berry and people like that. I had to discover that on

my own. And I feel like because I found it on my own, I had this sense of ownership over it. To me, it felt like it was mine. Was that the case for you, because I know growing up your parents played a lot of like Chemical Brothers and Prodigy and stuff like that. Do you feel that way with this type of music, like because you sought it out, it belongs more to you as opposed to the parents who kind of like would show it to their kids more. Yeah,

I think you're so right there, you know. Although I love the fact that your dad in Trustori a most that's so that's amazing, way better taste of music than I do, so amazing. But yeah, I think I think when you're young, you want to know what cool is. And I think I always had this suspicion that sort of what my friends thought was cool. I was like, you know, that's not cool. I don't think that's true, you know. I think I think because when you're thirteen

years old, that's all you're basically looking for. You want to know, like what's really cool. It's kind of as simple as that. And I think that means like what feels good to you. And I remember listening to actually Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Massie Star through a family friend and going like, oh, this is really I felt it was really cool, and I think, well I felt with that was like I had a connection with it.

And then I started to sort of look into blues a lot more because of a motorcycle club and a lot of them rockier bands. I mean they literally rip a lot of blues kind of structures off, and then I sort of ended up finding like sun House and and all this stuff. And You're so right, it became my music. It became Michael and my identity, um and followed me, you know, gigging in blues bars right the way up until I was probably eighteen and started to

change taste a little bit again. Well, speaking of core, you performed with Dolly herself along with Brandy Carlisle. How

was that for you? Yeah? It was absolutely like it was like a different other worldly experience them situation as you sit there and you just go wow, because I remember Dolly like comes up in a yellow canary suit, like literally canary yellow suits sorry, sequented up to the nine so a big wagon wheel on the back, and I'm just going like what you know what She's like, Hey, y'all,

how are you doing? You know? And I like go and like try and shake her hand, and she shakes everyone's hand on the stage and I sort of mess up and then we're sort of like, you know, doing a bit hand tickle and it's so awkward and I want to die and I'm just yeah, it was She's full Dolly. She's going full Dolly right from the ste She didn't even blink like I missed her hand and I was like, she was just like, oh, great, you know lovely to me. Yeah, if you do. And I

was like, oh, I've just ruined everything. But I know I knew Dolly because Linda Perry or so I got to sing with that weekend and we've we've been since worked together and so I sort of knew the connection there as well. I remember seeing like Brandy sing I Will Always Love You with Dolly and I think Linda was playing piano. I think I'm trying to ditch into my mind, but yes, lineup. Yeah, Brandy is just like my biggest inspiration at the minute. The way she got

kind of she really hit her stride. Six albums in almost you know, or at least got successful, got such a masterpiece of a record, six albums in like that work ethic, I can't. I don't know anyone who competes with that nowadays. Well, your work ethic is just absolutely incredible, to mean, you make the rest of us look bad. Quite frankly, I think you've said that you tried to write a song a day for a time. Do you still try to keep that clip? A lot has changed

in that respect, so I used to. I think it's that ten thousand hours theory by you know, Malcolm Glad is that kind of thing. That's what I was doing when I was young, whether I knew it or not, I was getting them ten thousand hours in. I feel the difference with this. Now. I feel like I am a writer and I feel like I can say I am an artist. And on my first record, I never felt I could really earned I felt like I hadn't earned that um and so that's why I was doing

all the graft. But now I do take a minute sometimes, you know, Like when I was writing in January for this record, I hadn't written in like two months properly. So I just I want to be careful, you know, not to make people feel like because you know what I mean, hyper production guilt kind of that all bleeds into one so yeah, I am taking more of a minute now. I feel like I've got my voice and my tone, if that makes sense, to live a little

bit and see do the best songs come quickly? You feel? Always? Yeah, yeah, always. I'm trying to think if there's an exception, because oh, there was one song I did about I don't know, maybe six versions of um that ended up not making cut the cut for the record, but I really want to give to someone. It's a piano record, So there are exceptions to that. But you know, Headstart didn't take me. I wrote versions of that as well, but I just seemed to be disproving my theory instead of actually instead

of actually giving my answer any backup. So who knows? Are you superstitious at all when you're writing? Is it like a special place you always want to sit, or an instrument you always want to use, or even just like a time of day, or is it just whenever wherever? Now, My my old producer was like, dude, she's just a

superstitious freak. She can write anywhere. I was like, that's hilarious, because I space see there was one studio I wrote Lottery in our her and there was one place and I was like, if it's not available, I can't, I can't write, you know, and he was like, dude, you know, get a grip. And then I literally went to a shed down the road, literally walk down the road and ended up wearing everything for this record. And then Mexico. You know, it's still like I've ever been to Mexico

see and written anything in an apartment before. So again, this was the album of disproving a lot of a lot of superstitions, but in general, oh my goodness, I'm just so superstitious. Well yeah, maybe I mean just getting fresh perspective, fresh places, fresh experiences. Maybe that that primes the pomp Yea especially. I think I think there was something about the air there. There was kind of in the vicinity. It was really triggering a lot of my

British kind of nineties rock influences in Mexico. I can't. I mean, who knows why. Um, sometimes it just happens. But like the Smith's was coming out a lot of p. J. Harvey and and kind of Cocktau Twins and all of that was truly channeling and even if it Bruce Brinstein, well, there's like street musicians outside the balcony every day. They'd be like playing trumpet or like you know, the sacks, and you'd hear them and it would be so weird

and wacky and wonderful. Talking to people who are are blessed with the ability to write music, I'm always so curious how much does the audience factor into your urge to write. Do you write as a way to communicate with other people, or do you right to get that feeling out of you, Like if you're on a desert island, would you still right every day or as often? Yeah,

that's That's That's why you are who you are. That's why your occupation is your occupation, I think because it's not like you just do it for because you have to. It's like if you sit in lockdown for two months, you'll write a song, you know you will get out of that, or six months or eight months, you'll get out of that and you'll write again. That's because you're

a writer and you'll always be there. And that's the one thing I've learned in this experience is like I feel like you can own that title now and and and feel a bit more confident in the sense if I don't write every day, I'm still a writer, you know, although I believe that work is important. Have you been coping with with lockdown? I know the last couple of months and it has been been tough on everybody. Have you been feeling Yeah, I mean, as you probably know,

we're all we're all in the same boat together. I at the beginning is really up and down. I'm quite a binary person in the sense about either on on on on on or like off, you know, so, and that's in everything I do. My partner just loses his mind at it. Um So, I like, this is so obsessive of me. But I wrote like a list so I'd be like exercise and I put a little spider diagram and every time I exercised I had not gone off or put a little tally chart and then songs

and then have one for books read. And I just started being like really hyper productive at the beginning. And then as you know, you complete, everything goes and then you do nothing, um but keep in track of it really helped me because you know, it's kind of like I saw this sad thing that was someone who the sister really struggled with depression, and they wrote every day how we're feeling if it was like up down, not

so good medium, and they trapped it every day. And I think sometimes knowing that you were productive at certain point or happier or you know, every life and ups and ups and downs in waves, so to speak, seeing that sometimes helps you feel a bit better. Yeah, I'll let you know that you'll you'll get there again if even if today's not the day, you'll get back there

at some point you have that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. When you were promoting your debut album, which was so personal, you said you wanted your next album to look more outward and reflect more of of sort of what's going on around us in the political climate. Uh, did current events impact your writing for this latest batch of songs. I think, in a way, a lot of our existence right now and this generation is political. Um. I think I succeeded in doing what I wanted to do in

terms of writing of others. I think when you fall in love, it automatically allows you to do that because it's the maximum extent of empathy. You know, when you're really in love with someone, to see them heart would just it would be like your child hurting, you know. It's it's the same kind of like maternal like oh God, you know breaks your heart. Um, and so I think a lot of this record, you know, seeing someone go

through anything I was I was trying to. I was writing a lot more about that person than than being like, you know, what am I going to do with my life? You know, I felt like I had enough of that by the first record. Also, just characters. There's this one song called Punchline on the record and it starts off he's walking out, head in his hands and he's too drunk to drive. He says out loud, I've been asleep at the wheel of my whole damn life, and like

little vignettes of characters. I was like, oh, I'm really on you know, I'm onto a better way of writing here. For sure. That's such a great line. It almost sounds like an Elvis Costello song to me or something. I love that line. Yeah, it's quite Bruce Springsteen inspired as well.

I think, you know, the idea of you know, I really had this idea of like a waitress and and a and a bloke who's and a relationship and him just sort of another lyric is like you know, throwing his wed and band out the back of a black Sudan, you know, because I was like, I just had it all. I had it in my head and it's random because I never met met that guy, but now I have through my song. You know, it's very cinematic. Yeah, So many profiles of you and reviews I've read include the

Americana tag. What is your relationship to that word? Is it accurate? Does it frustrate you? I mean labeling and identifying oneself must be infuriating. I'm sure in a lot of levels too, But but how do you feel about about that? Um? It's only frustrating when it's restrictive. So for me being a brit you know, the country thing wound me up a little bit because I was like, oh, I know people are going to hear that, and I

know what they're going to assume. And modern country is pretty sheeny and pretty pop. You know, it's basically just pop modern country. Like no, I'm not talking old country, but I'm talking like, you know that this stuff that you is on the radio. Um, And so it's a bit I used to get a bit annoyed by that because I just felt so derivative. It wasn't it wasn't making you. It wasn't didn't have any sort of connection

with who I actually i'm. When you listen to my music, it crosses so many borders genres like it is what it is. So that wasny, do you know what I mean? So I was a bit it was a bit like us lazy journalism. And when you're at the start, sometimes pieces matter, you know, because it's the first time people

are seeing you. But I feel like I've definitely got away from that now and and probably you know, the company I'm keeping with, people who I love and seem to want to support me, I think has helped me be myself and be known as myself, you know, a little bit. It's strange. I really feel like people are much more quick to categorize or label female artists, which

I've never I've never understood that. And I think of people like Bowie or Prince who got all this freedom to be and above and just not be constrained and be who they are. It's it's very strange. You're so correct there. I mean, it's really it's really annoying. I mean, if you look at the Tory Amos media when she was out, horrendous, it was horrendous, the things journalists said about her, male journalists said about her, And there's this really it was so great. I read this book by

Kim Gordon. She it was her like and she describes it in the UK nineties scene as the Queen complex. So these guys are so insecure about having a female kind of lead ahead of state that they have to just, you know, really down every female they're writing about in life. And I just absolutely if I got a tattoo, I think I just get that because it's just amazing. I love all have to say. I love you do a Leap A cover of New Rules, by the way, that

was really wonderful. Yeah, that was definitely a like oh, because you know, you've got to do popular covers sometimes too, when you're beginning to introduce to new audience. And so me and my father are like, right, you on the trumpet, I'll play Spanish guitar. You know, we'll get a big double bass and we'll we'll do a Julie for tuna, if you know what I mean. But I love that. It was so much fun right at the beginning. Oh. In Atlantis too, I mean, write through You is incredible,

a damn lyrics. I mean, you look you took a long, hard look at my ass and then you played golf for a while. I mean, it's just uncanny. I love her so much. Have you ever played with her? I met her never. But sometimes real heroes like I get a bit nervous to like people who like I don't know, have directly affected you, like that album did Drug a Little Pill. I like to keep them as as deities or myths. You know, you know what it's like, Patti Smith,

I am terrified, a mean patsman. I'm terrified. I mean, because she's so amazing. Um, it would actually lose my mind some day. Though someday we'll see, we'll see. I ran away from her, you know what, when well we were there was a there was a festival, I think it was All Points Ceased in the UK, and she was on maybe After or something like that, and they were like, oh wait, you hang out backstage and try and no, no way, no run away. What do you love to do when when you're not making music? Um?

I used to read a lot this pandemic, I've not been reading as much. Who knows why I listened to podcast now, especially when I'm running. You know, I had to because you know, when I et a lot of biscuits, so like I had to get a few of them. Why I was putting on the pounds a little bit, you know, and you just sort of turned around look in the mirror, and you're like, oh, hello, you know, there we go. So that I started running and doing yoga and all the things you're supposed to do. Recently, um,

mainly computer games. I really like computer games is something that allows my really controlling behavior to switch into something you know, or simulation. I basically control little groups of people on life. My manager is really concerned about me when I do that. But yeah, all the SIMS and stuff like SIMS City and the Sims and all of oh you name it, like I'm on it. So it's my nerdy side of my character. But it's the only thing I don't think what I'm doing. So we've all

got to have something. Has there been a silver lining of this time for you? I mean, if you have any new hobbies you've picked up or shows you've watched. A lot of her family was really silver lining because I was away from them constantly for three years basically and my mom. I lived with my mom primarily by ourselves since I was what like eight months old, so

I think, and also my grandma. She we moved back in with my grandma at seven when my parents divorced, and we lived like as a trio of pretty badass women, you know, for like, I mean five, five to six years.

So I think what I was really losing was was the relationship with them there because I was growing up at the same time as leaving a lot, and I got to spend a lot more time appreciating that and knowing why my mama is my mom, you know what I mean, and knowing where I came from and etcetera, etcetera. So yeah, I read that your mom recently shared a note that you had written to yourself as a fourteen year old. What was that like? What did you learn

from your fourteen year old self reading that back? How did you find that out? I don't know how you found that out? Okay, all right. It was meant to be really profound, and I was hoping it would be like, I want to record label, I want to be you know, doing what I'm doing now, and instead I totally chickened out of my aspirations writing on the list. And I think I said, like I wanted like a you know, my grandma said, put you put a car you on?

I put like a red Mini. And I wanted to live in New York and study in New York or become a waitress or something. It was very like, practically, I don't know what I was doing. Oh so stupid. Though. I was like, Jay, do you want to be You wanted to be a right? You always wanted to be right what you're playing at? So yeah, it was it was a waste of time that I think we did another one as well. Be my grandma and my mom,

we all did another one last year. Well you are a writer, and I don't everyone who can't see you right now, which is everybody but me. You're currently holding a guitar pick I believe, and you have been the entire interview too, which I think is the sign of a true composer. Oh my lord, it's so stage that And how did you even see that? I was flicking my hands so much. Wow, Yeah that's me. I have been trying to write this weekend, so yeah, you got me there. Wow. Oh he's got one in my pocket too,

so you know, takes one to know exactly. Incredible scenes, amazing well, my last question to you, it's been my last one we've done throughout this this whole uh sort of quarantine series. If you could snap your fingers and have everything go back to whatever your definition of normal is, I suppose like this time last year, what would be the first thing you would do? So great question. Well, if it was this time last year, you may change something or or just have it be exactly what like,

what would you do? Just if you could have everything go back to normal? You can go travel anywhere you want, not have to quarantine in Mexico for two weeks, or or hug anyone you want not have to worry, or what would you do? That's such a great question. Um, when I do, I mean a lot of us for her, it's aunt so we like kind of almost like being inside. So I think a lot of us are like, oh, thank goodness, we don't have to cancel on friends for any other made up reason. What would I do? Such

a great question. I mean, obviously play lives that would be That would be really good. I think you know what I actually want to do. I really want to go to a bloody observatory. We really wanted to see the stars and they're all closed right now, so that bugs me. That's what I did. That is a beautiful answer and one we have not had yet. That is wonderful. Yeah, thinking about it, you see, thank you so much for your music in your time today. It's been such a

pleasure now, Thank you, Joe. And that's me so much fun. I'veout a good laugh. You see, you're the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Studio Home Edition, a production of I Heart Radio. For more episodes of Inside the Studio and other shows from I heart Radio, check out the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.