PART 2 - March 2022
I saw that on Instagram that you had posted a little sneak peek clip of your new single, "Falling Apart." How long has this song been brewing, and how did it get to where it is now?
That's a very good question because I feel like this song has been the longest journey of all my originals. During 2020, when we were obviously all in lockdown, I found myself not super inspired, but there was one day where I just got this melody and idea in my head for a song, and I would play it on the piano over and over again, and I knew that this would be a really catchy chorus. I had lyrics ready for it and everything, but no matter what I did, I couldn't finish the song. So I just kind of put it on the shelf, put it aside and was like, "Whatever, maybe I'll finish it another someday."
I had already been familiar with April Rose Gabrielli's music prior to all of this. She was in a bunch of different rock bands and we had connected a little bit on social media at some point. When I first started doing music in 2018-2019, I had always been a big fan of her writing and her music, and so she released her first solo single called "Do You" and as soon as I heard it, I was like, "You need to tell me who produced this. This is just incredible. I love it. I've been trying to figure out a way to take my music to a different... I don't want to say a "different level" because that sounds so cliché, but literally try and go a little bit more outside my comfort zone." She was like, "Oh, actually, I produced it, along with Kulick" and I was like, "Well, how do I work with you guys? I need to find a way to make this happen."
I brought them the chorus, the melody that I had, and the lyrics that I had, and I went out to see them for a week -- they live out in Pennsylvania -- and we just spent the weekend finishing the song, writing and producing and recording it. Everything was done in two days. I was just so proud of it, and it was just such a really good experience working with the two of them because I absolutely admire them as artists, but as writers as well. So I a lot of fun.
I love the lyrics, "I keep on falling apart in all of the right places, taking my time to find the right pieces." What can you tell us about the lyric-writing process? What initially inspired it? Was it something from personal experience?
It definitely came from a personal experience. I'm trying to be to honest and more vulnerable when I talk about the stories behind my songs. Around that time, I had just been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and I felt very confused. I had been doing a lot of reflecting about how it took me this long to kind of figure out what was going on and how hard the work was and the healing process was. So the idea behind the song was that, yeah, sometimes you have to fall apart and you have to break and you have to do all these really hard things in order to get to a better place and to be, whether it be in recovery or whatever it might be, that your struggle is, right? Sometimes you just have to pull out that splinter. It's going to hurt, but afterward it's going to be a lot better. So one of the things I wanted to do with this song was show that it's OK to feel vulnerable. It's okay that we have to suffer and struggle and all of those things. But I wanted it to be uplifting and empowering, that it's worth it.
That's a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing that.
A great thing about music is the way that it can make people feel less alone, give them a sense of belonging, and keep them pushing through. I know music has helped me get through some really tough times. It's just such an amazing medium in that way.
It also is a testament to your artistry, that you can write/create something that can bring people in. It's kind of like you give your listeners permission to just sit and stop and reflect on the things and the people that they have in their lives, which I think is really important to soak up.
That makes me so happy to hear that you hear that because I feel like that's something I've been working on for myself. I think I've always been very good at just being like, "OK, I don't need to feel sad. I need to find something to make me feel better, or what is the point of feeling this feeling," right? I feel like I have been working really hard to embrace that. Embrace those feelings, allow yourself to feel them. It's OK. We don't have to sit in them forever, but there's nothing wrong with having them. A lot of times, I write these songs as my own sort of therapy to remind myself, "OK, you know, Jackie, it's OK if you're crying right now. It's OK if you're having a tough time right now because you know what? It will get better. This is all part of life and you're going to be OK." My music, I feel like there are these very serious topics, but I tend to make the music and production... I like it to be fun and uplifting. There is that pop element. This song, it's just such a serious topic, but I have made it very playful, which you'll see in the video. I took a very emotional, serious topic for myself, but things can be serious but you can still laugh and you can still be playful regardless of that, you know? Hopefully, that will come across in the video.
Yes! How did you meet the director? Who came up with the concept for the music video?
So his name is Tom Flynn, and he is amazing. He was actually a referral from April Rose Gabrielli and Kulik. They both have worked with him for some of their different music videos, and when I saw the work that he had done, I was like, "Oh my God, I have to work with this guy!" We had a call about the song, he listened to the song, I sent him lyrics, gave him some understanding about what my intentions were behind the song and what it meant for me, and he was like, "I have this crazy idea. You're either going to love it or you're going to hate it." He kind of gave me the idea, and then we worked together to flesh it out a little bit more. But yeah, it was mostly Tom. I just thought it was great because it kind of has that whimsical feeling, that kind of vibe that I go for.
The people that were in this video were all friends of mine. Some are other musicians in the Jersey music scene. They were really good sports. It was a very cold day. It was late fall or early winter. I want to say like November or December. So yeah, it was very cold. I felt terrible. But they're all good friends.
Where did you film? Is it filmed in New Jersey?
Yeah, actually it's in my neighborhood, in South Amboy.
How did you find the costume for the main character? Was it handmade?
Oh my gosh, no. We bought it online.
Who is the actor who's in the costume?
So, he is going to create a reveal video that I will post on social media so you can see who it is. He's an amazing guy and really knocked it out of the park. To be able to do any sort of acting while wearing a head like that, it just shows he did a great job.
Tell us more about April Rose and Kulick.
They are like the dynamic duo. I swear, they make magic when they work together. They're both touring musicians. April's actually in Kulick's band. She plays the keys and backup vocals. She also has her solo project, which is going incredible. Her song "Do You", which was her first single, was charting on Billboard Hot A/C [Adult Contemporary] Charts and things like that. They're both just amazing, and I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them, but also to now say they're my friends. They're just really great people.
When we went to write this song together, when I went out to Pennsylvania, it was maybe October. I honestly was really forcing myself to do it. I had not been very inspired. I had not really done much with my music in a while. I released some covers last year, but for the most part, I hadn't released anything original in about a year. I was like, "I'm going to do this. You're going to work with new people. You're going to. It's going to be good. It's going to be good." I left that weekend feeling so re-inspired and feeling like, "OK, I still love this, thank God!"
Where did you record “Falling Apart”?
With them. They co-wrote with me, produced, mixed, mastered -- all of the above. They're very multitalented people. They have a home studio, and it's amazing and beautiful. It was just such a great experience, and it was a very comfortable experience, too. I think sometimes when you're in these more formal big studios, it can be very intimidating -- at least for me. I felt very comfortable being there with them, and it was just really nice. They have this adorable dog named Ellie who made it even more fun. It was really a great experience.
Do you have any other songs/projects in the works?
It's funny, I feel like in the past -- because I started doing this whole music thing so late in life -- I felt like I was rushing everything and having to get the next song out and the next one, and this and that. I feel like I'm at a point now where I'm like, "You know what? That's exhausting." If I get a bunch of song ideas in my head and I decide to record and release them, great, I will do that. But for now... I mean, I definitely have a phone filled with melody, ideas, and concepts and things, but nothing fleshed out. Everything is really just in lots of little pieces, and hopefully they'll turn into something kind of like "Falling Apart" did, where it just kind of started with a little piece of a couple of things and then it came to life when I found the right collaborators. So, we will see.
The music business, whether it be on a local level or a global level, moves very quickly and people can forget about you very quickly and people want to hear the next thing right away. But you know what? Putting the pressure on yourself to keep up with that just takes a lot of the joy out of what you're doing. For me, I do this because I love it, and if people listen to it, that's a bonus. If people want to play it, and when it comes to a show, that's a bonus. But I just don't I don't want to feel that pressure, you know?
Is there anyone new who you'd like to give a shout-out to?
I have to give a huge shout-out to April and Kulick. You guys need to check them out! April Rose Gabrielli and Kulick. They are both incredible artists that are releasing just such great music, and they're also really wonderful people to support and they have been so supportive of me. They've really changed my way of thinking with a lot of stuff in music that can sometimes make you feel a little bad or make you feel a little bit knocked down. They are just so uplifting, talented, wonderful human beings. So, everyone, check them out! They're great.
Last year, you mentioned some of the career highlights that you had. Have fans still been reaching out to you?
I actually just saw a family friend last night and her daughter was like, "I told my friends that I know a singer." The little kids are just too cute. She was telling me, she's like, "I love your song 'Wildflower.'" I think she's 8 years old. Just hearing that, especially from little girls, I just wish I had someone like that in my life, especially with music, growing up as a kid.
Yeah, that is so important for little girls to have positive role models.
I noticed from this interview and also from your last one, you're so modest. For the caliber that your music is at in terms of the lyrics and the melody and the artistry, really, you have some bragging rights. You've got really solid work that you've put out.
Oh, you're going to make me cry now.
Feel free to brag. You've earned bragging rights!
Thank you. I'm definitely very proud of myself. I never thought I would be able to do any of this, let alone write originals, record them, and share them with people. So it's just... To me, I'm just very proud of myself.
I'm so excited for the music video for "Falling Apart" to drop and see what people's responses are.
Me, too! When you listen, you're going to know it's Jackie June song, but it's definitely taking it to a different place, which I'm really excited about.