Q: ‘Cigarettes & Heartbreak’ is so beautiful! What is the story behind the
song?
Jazzie: Thank you so much! It really turned out to be one of my favorite songs
post production, there’s a real ‘indie vibed out’ element to it that not a lot
of my previous songs have had. The song is really about the end of a
relationship and that period of time where you’ve been separated for a
bit and you know that its for the best, but you can’t quite seem to get that
person fully out of your system. It's really about the lingering dull ache
that comes with ending something that wasn’t ultimately fulfilling. The
idea behind the lyrics ‘cigarettes & heartbreak on repeat’ specifically
really was linked to a particular guy that I was seeing who reminded me
of cigarette smoke and rollercoaster emotions, that was our relationship
wrapped up into a few words for me.
Q: What was it like to film the music video for this song?
Jazzie: This music video actually came together rather seamlessly. Filming
was so fun and easy that I almost forgot it was work. We had filmed in
the same location the day before for my music video “27 club”, and its
one of those sets that feels like a real life 1970s apartment. So by the
second day of filming, it started to feel like home. The crew that was on
this shoot, along with all of the other videos from this EP, was super
small so it allowed for a lot of play time and experimentation when it
came to filming. My director/DP, Shelby Parks, and I decided last minute
to draw faces on this one red balloon and kind of make him the place
holder for the person I was singing the song about, and it just took the
video in such a fun direction. Aesthetically speaking, I also really enjoyed
how the video came out.
Q: How did growing up in California influence your music career?
Jazzie: So, I actually was born in Northern California but we moved when I
was only one years old due to our house burning down. It wasn’t until I
graduated college that I moved back to California! But even though I
didn’t grow up here, I feel like California has so many songs written
about it, and so many movies that it was still influential to me and my artistry. It’s an ideal that can be really inspiring even if you aren’t physically here.
Q: What is your personal favorite out of the songs you have released?
You can only pick one!
Jazzie: That’s so hard! It really depends on what mood I’m in, however I
guess at the moment I’d have to say 27 club.
Q: Who would you say has been your biggest influence?
Jazzie: You know I’ve thought about this a lot but I don’t think I can really
point towards one specific person. Like most people I’ve listened to
music and been surrounded by it through my family since I was very
young. So there are so many artists and bands that I’ve been exposed to
and loved over the years, and I think that love and connection to a single
song or artist is so inspiring even if you don’t end up writing in a similar
genre. I think that’s why my music doesn’t fully fit into a specific genre
category, because it’s this culmination of experiences and different
artists and genres.
Q: What is some of the best advice you have received?
Jazzie: Write music that feels authentic to you. As long as you’re doing things
you genuinely love, people will be able to tell. And I think that’s
something I’ve learned with the production element, I always try to let the
song guide me in the direction it wants to go instead of forcing it to be
something it isn’t. People can really tell when you’re trying to put off
something that isn’t authentic, it just doesn’t work. I’m working a lot on
following my intuition and my own desires as opposed to following what
other people think is ‘good’ or ‘right’.
Interviewed By Kendall Koval
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