Can we take a moment and just acknowledge how much we love doing these interviews with up-and-coming artists? Not only do we get to chat with some of the most talented people in the world who deserve the very best, but we also get to introduce them to you! Today, we’re feeling super lucky to be able to share our interview with rising star Jewelia on her recent single, ‘Invisible Wall,’ and her forthcoming album, Little Wins, which is due to be released on April 19th.
We could talk all about our adoration for Jewelia and how obsessed we are with her music, but this would quickly become an essay. So rather than us getting carried away, we’ll let you discover your own love for her with this interview!
Hi Jewelia! Welcome to The Honey POP! We are super excited to talk to you. Firstly, we’d love it if you could tell us a little bit about yourself for those just getting introduced to you today.
I’m a singer songwriter and producer based in London, originally from Bucharest, Romania. I moved to the UK in 2012 all by myself to study Music Technology. I make quirky pop music in various flavors, exploring different facets of pop with every release, from synth-pop to pop-rock to folk-pop and chamber-pop. I produce all my songs, and I also love making YouTube videos.
We absolutely adore your sound, and your music has become quite an addiction for us! Who would you say are your musical influences?
As a teenager, I was obsessed with Muse (this changed with time). Their early material was so powerful and intensely emotional, and I loved how their topics were things that don’t often appear in songs, such as outer space or the state of the world. It was what made me want to have a band and make my own voice heard, so they were a very strong early influence on me. A couple of others would be Amanda Palmer (in the period of my first EP and album), Sufjan Stevens, and Lana del Rey. These days, I listen to a lot of alt-pop, the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Holly Humberstone, Mitski, Ethel Cain, Weyes Blood, etc.
Your latest single, ‘Invisible Wall,’ has been on repeat in our hive since it was released. We can’t get enough of its synth-pop sound, and it fills us with so much nostalgia. You previously stated that this was written back in 2017. What made you decide to wait until 2024 to release it?
That’s correct, I wrote this song in 2017, the same year that I wrote most of my City of My Mind album, which is a chamber pop album with occasional psychedelic influences, quite dark in places and featuring lots of orchestral instruments. A synth-pop upbeat song like ‘Invisible Wall’ didn’t fit on City of My Mind. I like my albums or EPs to be bound by a central idea, theme, or vibe, to have at least a ghost of a concept.
Little Wins is all about self-reflection in the face of expectations (personal or societal) and learning to accept our limits and celebrate our successes. ‘Invisible Wall’ is about breaking self-imposed limits, and going for the wins, so it matched the concept of the new album like a glove.
Jewelia
I thought to myself, if I’m not putting this song on Little Wins, I’ll never find a more suitable occasion to release it.
“When the fear takes hold of your heart and soul, punch and break the invisible wall” is such a powerful lyric for us. It’s like a reminder to keep going and push through the harder moments in life. When you wrote the lyrics for ‘Invisible Wall,’ did you draw inspiration from a particular moment in your life?
This is a funny one because, as we mentioned just earlier, ‘Invisible Wall’ was written in 2017, but it actually had slightly different lyrics. This particular line was modified recently to fit even better within the theme of the album (there are quite a few other punching/fighting/sports references in other songs on the album, including the album artwork that features boxing gloves). As to a particular moment that inspired it, I can’t think of one, it’s drawn from a general experience of lots of little things combined. The song is about getting out of the comfort zone and overcoming self-limiting thoughts, which is something I’ve always struggled with. More recently, I’m struggling with the fear of getting older than what is considered desirable in the music industry or the fear of showing my face or voicing opinions on social media. I know these fears are only in my head, though, and that they shouldn’t stop me from doing what I want to do; it’s this kind of negative thinking that creates invisible walls and needs “punching” and breaking down.
We need to talk about your upcoming album, Little Wins. We’re so excited to know more about it! Could you tell us a little more about what we can expect from the songs on this album?
There are upbeat songs, and there are quiet songs full of warmth. The first half particularly features synth-pop and higher energy tracks, and it calms down towards the end to a few gentle acoustic numbers. The whole album fluctuates between self-encouragement and unforgiving self-judgment. But overall, there’s a constant yearning for self-forgiveness, with the conclusion that we all do the best we can, and that’s ok, and we should celebrate where we are, looking back at where we came from.
We always get so curious about the creative processes behind musical projects. Can you tell us more about what the creative process was like for Little Wins?
I usually write at the piano or in my home studio. Once I have an idea, I almost immediately put down a skeleton recording of it in Logic, with basic chords and vocals, and then start adding up drums, synths, etc. I almost always finalize the lyrics last. I’m a perfectionist, so maybe sometimes I end up working on a song longer than it needs. This album has been over three years in the making. I wrote and produced all the songs, with a big chunk of the tracks having been co-produced with Andy Denyer, who also mixed the spatial audio for it. The album was predominantly mixed by Mario Borgatta (Foster The People, Mallrat) and Niko Battistini (Charlie XCX, Caroline Polachek), and it was mastered by Antony Ryan, who also mastered it for vinyl. I was able to fund the mixing and all the duplication of physical copies (CDs, cassettes, and vinyl), all thanks to my lovely Kickstarter backers who helped me raise over $10,000 in the summer of 2023.
What would you say is your favorite lyric you’ve written in Little Wins and why?
Maybe “Second best, even when there is no one else” in ‘Second Best.’ It’s not the most cheerful one, but I like how punchy it is, how, in only a few words, it completely encompasses the feeling of never being enough, of harsh self-judgment.
What do you hope for people to take away from listening to the songs on Little Wins?
We all do the best we can with the resources we have at that moment; those resources can mean anything: money, time, energy, knowledge, confidence, connections, love, other people, self-belief, and self-love. It took me a long time to come to terms with this simple concept and to stop beating myself up.
There’s no point in negative self-talk, in shaming ourselves, or in spending time thinking of what-ifs. My advice is: chin up, and give yourself a pat on the back for making it to where you are today!
Jewelia
We saw your Little Wins jar idea on TikTok, and we love the idea so much! What an amazing way to focus on the positives throughout the year! We know it hasn’t been too long since you posted the video, but what have you added to your Little Wins jar so far?
Umm, I haven’t got that many things in yet. One thing is a press feature on an outlet that I’ve wanted to be on for a long time, the other is securing a nice venue for my launch party (details to be announced), and one is that my vinyl finally arrived, and it looks gorgeous. Oh, and I managed to get tickets for Glastonbury, never been before, and I’m excited. I’m sure there will be plenty more to add to the jar as the year progresses.
For our final question, we wanted to know what Little Wins (or big wins!) you have planned or hope to achieve in the next year?
I have hardly thought beyond the release of the album! I hope to put on a good launch gig, sell some vinyl, and generally get lots more people to hear about me!
A massive thank you to Jewelia for chatting with us for this interview! We loved every second of it. To keep our excitement high in this hive, let’s take a look at the tracklist for Little Wins!
- ‘Invisible Wall’
- ‘Fragile’
- ‘Queen of Make Believe’
- ‘Second Best’
- ‘Loser’
- ‘Extra’
- ‘The Best We Can’
- ‘Validation’
- ‘The Quiet Ones’
- ‘Strong In My Own Way’
- ‘You Were There’
- ‘The Comfort of Falling’
We’re super excited for Little Wins, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for Jewelia, her talents, and her incredible music.
Want to pre-save Jewelia’s Little Wins album? We gotchu!
What do you think of Jewelia, and are you excited for her new album, Little Wins? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @thehoneypop! You can also find us on Discord, Facebook, and Instagram.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JEWELIA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE
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