Are you looking for a new wild addition to your playlist? Then you’re in luck! We’ve been driven wild by JJ Wilde, and we’re ready to take you with us. Get to know JJ, learn all about writing her EP Best of Me (Part 1), and gear up for her new album, Vices, out now!
Since starting out, you’ve broken records and made history. With what you know now, what kind of advice would you have given to yourself early in your career?
“Learning how to set boundaries for yourself is super important. It’s great to say yes to every opportunity you can, but you have to check in with yourself before you can say yes and make sure it aligns with you and who you are. I also think not compromising your own integrity. It’s easy as an artist to compromise because you think people want a specific thing… if something feels wrong, it probably is, and it’s okay to say no.”
Your debut album, Ruthless, made a lot of waves! What was that process like creating that album? How do you feel like you’ve changed or grown since that release?
“With the first record, I had been writing consistently— and I still do— but I had about 500 songs to get through. When we got into the studio, there was a mad dash to get everything done; I think two weeks or something crazy like that. We got in there, and we made that record in less than a month, so from start to finish, it was a very quick process. Writing took years, but once we got in there, it was very quick. As for this project, it was a two-year span of writing and I [worked] with a new producer… I sat with the songs a little bit longer; some we would write that day. It was a little more sporadic, I would say.”
‘State of Mind’
With Ruthless, you became the first woman in over two decades to win Rock Album of the Year at the JUNO Awards. How did that feel when you first learned about this accomplishment? How do you feel that helped open the door for other artists down the road?
“It was pretty surreal. It came at a time when the world was kind of shut down, so it didn’t feel real for a while. You know, I accepted the JUNO in my parent’s living room, so it was like: I know this is happening, but it doesn’t really feel like it’s happening. But I was just so grateful and astonished that it was me. I think the fact that it took two decades is somewhat disappointing because there’s no shortage of talented women, but if I had any part in helping to open up those doors, then I’m really happy.”
Who are some of your favorite talented women?
“We have to give love to Shania Twain; she’s probably one of my favorite artists. Her road was not easy at all, and I find that so inspiring. As a woman in the music industry, sometimes there are things pinned against us, but she also has had a ton of life thrown at her as well. Then, to be able to accomplish what she did is so inspiring. I also love Celine Dion. To me, she is the ultimate baddie; if you see her in interviews, she knows exactly who she is, she knows what she does, and she does it well. And, obviously, Joni Mitchell. She’s an amazing songwriter. It’s like poetry.”
Your EP, Best of Me (Part 1), is filled with a lot of edge but also honesty and vulnerability. Where do you draw inspiration from for these lyrics? Does it ever feel nerve-racking to share this side of you with an audience, and how do you hope your lyrics impact your fans?
“Absolutely. I think it’s always nerve-racking to share your songs because, at least for me, I pull a lot of material from personal experience. These stories I’m telling are stories about my life, which can be hard to share with a large audience.
“A lot of this EP was me coming to terms with things that have lost their shine [for me] and accepting that there’s other things that have gained more shine. It’s growing pains.”
JJ Wilde about Best of Me (Part 1)
‘Best of Me’
We want to take a second to talk about visuals. The visualizer for ‘Best of Me’ looked like so much fun! What was it like creating that video? How did you come up with the idea for that visualizer?
“It was a super fun one for me because I went back to my hometown, and I went to some of my buddies I worked with previously and it was kind of, just, a fun project. There wasn’t a whole lot of planning; it was very spur of the moment… the song is about letting the vices get the best of you, repeating the same patterns, and trying to break those. That’s a theme that’s kind of ongoing in my life, and I think I’m starting to break those things; it’s taken a long time. This video was just supposed to be fun.”
Speaking of vices, since Best of Me (Part 1), JJ Wilde has also released her album VIces. With ten fantastically delicious tracks to check out, we’re sure you’ll go wild, too! You can stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
‘in not crazy youre just an asshole (toxic)’
What do you think, bees? Can you tell us what you think is the best of Best of Me (Part 1) from JJ Wilde? Are you ready to let go of all your Vices? Let us know in the comments, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @thehoneypop!
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