by pankhuri bhutani
photo by ariel fish
Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Jacob Lee-Nicholas Sullenger, professionally known by his stage name JAWNY (formerly Johnny Utah), first learned how to play guitar at just the tender age of six as he initiated composing tracks in his early teens.
Recently dropping his phenomenal new EP “For Abby,” JAWNY also released behind the scenes footage on his YouTube channel which provided his fans a short glimpse into the creative process and the making of the project which showcased some crazy, funny, and emotional moments from the journey.
We talked to Jacob as he gave some significant insights into this exciting new project, his plans for the future, and a message that he deeply wished to convey to his fans.
Hi there Jacob. Thank you for joining us on Unclear Magazine! You recently released your new project For Abby. What can you tell us about the EP? How did the name For Abby come into existence?
JAWNY: “What up, Pankhuri. Great name by the way. I can say I’m happy that it’s fucking out. Finally. It feels good seeing all these songs and ideas that I’ve been working on for a minute out and my fans reacting to it. Abby is a mythical character. She is all the relationships I’ve experienced — past and present.”
What was the creative process like with the EP? Did you face any sort of challenges during the production stage of the project?
J: “The entire project was made in the living from of my old, tiny apartment. I pretty much came up with the skeleton of every song there and then I’d take them to my homies and we worked on them together. The biggest challenge was learning that it all started and ended with me, like I can’t rely on people to bring my story to life. That shit started with me and it was important for me to get those feelings and thoughts out.”
Let’s talk about the documentary that you posted on your YouTube channel. It gave the fans a glimpse of the vulnerability of the whole journey that you faced while making the EP. What according to you is the most memorable thing that you took away from this whole process?
J: “That shit can change really fast and life doesn’t wait for you.”
What kind of reaction are you hoping to achieve through this EP?
J: “I think the reaction I’ve gotten is what I hoped for — my fans connecting and getting to experience my real life with me and sharing it with their friends. And, I got some sick reviews. Oh yeah, and it was crazy that I got those Grammy noms and on the Billboard charts.”
As we are facing this unfortunate global pandemic, do you find that being isolated has given you more time and freedom to work on your music, or has it made it a bit more difficult for you to create your tracks in?
J: “This pandemic is fucking tough. It’s hurt a lot of friends and families that I know and it doesn't look like it’s stopping soon. My love and prayers out to everyone. For me, definitely the first part. I was lost coming into the year and being sort of locked in my house made me take a long hard look at everything I was doing and had been doing and it forced me to be better. For Abby doesn’t happen without that time of reflection and all that time locked into the music.”
Where do you draw your biggest musical inspirations from, and if given an opportunity, who are you most likely to collaborate with in the future?
J: “I’ve been influenced by a lot of local acts that I grew up alongside, but also mgmt, Tyler, Strfkr, Mac Miller (RIP), Kid Cudi, and so on. When Tyler, The Creator and I work together on something… that will be the day, man.”
If you could describe this EP only through one emotion of yours, which one might it be and why?
J: “I can’t because it’s all of them — happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise.”
What’s next for you, Jacob? Any upcoming projects/collaborations that you would like to hint your fans about?
J: “More music. More shows. More JAWNY. As for me, imma just keep doing me, keep growing and challenging myself.”
Lastly, I would like to ask you if there’s anything that you wish to convey to your fans and supporters from around the world?
J: “Life is crazy. Be safe out there. Oh yeah, that new music I just mentioned... it’s coming sooner than you think.”