by martina rexrode
photo by chase hanssen
Canadian-born singer-songwriter JESSIA recently dropped her latest EP Okay With Every Part. After a short span of time filled with so much turmoil and change, she taps into those feelings with this project — a six song EP full of catchy, relatable lyrics and melodies. Along with the EP, JESSIA is also preparing to embark on her debut headline tour across Canada and into new places like New York! We talked to JESSIA about the EP, the upcoming tour, and where she found inspiration throughout the creative process.
Your EP was released last month! How are you feeling now that this project is out in the world?
JESSIA: “It feels so good to have Okay With Every Part out in the world! I love seeing all of the different videos people are creating with the songs. It’s so interesting to see how people are able to relate and find their own stories within the songs. It really builds up a sense of community!”
Does this release feel different than past releases in any way? How rewarding does it feel to put out an independent project?
JESSIA: “Yes, it definitely feels really different. I just have a small team working behind the scenes on this project, so every stream, billboard, or shoutout is because of the community we’ve built from the ground up.”
Can you tell our readers how you decided on the title Okay With Every Part?
JESSIA: “Last year was a really tough year for me. I was mad at myself for making what I perceived to be the ‘wrong decisions’ and for losing what I could have had. But, I look at my life now and I am SO happy with how things turned out. I feel so free! Now that I’m out of the storm, I’m able to look back and say that I really am ‘okay with every part.’ I would not be here or writing the music I am now had I not gone through all the craziness of the last year.”
Where did you find inspiration for this EP?
JESSIA: “This EP was inspired by my experience going from being signed to a record label to becoming an independent artist. I wanted to prove to both myself and other artists that you don’t need a label to be successful. That’s something that gave me a lot of fuel while creating this project. Stopping and giving up on my music career just wasn’t an option, so I wrote from the mindset that I would do whatever it took to get through that hard time in my life.”
Which song do you hope listeners latch onto most?
JESSIA: “‘Care About Me’ is a really special song to me, but it’s also a song about feeling a lot of pain and heartache… so, while it’s one of my favorites and I hope other people love it too, I’d also love for people to latch onto ‘Happy Without You.’ I feel like people have been sleeping on ‘Happy Without You’ — it’s the ultimate ‘I’m getting over you’ bop!”
You recently announced dates for your debut headline tour starting in October! What’s going through your mind as you think about this tour and performing your music for fans in places like New York and Toronto, maybe for the first time?
JESSIA: “I’ve played in Toronto a few times now and I feel like I’ve been able to cultivate such an incredible community of strong confident girlies there! It seriously feels like we’re all just friends now! I’ve never played in New York before so I’m really excited about that show! I’m stoked to cross that one off my bucket list!”
How have you grown as an artist within the last year? In what ways do you hope to grow through the rest of this year?
JESSIA: “I feel like I’ve grown a lot as an artist over the past year and I hope to just continue to grow. I feel like I have such a solid foundation now that I can experiment even more with my music and let myself be a little weirder!”