Jazzie Young
Photo credit: Amy Ryerson
Indie-pop artist Jazzie Young released her latest single “spaghetti stains” on October 23rd.
Written during quarantine, the new single explores the feelings of depression and anxiety during that time.
“I wanted to write something that both confronted those feelings as well as gave some glimmer of hope, so anyone who heard the song could feel less alone during a time when most of us were very alone,” says Young.
“spaghetti stains” is the second single off her upcoming debut EP, due for release early 2021.
Photo credit: Amy Ryerson
Introduce yourself. What’s your story?
I grew up on the Big Island of Hawai’i after my family’s house in Inverness, CA burned down in the Mount Vision Forest Fire of ’95. I started taking classical music lessons when I was 3 years old and started writing down song ideas when I was in elementary school. My parents bought me a song journal and even though my spelling was horrible, I wrote a lot of partial songs in that thing. When I was 12 years old my family moved to South Carolina to be closer to my grandparents. While there my dad gave me my first full sized guitar, one that he had given my mom years earlier. It was one of the few things that survived our house fire of ’95. I started writing fully formed songs on it when I was around 14 years old and have never looked back. I still have that Taylor Guitar today and it is one of my favorite and most treasured possessions. I attended college at the University of South Carolina and studied business and environmental science, the latter being something I’m very passionate about. After graduating with honors, I decided to finally pursue my passion of music and songwriting, so I packed up and moved out west to LA the fall after graduation. I’ve been living here 3 years now, and after dealing with some health issues, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease at the end of my college career, I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on my song writing and honing in on the type of “sound” I wanted this collection of songs to have. Now I’m finishing up production on my first EP along with planning the visuals to accompany it!
Do you remember your first musical memories?
Yes! Maybe not the exact moment but I remember learning how to play the piano and violin when I was around 3 years old. My mom sent both me and my brother Tristan to a classical teacher named Ursula, she was wonderful. I remember how cute the tiny violin was that I had to use and being terrified of playing in front of everyone during our recitals. I was always scared I’d forget everything once I got out there! Luckily, I don’t think that ever really happened.
When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?
I started jotting down songs when my parents gave me a song journal in elementary school. To be fair looking back at them years later, I really can’t make out what I was trying to say. But as my life experience and emotional intelligence grew, I started writing more fully formed songs. I wrote love songs before I had ever been in love. I’ve always felt like my empathy is one of my strongest gifts, especially when it comes to music. I can draw on emotions or experiences that aren’t fully my own and write a song about them. I’m not really sure if there was something that made me “want” to write songs. It was just something that came naturally, it just happened, and I went with it. I think it’s just a part of my cellular makeup.
What did you grow up listening to?
When I was really little, I listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Cat Stevens, just a lot of the greats. My mom loves Cat Stevens so she was a big musical influence on me in my earliest memories. We also listened to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole who was a big start in Hawai’i. You’ve probably heard his rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” with the ukulele. He was so incredibly talented. Then when I hit elementary school the first Britney Spears album came out and of course I was obsessed like every other person my age at that time. I also really loved Shakira’s “Laundry Service” album and Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go”. That’s still one of my favorite albums. After that I went through a long period where Green Day was by far my favorite band. They were the first concert I ever went to! I was 14 years old and me and a friend flew to Antonio, Texas to see them perform. They were even better live than on the albums, that really solidified my fandom at that point. I also loved My Chemical Romance, still do, and I maintain that “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” is one of my top 5 favorite albums. Then as a teen I got back into the “oldies” again and some harder punk for a bit as well, along with Lily Allen’s “Alright, Still”. That’s also a favorite of mine, so many great songs and the whole vibe of that album is so original. My musical taste is really all over the place, I love a lot of different genres and decades. That’s one of the best things about music, there’s so much variety.
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
You know I don’t know if it’s really about confidence because I still go through major moments of self-doubt and insecurity about my music. I think a lot of artists do, even the really big ones. But I think I just realized that this was something I’ve always loved doing, and everything in life can be scary so you might as well pick the scary thing that you are passionate about.
Who was the first person to believe in you?
My parents were definitely the first people to believe in me. I’m very lucky, they’re both creatives and musicians so they’ve always understood the pull towards that. They’re very supportive of my music.
How would you define Jazzie Young, the artist?
Ever-evolving.
"spaghetti stains" is your new single. What’s the story/inspiration behind this single?
This song was written in late July when I was deep in the quarantine blues. I started noticing how everyone including my neurotypical friends were feeling the same kind of overwhelming emotions. “spaghetti stains” was written as a recognition of my own depression and anxiety during that time, as well as that of the people around me and really the world at large. I wanted to write something that both confronted those feelings as well as gave some glimmer of hope, so anyone who heard the song could feel less alone during a time when most of us were very alone. I think that can be a powerful feeling.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
I wrote the melody and lyrics by myself in my old apartment in LA. I knew immediately that I had to have the song on my upcoming EP so I ended up driving back up to northern California to record the song. My brother, Ethan Turner, recorded most of the songs on my upcoming EP at my dad’s old studio in West Marin County. Sally Stempler provided me with an amazing harmony arrangement, and then we sent the vocal tracks, harmonies, guitar and some piano to Lewis Patzner, who’s an incredible cellist up in the bay area. Within a day he sent back the cello tracks for “spaghetti stains”. That’s when the song really started to take form. I then sent the song to my producer, Shawn Guess, who added all of the other beautiful instruments and nuances you hear on the track today. He also mixed and mastered it. He’s a man of many talents.
What do you like the most about this song?
This song is one of my favorite’s that I’ve written thus far. It was just one of those really natural and easy songs. It formed really quickly and the vision for it was clear from the beginning. I sometimes have issues with figuring out how I want a song to sound postproduction, and that can be a really frustrating place to be in. But this song was written, recorded, and produced in a very short period of time and it turned out to be everything I wanted and more. I’m always grateful for songs like that, the ones that live up to the ideas inside your head.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
During the weekend trip I took to record “spaghetti stains” in the Bay Area, I brought along a good friend of mine, Calypso Barriere, who’s an incredible graphic designer and all around visually artistic person. We ended up having an extra day before we needed to head back to LA, so we decided to spend the afternoon in San Francisco. The cover art is a still of a video she took of me in Dolores Park that afternoon. After trying out a lot of different ideas for the cover, I just felt like that picture encapsulated the whimsy and contemplative essence of the song. It felt very open ended and somehow comforting.
What message do you want to give to anyone going through anxiety and depression?
I’m not an expert and I wouldn’t begin to say that I can speak for everyone with mental health issues, as it’s a very subjective experience. But what helps me when I’m struggling is to know that the very low lows will pass and so will the high anxiety moments. It’s hard to always believe that when you’re experiencing those emotions, but I try to tell myself that and it seems to help. I’d also want anyone who struggles with mental health issues to know that they should not be ashamed of those feelings. I’m happy this subject is being talked about more and more because the stigma behind mental health is so debilitating for a lot of people. And it really does make a big difference when you realize that you aren’t alone in your experience.
What can you tell us about your debut EP?
There’s not much I can say at the moment except that it’s a collection of 7 songs, most written in the past six months during quarantine and that it will be out in early 2021!
What do you want to accomplish personally and professionally?
I’ve been focusing a lot on personal growth the past year both through physical health and mental health, and I hope to continue that evolution. As for my professional life, I hope to be able to write and sing songs for a very long time. Being able to travel the globe and make money off of my music wouldn’t be bad either ha-ha.
What major life lesson have you learned this year?
That we all are a lot more connected than it seems. Seeing the world go through such a collective hardship together reminded me of that a lot. I also really realized what the important things in my life are like which friendships were the most nurturing and healthy, what I want out of life, and what my passions are. It’s been a big awakening for me this year, as I suppose it’s been for many people.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Oh man that’s a loaded question, and I have a lot of things that I could say about that. But to be honest I think we could all really benefit from a bit more compassion and empathy for each other. There is a lot of hate in the world and in our country and all that hate has led to centuries of oppression of people who look, think, or act differently. I’m hoping that this election will have an outcome that is a step in the right direction.
What message do you want to give to the world?
That I’m a multifaceted every growing and changing human and that I hope my music is representative of that.
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