I’m not normally a massive fan of pop music, but when it’s good – it really is good! That’s how I felt when listening to Jewelia’s music – her track Second Best is a particular delight! And if you missed it, you can find the song at the end of this interview.
By Jane Howkins
How has your year been?
2022 has been a bit slow for me in terms of releases – I only put out 4 singles, but I tried to focus a little more on promoting myself as an artist. It’s also the year when I signed a publishing deal with Pretty Decent Music and released a song on their label, which was exciting. Another new thing for me in 2022 was that I started streaming on Twitch – I don’t do it often enough, but when I do it’s great fun and a great way to connect with fans!
You recently released a single titled Second Best. What can you tell us about the track?
Second Best is about society’s obsession with the extreme: we are fascinated by either extremely successful people (with a tendency to glorify rags-to-riches, American Dream-type of stories), or by extreme misery or disaster. There is no place for in-between; if anything, being mediocre is seen as even worse than being a complete failure. Why do we collectively look down on ‘common’ people, when essentially, that is the vast majority of us? Something is messed up here, and I thought it was worth exploring.
How has the reception to Second Best been so far, and where can the song be purchased?
It’s been great, it was actually played on lots of local radios here in UK, I believe it was almost 50 stations! Super grateful for the support. It was also the BBC Introducing’s Abbie McCarthy recommended track of the week, which meant it got plays on BBC Radio Kent for a whole week on various shows.
The best thing was getting lovely comments from people who related to it. One of my favourites was along the lines of: “Thank you for making this, I often hear songs about amazing people or about people too broken to function, but nothing about people like me.” It’s exactly what I was trying to achieve with this song.
Second Best can be streamed and purchased here: https://stream.jewelia-music.com/secondbest
You’ve also just released a song titled The Best We Can. What can you tell us about that song?
The Best We Can is almost a continuation of Second Best. It is about realising that we all have needs and wants, and we all make the best choices that we can think of at a particular moment time in order to get what we want. So there’s no point in negative self-talk, in beating ourselves up or in spending time thinking of ‘what if’s’ – we all do the best we can, with the resources we have at that moment. And those resources can mean anything: time, energy, knowledge, confidence, money, love, other people, self-belief, self-love. It took me a long time to come to terms with this and stop being so hard on myself, and I’m still working on it.
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
Yes, I actually have a new one coming up on the 20th! It’s called Life is a Highway and it’s about the beauty of the everyday, taking it slow and enjoying the journey. In the meantime, you can pre-save it here: https://lnk.fu.ga/jewelia_lifeisahighway
Your music is quite poppy, but it’s different to the mainstream pop norm. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
It’s a bit of a tricky place to be actually, never quite pop enough and also not niche enough. But I just love writing catchy tunes, though I do occasionally go down the more experimental path (my 2018 album City of My Mind is more in that vein).
You’re based in London. What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
Lots and lots of great musicians, and there’s always something to do or see in London. Sadly I’ve not been playing gigs since before the pandemic, but sorting out the live set and playing again is one of my music goals for this year.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Nothing yet, I’m hoping to do a mini tour in September! Stay tuned for dates.
Any last words for the fans?
Take care of yourselves, and do things that make you happy. This is what I will try to do in 2023!