Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Jane Q, who discusses her origin in music, goals, creative process and her new EP, “People And Places.â€
Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?
Jane Q: I started playing music at a young age, which is pretty generic. I took piano lessons when I was little and always loved to sing. The turning point for me was combing those two passions, and being able to sing and accompany myself on piano.
From a young age, my little brother and I both had a practice log to track the hours we practiced each day and what we accomplished in those practice sessions. It just so happened that my brother and I were interested in music, but i’m sure my parents would have figured out some other way to teach us discipline if we had other interests we wanted to pursue. Both of my parents are also super creatively inclined. My mom grew up singing, dancing, and performing in plays and musicals. My dad played french horn in his high school band, was a fine arts major in college, and picked up the guitar later in life. Though neither ended up pursing creative careers, they are both so incredibly supportive of both my brother and I, and our plans to pursue a career in music.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Jane Q: It really varies depending on the day, but my most efficient creative process is a stream of consciousness. The second I start to think about the words I’m writing or the melody I’m singing everything stalls and it’s a lot more difficult to decide if the direction i’m heading is one that I want for the song. So I try to create without a lot of judgment, and save the evaluation and editing for after I’ve at least gotten my initial ideas down.
Review Fix: What inspires you?
Jane Q: The artists I’m inspired by the most aren’t necessarily the artist I sound most similar to, which I think confuses people sometimes. I’m inspired by Anderson Paak, who always has been and always will be my musical hero. I’m inspired by Nai Palm, front woman of Hiatus Kaiyote, who was proof to me that there is room for artists, especially female artists, to be their most authentic selves. I’m inspired by the local sounds that came out of my beach town, and out of neighboring Long Beach. I’m inspired by the Carol King songs my mom used to sing when I was little, and the Grateful Dead songs my dad plays on guitar constantly. I’d like to think I draw a little inspiration from everything I see and hear.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Jane Q: It’s contemporary RnB mixed + electronic elements + some Lofi hip hop influences. It’s been described as urban pop before as well, but I have a hard time nailing it down to one, or even a few, genres.
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Jane Q: When we play live shows, we play the music in a way thats different from the recorded version. Some of that has to do with the capabilities of live instruments, and how many different electronic elements we can add in a live setting, and some of it is just experimentation. Our ‘studio work’ takes places in Johnny Hall and Colette Nourie’s apartment, which is also where we work out a lot of the details for live shows as well.
Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?
Jane Q: We actually have an EP called People and Places that just came out December 13th, which is a collection of stories that I compiled over the period of a month or two in the spring of 2019.
Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2019?
Jane Q: We are wrapping up the year with a lot more writing for our next project.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Jane Q: The plan is to have a full album ready to go by the summer. We are going to keep playing shows, and I’ve been working and making some unique merch.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Jane Q: As an independent artist, any and all support really means the world. Not just to me, but to all independent artists. So please keep taking chances listening to music you wouldn’t normally listen to or checking out artists you haven’t heard of.
If you want to stay in the loop about releases, shows, and merch you can give us a follow on instagram @whoisjaneq
Leave a Reply