JAYDONCLOVER
Talking to the Birmingham-based singer/songwriter on her debut EP 'Recovering Lover', finding her sound and future collaborations.
What was the inspiration for your latest EP, ‘Recovering Lover’?
To be honest, 'Recovering Lover' started from me writing a new single, I think it was either
'I Wish You' or 'MRNICEGUY', after receiving a batch of new beats from dylantheinfamous.
From then I couldn’t stop writing new hooks on each of these beats, and they all
happened to be on the same topic – heartbreak. It was 'Lovers Anonymous' that brought
everything together and made the EP more than “just” an EP, it had a story. So really, the
main inspiration for the EP is me being a hopeless romantic!
How was the creative process of your first project and who did you work with?
The creative process was mainly me sat on my bed unraveling stories I had either been
through or had been told. Initially, it was Dylan who played a main part in the process as
I kept messaging him daily for new beats. Writing was like an addiction that only he
could feed at that point. My engineer Joe Duffy also played a huge part, he helped put
pieces together and bring my vision to life; from the phone ringing samples, to Helen
Fisher narrating the entire EP. He’s like my right hand with everything to do with my
music.
Which track do you feel best captures the tone you wanted to put across on the project ?
It’s so difficult to choose as all the songs are so different, and they all show different
abilities of my voice and writing. BUT, I would say 'HER > me' and 'Lovers Anonymous'.
They both focus on rejection and how insane love can make a person, highlighting raw
feelings. Plus, the feedback I’ve received has mainly been about 'HER > me' being so
relatable.
How do you feel your sound has grown from your first releases to the release of your debut EP?
I feel like my sound has matured. I used to find it difficult to decide what I wanted my
message should be and what I REALLY wanted to talk about. Now I know my narrative
as an artist and a writer, whereas before I wasn’t able to channel my creativity like I do
now.
How was the making of your latest video for ‘I Wish You’ and how important are visuals to your
music?
The making of 'I Wish You' involved alcohol. Both myself and Milky were pretty tipsy
throughout the shoot and used more time than we should have, but it was fun. Visuals
add another layer to a song, they allow listeners a deeper look, and to visually connect
something with the song, for example the pink silk I used for the artwork and the dress
worn in the music video. It also allows me to be creative in other fields, i.e. directing and
styling.
How did working with Kayfaraway on, ‘Goodthing’ come about and what were the main
inspirations for the track?
Funnily enough, KayFaraway’s ‘Piece of Mind’ taken from his 2019 EP 'Hours After
Midnight', inspired 'Goodthing'. It’s major sad girl/boy vibes that make you reflect on past
romances. When I first heard it, I loved it and had it on repeat for weeks at the same
time writing 'Goodthing', so I guess the vibe carried over to 'Goodthing' and it made sense
to have Kay as the feature. My verse was Aaliyah inspired, silky soft and somewhat
whispering vocals.
What were the main themes behind ‘Two years’ and how do you feel it differs in sound and style
from your first tracks?
'Two Years' was based on a 2016 “situationship”, and when I had started writing 'Two
Years', it had been two years to the month; so again, the main theme is heartbreak and
rejection. 'Two Years' differs from 'Night Shift' mainly due to having a situation to focus on
and write about, whereas 'Night Shift' was more me pulling words out of the air to create
a story and a vibe.
Did releasing covers on Soundcloud help you to find your voice or confidence within your
music? What was your favourite cover of yours?
Soundcloud covers feel like forever ago for me, their purpose was more for me to
understand and figure out how serious I wanted to be with my music and if people would
actually listen, and they did! I think my favourite cover I’ve done is 'Caroline' by Aminé, I
love changing a rap song to R&B. From then, I released 'London at Dawn' and 'Winter
Kisses', and people continued to listen. So in a sense, yes the covers did help me find
my voice and definitely my confidence to broadcast my abilities on the internet.
What are your thoughts on the Birmingham music scene and are there any local artists you
would recommend?
I don’t have many thoughts on the Birmingham music scene specifically. It took a long
time for me to feel welcome and at home within the Birmingham scene, and that started
with Franklin Armstrong and dylantheinfamous taking me under their wing in late
2018/early 2019. From then I’ve met some insanely talented individuals who practice
and appreciate individuality.
You opened for JGrrey last year, how was it and do you have plans to do more live shows in the
future?
Opening up for JGrrey was a great experience. I do plan on doing a lot more live
performances but outside of Birmingham, as the support for any genre other than grime
isn’t here.
Which artists inspired you to first get into music and which artists are inspiring you today?
Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, P!nk, Ashanti and Whitney Houston – the list is endless! Artists
inspiring me today are Orion Sun, Etta Bond, Jhene Aiko and Ojerime.
If you had to recommend 5 artists for your listeners, who would they be?
What are you working on currently and what’s coming up for 2020?
I’m currently working on a shit tonne of collaborations. 2020 should have been
full of live shows, but instead it’ll be filled with more sad girl vibes and collaborating with
variations of different UK artists. I might also drop a cute lil EP at the end of the year, but it
depends on how things work out!
KEEP UP WITH JAYDONCLOVER BELOW
Art by Chloe Manning
Words by Emily Fortune