American-born, London-based songwriter Joni has released her debut album, Things I Left Behind via her twin homes of Hand In Hive (Divorce, TV Priest, Wyldest), and Keeled Scales in North America.
When Joni says that “pain is the price you pay for loving someone” it’s coming from a place of deep experience. Having relocated to London from LA with her long-term partner, and closest musical collaborator, the singer-songwriter suddenly found herself thrust into a deeply unsettling break-up, one that left her isolated in a brand new country, and also one that pulled back the curtain on a host of unhealthy patterns she had become accustomed to within the relationship.
Things I Left Behind, is a document of the journey between both the before and after, and is as deeply personal and powerfully moving as such a snapshot suggests. Formed of ten new songs, the album embraces its imperfections, taking its dues from the likes of Feist, Sparklehorse and Daniel Johnston, and is as much a story of personal growth and the courage of convictions, as it is one of heartbreak and turmoil.
As the daughter of a submariner, Joni’s childhood spanned moves across the US, Europe, and Asia, and as such she’d always felt like an outsider and often touched upon such themes in her earlier work. Now, with the fresh-faced sharpness of heartbreak and loss, she began to write freely and pointedly about those emotions from the very heart of them.
Life, as we know, often has its own plan and taken as a whole Things I Left Behind is a poignant and evocative ode to such things. From its shaky beginnings, Joni found a way to put one foot in front of the other and find a way not only back to herself, but also to a new path where she was able to grow both as an artist and an individual.
We had a chat with Joni all about Things I Left Behind, her creative process and more. Read the Q&A below.
Hi Joni! How are you? What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?
“I have a lot of little rituals. Make coffee. Walk the dog. Try to make something creative. Go for a run in Victoria park or along the canals. Lose at chess on my phone. Right now I’m rehearsing for some shows coming up.”
You’ve just released your debut album Things I Left Behind. What’s the record about?
“I would say in summary, the album is about loss and how it can transform you. How we all walk through life having to leave things behind: people, places, relationships… and kind of examining what that means.”
Please take us through your songwriting/creative process for the LP. What was your favourite part? And what did you find most challenging?
“The songs typically begin in very quiet moments. Usually just me with a guitar. It’s funny, I can usually sense when something good will come out, even before it happens. There is a feeling of being tapped into some mystical well of feeling. The difficult part is having enough patience to sort of chisel away at the raw material to turn it into a full song. A lot of ideas never make it to that point.”
What do you hope fans/listeners take away from Things I Left Behind?
“That sometimes, what feels like the absolute worst thing to ever happen to you, can end up as one of the best things to ever happen to you. That loss is a transformative, cathartic, and beautiful part of life.”
Finally, what else is next for you? We read that you have a show in London coming up to support the release, what can we expect for that? Is there anything else you have planned for this year and beyond?
“Yes, I’m really looking forward to playing some shows with my band. It’s always special to get to play with other musicians. A lot of times, when I’m touring, I play solo, so it will be really special to have the songs hold more true to the album in a live setting.”
