Jackie and sophie capture the same propulsive energy of Jackie’s prior two singles, ‘Inner Monologue’ and ‘Bandaid’, through charging melodies and animated production. The song, written by Hayes and co-produced with Billy Lemos (Omar Apollo, Miya Folick, Paris Texas), highlights Jackie’s songwriting ability as she wrestles with escapism and an inability to move on from the past.

Speaking on the new single, Jackie states that “‘Happy Ending’ is about the embarrassment that comes with not being able to let go and move on from a situation. It’s cathartic to be able to expel your innermost vulnerabilities into a song.”

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Over & Over includes singles ‘Focus’, ‘Wish It Was’ and ‘Bite Me’, as well as Hayes’ recent live dates supporting the likes of Claud, Sunflower Bean, and The Regrettes.

We had a chat with Jackie all about the making of Over & Over, her upcoming shows and more. Read the Q&A below.

Hi Jackie! How are you? What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?

“I’m good, thank you for asking. Right now I’m in the middle of playing a bunch of shows – I’m on tour opening up for vacations and then I’m playing a few one-off headliner shows. A typical day right now is waking up, driving to get to the next city, and playing a show that night. This is my third week of tour and it’s been going really well. When I’m not touring I’m usually working or writing music.”

You’ve just released your debut album Over & Over. What can you tell us about the record?

Yes. I’ve been very excited for this one to come out – I’ve been working on it since early 2021. This album feels like the true introduction to my music and what I want to achieve moving forward. I see this project as the beginning of something very special. This is also the first time I was able to record in a professional studio.”

How does it compare with your previous releases and what do you hope fans/listeners take way from it?

“This project is by far my favorite and I feel like I’ve really grown as an artist. When it comes to what people take away from it – all I can really ask or hope for is that people enjoy it. I want people to have fun at these shows when we play these new songs.”

What was your creative process for the record? What did you enjoy most about it? Were there any challenges?

“I spent a year and a half working on this album, Billy (producer) and I usually started off with just a simple chord progression/instrumental and then I’d add a melody on top. The instrument I’d usually start off with was guitar. Then came the lyrics. I wrote some of the lyrics for these songs with my friend Michael. For those we would start off with a conversation about whatever topic we chose and would write a bunch of sentences/phrases to describe how we felt. When it was just me, I’d write down everything I was thinking at the time even if it wasn’t all cohesive or about the same thing. It was essentially a documentation of my stream of consciousness. I went back and re-recorded a lot of the songs after my first tour earlier this year because being able to play them live added some new perspective to things.”

What else is next for you? Any shows coming up? Which of the new songs are you excited to debut live?

“I’ve actually already debuted most of my songs from this album as I’ve been touring it since February of this year. When it comes to my favorites, I’d say ‘last second’ and ‘best of it’ are the two I’m enjoying the most. The crowd seems to respond very positively to them. As for what’s next – I have some one-off shows after this longer run. I’m playing a festival called Zona fest in December and a show in LA. And I’m already getting started on another project.”

Finally, if you could change one thing about the music industry today, what would it be and why?

“I wish it was more feasible as an artist to live off the income we receive from streaming services. It’s very difficult to sustain yourself as an artist even if you’re getting 1000’s of streams every day. I would want to start there.”

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Hayes reflects that the new single captures the duality between introversion and the urge to create and be heard; “‘Wish It Was’ is by far the most thematically abstract song on the album. It’s the overall feeling of wanting to hide and not be perceived yet still wanting to create and show that to the world”. This penchant for insularity is part of what makes forthcoming album Over & Over such a rewarding listen. Many of the songs were made in a period of extreme isolation and heightened negativity, and read like a stream of consciousness journal entry charting Hayes’ self-discovery in real time. The album is “more about a feeling than a specific experience,” she explains, with themes ranging from the vulnerability that comes with perception, to struggles with body dysmorphia and the pressures of being a musician in an industry fixated with youth and hype.

After playing her first live shows in years in early 2022 (supporting Briston Maroney and Sunflower Bean), Hayes went back and re-recorded many of the songs on the project. The validation of performing live led her to admit dissatisfaction with her previous work, where a desire to achieve perfection led to her over-editing vocals; “I forgot that I can sing,” she confesses. However, while working on the batch of songs that make up the record, Hayes was dropped by her then-label, and lost her voice from the exhaustion of touring. At the same time, she had to get stitches from a wine glass exploding in her hand at her day job, which meant she couldn’t properly play guitar for a month. Over & Over reflects the frustrations of this stop and start pace, and many of the songs feel like collective manifestations of Hayes reasoning with herself to keep going. Retaining the rough around the edges, sparse production and guitar work of previous EPs, the debut is a razor-sharp portal into Hayes’ thought process, and establishes a newfound focus for her as she explores what it takes to make music that feels true to her entire being.

Over & Over:

1. Intro (One Dimensional)
2. Bite Me
3. Focus
4. Best of It
5. Last Second
6. So What
7. Wish it Was
8. August
9. Got to Hurt
10. Hard to Believe

The post Jackie Hayes announces her debut album Over & Over; shares new single ‘Wish It Was’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Hayes distills her inner monologue onto ‘Bite Me’ in a candid attempt to capture her experience of anxiety. She explains; “‘Bite Me’ is really just about anxiety. Whenever I’m anxious, which is often, I have a million irrational thoughts springing into my mind in rapid succession. I decided to just write them all down, even if some of them didn’t make sense together thematically. It’s just everything I was feeling at the time. It’s okay if people want to make their own meanings of the song.”

‘Bite Me’ sees Hayes revitalized, learning to slacken control, temper her own expectations, and reframe her relationship with external validation by approaching creation “just for the sake of it.” She admits to being dissatisfied with some of her previous work, often over-editing and re-doing things to acute precision in a desire to achieve perfection. Now embracing a more vulnerable and genuine approach to her songwriting and production, particularly on her vocals, Hayes feels that ‘Bite Me’ is very much a first re-introduction to her music, a true representation of exploring what it takes to make music that feels true to her entire being.

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