JJ WILDE (SEPTEMBER 11ST, 2024)

Just a few minutes before taking to the stage at Les Étoiles in Paris, and four years to the day after our first interview, we meet up again with JJ Wilde to talk about her new album ‘Vices’, which looks back on the painful break-up the young singer went through, but also the harassment she suffered when she was younger, which is taking on increasingly worrying proportions these days... A new interview in which the artist reveals all her secrets...





We met exactly four years ago, and today we meet up again just minutes before your concert at Les Étoiles, where we covered your concert opening for Scorpions, still in Paris... I suppose you're happier than ever that you didn't give up music because of a lack of success, as you admitted in our first interview?

JJ WIlde: Oh yes! Honestly, I have the impression that since the release of ‘Ruthless’, I haven't stopped touring, writing... Yes, I'm very happy indeed!


Your new album ‘Vices’ has been described as a ‘break-up album’, something you swore you'd never do. How did this break-up experience influence the choice of musical genres and the overall sound of the album?

For me, this album is actually about a subject I said I'd never write about because I've always felt there were more interesting subjects to write about than a break-up (Laughs), but my heart was totally destroyed. It happened on the eve of a two-month tour that took me across the United States. That was the catalyst for the start of this album, to get through the grief and mourning of that relationship and the life I thought I had in my mind. You look back on this period as a failure with this person that you have to forget, and finally, in this dark period, you find the light within you to carry on and keep moving forward and as I went along, I found pleasure again and I found these little pieces of myself that I think I lost in this relationship and finally, I realised that this person doesn't define me and I couldn't love myself with him...
In that sense, this album is a rollercoaster ride of two years of big changes, constant touring and trying to sort out all the emotions that were going on inside me at the same time. It's a journey of self-searching, making mistakes, accepting yourself and all the rest (Smiles)...


I write better music when I'm unhappy




For ‘Ruthless’, you drew inspiration from your years of hardship, and this album, ‘Vices’, was born out of a break-up. Do you have to be unhappy to write music?

I don't think I need to be unhappy to write music, but I do think I write better music when I'm unhappy (Laughs)! I'd say there's a part of us when we're at our lowest ebb that makes us find a different kind of strength because we're the only ones who can help us get through those moments. And when you're really down, when the emotions are intense, that's the best time to let them out! And it's also therapeutic to do so. There's also a sense of ‘healing’ when you let those emotions out in words and song.


The whole cycle of writing this album felt like a therapy session!


You talk about therapy. In our interview with you in 2020, you said that music is a form of therapy that allows you to mourn and overcome the stages. So this is more relevant than ever?

Yes, I agree 100% with what you've just said. The whole cycle of writing this album felt like a therapy session (Laughs)! There's something incredible: when I write alone or with another person, we try to write about those dark moments. Of course it hurts, but you have to do it and feel it so that it can pass.
Sometimes, in writing sessions, you start off with strangers to whom you open your heart and talk about things. You end up hanging out together, spending hours talking and getting to know each other. And honestly, when you open your heart like that, you can create wonderful things. It's always crazy, after a writing session, to take a step back and say to yourself that three hours before, you didn't even know this person and afterwards, we created this thing! I'll never get tired of that (Smiles)!


Musically, how did this catharsis translate in terms of dynamics, tempos and tonalities in the songs to express both the pain and the resilience after a break-up?

There are a lot of dynamics and changes on this album. There are songs like ‘Best of me’, which represents me - the one who makes mistakes and sometimes messes up - but the music around that is very positive and fun. But actually, the lyrics are: ‘All my vices are the best part of me...’. It's not really a positive song, but it's more about taking control. And then there are other songs like ‘Perfect Stranger’, a very emotional piano ballad. And finally, there are all these songs in between these two extremes: I feel like a person who has a wide range of emotions, changing every day. You know what I mean? I can be happy, sad, crying, excited... all these emotions in the same day.


A rollercoaster of emotions in the same day, as you say on your album?

Exactly (smiles)!


We use what serves the songs best, depending on the mood the song creates.




Some songs, like ‘Options’, seem to celebrate infinite possibilities despite the pain, while others, like ‘Takes Me Back’, although very dynamic, explore a deeper introspection. How do these different musical approaches reflect the different emotional stages you went through during this period?

I think in the writing process, we use what serves the songs best depending on the mood the song in question is creating. When you have an idea for a song, you look for something specific for the song. For this album, I wasn't necessarily looking for a tonality or dynamics. And so, for ‘Takes me Back’ - a song about nostalgia, my city and all those little bits that make me who I am - I really wanted my guitar to have that nostalgic sound, almost like Bruce Springsteen, a bit like the 1970s-1980s, something like that... Whereas for other songs like ‘Hands’ or ‘Options’ are more fun and carefree and I wanted to explore that too. I found ‘Options’ very empowering in the sense that you can have lots of options but ultimately not care, not give a damn... because the only important option is the one you want most in the world...


Your voice is particularly expressive and sincere on this album, reflecting the themes of break-up and healing. How have you worked on your vocal technique to convey these varied and complex emotions?

I've done a lot of different things with my voice over the last couple of years. I gave up smoking two years ago, which has allowed my voice to broaden my vocal palette...


You gave up smoking?

(Laughs) Okay, I still smoke but I've actually given up cigarettes which helps my voice enormously. I can sing in a high register that I couldn't reach before and that allows me to be even more convincing in the intimate moments of a song, when it's calm and gentle. Before, I always sang very loudly and aggressively - which I always like to do - but now I have the ability to go higher... And it's a lot more fun as well.
And finally, I had to battle with vocal modules a few years ago. So I learnt to take care of my voice through different exercises... and that enabled me to write in a new way...


Does this evolution partly explain why your hoarse voice is reminiscent of Selah Sue on ‘Hands’?

Not really, but I like the comparison (Smiles)...


I've been harassed, but that can't be compared with what's going on now...




In the song ‘Toxic’, you denounce harassment. Nowadays, harassment also takes place on social networks. Have you been a victim yourself, and what advice would you give to those who have?

Yes, I was bullied at school and that's what the song's about. I was bullied but it's incomparable with what's going on today. I feel really bad for teenagers and children today. Today, it's extremely easy to hide behind your computer and say whatever you want and not see the consequences of what you say because you don't see the people in question. Which is even more damaging because the people being harassed - the victims - feel powerless over a situation they have no control over. But having experienced it, the people who harass are themselves harassed or in a situation of insecurity or unhappiness in their lives and they project themselves onto someone of whom they are jealous, and in the end it doesn't matter what the reasons are because it has absolutely nothing to do with the victims: the problem comes from the harassers! It's difficult to be rational in these situations, but victims should never forget that there's nothing wrong with them... Everyone has an opinion, but it doesn't mean anything. An opinion is still an opinion, it's not a fact! So people can say what they want, the most important thing is to know in our hearts who we are.


Revealing [...] these very intimate and deep feelings is very intimidating and terrifying.




The choice of an album in which you are far from moping around is understandable. Was it important for you to show this strength and less fragility?

Yes, in this album there's a lot of vulnerability and a lot of fragility, but I think that because there were these moments, I feel strong, I feel strong because of it. But I'd still say it's my most vulnerable album, because revealing these very intimate and deep feelings to the public in this way is very intimidating and terrifying. In the end, some of the songs have a very therapeutic aspect to them and if I feel that way, I know that someone else does too, and if that person can relate to what I'm saying and if it can help them: that's what I'm aiming for!


And how do you feel personally today?

How do I feel today? I feel great: I've crossed over to the other side (Laughs)!


That's the most important thing! In terms of instruments and arrangements, were there any particular choices made to reinforce the emotional character of the songs on ‘Vices’, perhaps more a work on rhythm?

Definitely, and ‘Perfect Stranger’ is a good example. We decided not to overload that song. We could have added a lot more but we kept it simple so that the songs, the melody and the piano could take over. And simplicity draws out the emotion! We did several versions of this song but in the end nothing really worked and the bottom line is that this song had to remain a simple moment, as if you were talking to someone. That was intentional!Conversely, ‘Toxic’ is an intentionally very aggressive song when I sing ‘I'm not crazy, you're just an asshole’, it's a reflection of the aggressive behaviour I was projecting onto myself. And it was also a way of writing down my frustration and anger and I wanted that to be reflected in the music too...


As you said, you pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen's ‘Born To Run’ on the track ‘Takes Me Back’. But what's your story with this song?

It's the whole album, really! It's one of my favourite albums. My father has a huge discography. I often go over there and pick up a few albums from him and give them back to him so I can pick up a few more. And in my first flat, I put this album on vinyl and it stayed with me for three months: every night I played this album (Laughs)... It's definitely my favourite album!


You tell us that your father is passionate about music. How does he feel about his daughter's career and success?

He's my biggest supporter!





But he must be proud to see you touring the world with Scorpions?

He's very proud! My parents are both very proud and very supportive! My father has often driven the van. He does everything he can to help us on tour etc. He's always there, he wants to be there when he can. He's always telling me how proud he is.


Finally, ‘Vices’ features all the songs from your ‘Best of Me’ ep. What was the point of releasing the EP before the album?

I just wanted to give a foretaste of what the album would be like, because I hadn't released anything for a long time. So I wanted to give a foretaste of what was to come.


And finally, what are your expectations for this album?

I don't have any! I don't have any expectations! In fact, to have expectations is to run the risk of being disappointed. At the time of mixing, this album was still mine. Once I've unveiled it to the world, it no longer belongs to me. People are going to have opinions about this album, I just hope they like it. But if they don't, it doesn't matter because I'm proud of it and that's all I care about.


But this tour and this date in France mean that your fans have already made it their own and already love it...

I hope so (Laughs)!





Thank you very much!

(In French) ‘Merci!’


And thanks to Newf and Calgepo for their contributions...