Issue 45

16
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Jetta:
When
Worlds
Collide
Words: Jack Graysmark / @ZeppelinG1993
Growing up in Liverpool, Jetta John-Hartley had a favourite
wherever I am emotionally that day, and at the time [of writing
spot to sit with friends at the top of Hope Street: surrounded
Start A Riot] I was reflecting on that sense of adventure of starting
by the Anglican Cathedral, the Liverpool Institute of Performing
a journey into music.”
Arts and an array of inspiring, inimitable culture, she would gaze
Jetta’s introduction to music is as remarkable as they come;
across the city and marvel at the possibilities that lay before her.
her mother runs the acclaimed Sense Of Sound Choir and has
“I would watch the sun set over the docks, and think about how
also performed in an a cappella quartet, while her father works
I’ve watched it [the city] develop,” she recalls. “The view over the
as a sound engineer. This unique background shaped how Jetta
Mersey was so inspiring; it gave me that sense of determination
approached the medium: her mother introduced her to artists like
I’ve had since I was a child.”
Joni Mitchell who narrate stories through their intricate rhythms
Now twenty-four, JETTA’s forceful, poppy RnB is imbued with a
and melodies, while her father’s love of T.Rex and The Police
fierce sense of empowerment, which is what ultimately makes
turned her towards the big band sound. Put them together and
her such a striking artist. Whether uplifting or sombre, a sense
the substance is almost overflowing.
of purpose lends a focus to her music, none more so than in the
Her father’s profession also encouraged a deep fascination in
rousing call-to-arms of Start A Riot. “When I was a teenager, I
the technical side of music, namely the feeling of control through
gravitated towards artists who were a voice for their generation,
the level of precision that music production affords. “I love being
like The Streets or Destiny’s Child,” she enthuses. “I write from
able to discover things for myself,” Jetta declares. “I was given a
laptop with Logic for my sixteenth birthday and I spent the whole
summer hidden away writing songs! All my friends were asking
what I was doing, but I had no care for the sunshine; I just wanted
to get stuck into it.”
Jetta’s summer ended with organising her debut performance
in the city centre; stepping out of the isolation, the next move was
all too obvious. “When I saw the positive reactions from everyone,
this bubble burst. I realised the one thing that made me feel
complete was being on stage.” You might anticipate a sense of
pressure considering that her parents were both so engrossed in
the profession, but Jetta assures us that this was never the case.
“It always felt right; I saw it as something positive because people
could relate to it. I was given free range to do what I wanted; it
just happened music was what I wanted to do!”
Having attracted the attention of Paloma Faith’s manager,
she moved to London at eighteen to solidify her reputation as a
backing singer. With her dominant vocal range and strong sense
of direction, it was only a matter of time before the fire started
to burn; now signed to Polydor, it has escalated to the point that
Feels Like Coming Home, an unashamedly strong ballad that falls
as quickly as it elevates you upwards, was chosen for Google’s
Zeitgeist review of 2013. But even this was eclipsed by a call from
her American label last year: Pharrell Williams wanted her to jam
with him in Miami. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It’s the biggest compliment you can get when someone says they
want to work with you, especially when it’s Pharrell!” she laughs,
the sense of disbelief still evident in her voice. “It was interesting
talking about our different journeys in music.” Pharrell’s influence
in producing her new single Crescendo is evident in its irresistible
swing, but it’s also unmistakeably Jetta. The myriad of vocals give
a nod to the all-encompassing harmonies of the a cappella style,
while the full band sound ensures that no expense is spared; you
can hear the pound in the drums, feel the twang in the bass. Most
importantly, you can hear the honesty in Jetta’s voice.
Crescendo is Jetta’s love letter to her origins, highly intelligent
in its appreciation of Liverpool. The opening lines “They built the
city outside the walls / You and I, we stood and watched it grow,”
nod to how the city is capable of developing itself as an organic
force. It’s this energy that keeps Jetta coming back to her roots.
“Wherever you are in Liverpool, music surrounds you,” she reasons.
“We filmed the music video in the Hope Street area because that
setting was always in my mind when I was writing this track. I felt
it was important to keep that element of truth to it.”
Keeping her message so clear-cut couldn’t be simpler for Jetta:
just tell it like it is. Perhaps this is why audiences instantly identify
with her music. She recalls how a tear-stricken woman came up
to thank her after her performance of Take It Easy at the South By
Southwest festival in Texas earlier this year. “That’s a winner for
me, because although these songs are coming from my place,
the whole point of music is to connect with others. South By
Southwest really is one of a kind because the whole city shuts
down; you can’t imagine it on a normal day!”
Though the Crescendo EP is the main focus, Jetta’s continuous
stream of creativity means a debut LP is always on the mind. “I
don’t believe in stopping writing when you hit that number of
songs for the album. I write songs because I love to. It’s balancing
two states that are at opposite ends of the scale: isolating myself,
getting inside my own brain to figure out what’s going on, and
then emerging to share it with others.” Jetta’s determination sees
her straying from the footpath in a commercial pop field to find
the ripest pickings. First you hesitate at her boldness, then you
follow on.
Crescendo is released on Polydor Records on 24th June.
jettaofficial.com
bidolito.co.uk