Bido Lito! Magazine | Issue 116 | August 2021

JESSICA LUISE
The introspective storyteller finds truth in the present.
JESSICA LUISE is not one to shy away from her
emotions, especially when it comes to songwriting.
The indie-folk singer shares tales of love, loss and hope
through her tracks after emerging onto the North West
music scene in 2019. Stories of teenage romance, angst
and the awkwardness which fill those adolescent years
make her songs the ideal soundtrack to any indie romcom
binge. Yet, for her, music is more than just catchy
lyrics and heavenly melodies – it’s a form of therapy.
“I use writing as a way of getting my thoughts and
feelings out into a physical form,” says Jessica. She
is open about her mental health and reveals that she
often finds it hard to rationalise thoughts due to having
generalised anxiety disorder. “Writing it down helps me
to be raw but also balance out the overthinking.”
From an early age, Jessica knew she wanted
to perform after watching Jools Holland’s Annual
Hootenanny. Those starry-eyed nights spent watching
performers in their natural habitat resulted in Jessica
immersing herself in musical theatre before she finally
decided to become a singer-songwriter at the end of her
educational tenure – a process that arrived naturally from
introspective storytelling. “I used to write little stories
about how I was feeling and then they just became
songs,” she admits.
Influences on her songwriting come from an array of
situations, including previous relationships or something
as simple as passing a random person in the street. Her
latest single, Nice Try – a blend of acoustic and dreampop
tones underneath the raw lyricism – was written as a
form of closure from a personal experience.
Due to the intimate nature of her songs, it can often
leave her feeling vulnerable, especially when performing
live. “I write a lot of music about my situation at the time,”
she continues. “Some songs can change from being my
favourite to actually being quite hard and emotional to
sing live.”
Although lockdown measures have prevented Jessica
from performing live, they haven’t stopped her from
getting her name out there and collaborating with other
musicians. In 2020 she organised Rock the Breadline,
a virtual charity concert bringing together 24 artists to
raise funds following the free school meals debate.
Music plays a huge role in Jessica’s everyday life,
admitting she “can’t go a day without listening to music
or writing a little riff or a little verse”. Her love affair with
music cannot be underestimated and runs deep. “There is
a song out there for every mood. It knows how I feel, and
it knows how to help.”
Jessica’s passion shines through the breezy warmth
in her voice as she sails through the narrative of each of
her songs, set against the traditional blissfulness of indiepop
hits. “The response you get when you have worked
so hard on something, that moment when someone
understands you because your words relate to them
is magic. If you could bottle that up, you would make
millions.” !
Words: Mia O’Hare / @mia_ohare
Photography: Matchbox Productions
Going In Blind is available now.
@iamjessicaluise
DERRICK NENZO
The rhythmic globetrotter emerges from a spectrum
of emotion.
Derrick Nenzo (Harry Peach)
Describe your music style in one sentence.
One-man boy band with an 808.
How did you get into creating music?
I was in a band when I was like 13. I played guitar and
sang, but we were bad. When I was 16, I got an old
version of Logic from my sister’s hard drive and started
making beats every day for three years until I released my
first song.
Can you pinpoint a live gig or a piece of music that
initially inspired you?
Buzzin by Mann ft. 50 Cent. I heard it when I was like
nine years old and loved the sound of it. It didn’t take long
until I was neck deep in 90s hip-hop before eventually
getting into the more modern stuff throughout my
teenage years. I also got into a bunch of bands as well.
Do you have a favourite song or piece of music to
perform?
I haven’t done much performing to be honest. I would
have liked to last year but, unfortunately, we were in a
panoramic, weren’t we? However, there’s an unreleased
song I’m sitting on which I know is going to go off when I
do start performing. In fact, there are a few like that…
What do you think is the overriding influence on your
songwriting: other art, emotions, current affairs, or a
mixture of all of these?
Emotions, really. I look inwards more than anything when
dealing with personal problems. I try not to get swayed
by the media and world events because I think there’s
always something to be angry at if you go looking for it.
My criteria for a good song is it has to evoke emotions in
the listener. It doesn’t matter which emotions just as long
as they feel something.
If you could support any artist in the future, who would
it be?
I like lots of artists across different genres and moods, but
I think if I was to keep it in line with my current sound
then probably Slowthai or Brockhampton.
Do you have a favourite venue you’ve performed in?
Well, the only time I have really performed was in an
Apple Music pop-up DJ booth with Charlie Sloth and, like,
50 students. I did a freestyle and everyone seemed to like
it, so I guess that was cool.
Why is music important to you?
It’s such a challenge and it pisses me off a lot, but the
feeling of one good song out of 50 bad ones is worth it to
me. I always find myself going back to it even when I’m
fed up, so there must be something there.
Can you recommend an artist, band or album that Bido
Lito! readers might not have heard?
Yes, Derrick Nenzo. He raps, I think.
human made is available now via Swell Head Inc.
@DerrickNenzo
SPOTLIGHT
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