Q&A: “Period, Pooh:” Hannah Jadagu on Learning, Growing, and the Making of ‘Describe’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY NICO CHODOR ☆
Photo by Sam Wilbert
HANNAH JADAGU CARVES NEW SPACE FOR HERSELF ON DESCRIBE—the follow-up to her college graduation and primarily acoustic guitar-laden 2023 debut album Aperture.
She landed her contract with Sub Pop Records (Soundgarden, Nirvana, The Shins) during her senior year of high school in Mesquite, Texas. Influenced by classical percussionist roots, high school drumline and her older sister, she wrote Aperture between finishing high school and moving to the East Coast for NYU. Meanwhile, Describe reconciles with the push and pull of a long-distance relationship, using synth, emotional specificity, and drum machines to uplift the empyreal softcore alt-pop vocals Jadagu has been honing since her early days on SoundCloud.
With producers Sora Lopez and Max Baby, Jadagu really got to play with brand new dimensions of sound on this second record. She tries her “best to be the one who never leaves your mind” on the album’s title track, as synths back her description of craving home and maybe feeling like the destructive one in her relationship. Jadagu asks for time on track 2, “Gimme Time,” during which she admits to being part of the problem, as well as wanting to keep working on herself for the sake of her partner.
Her voice shines like a candle in the dark on “Perfect,” Describe’s shortest interlude. It’s a slow burn production-wise with drums that come in during the repetition of “I could” to present Jadagu at her most unconfined. Following this comes “My Love,” the album’s debut single for its striking percussive rhythm and picture-perfect blend of synth with commitment to the one she loves most. She then takes a breath on track 7, “Couldn’t Call,” which employs the repetition of just three words, strings, and a spoonful of keys to deliver something enigmatically refined.
Jadagu lets herself be loved on “Normal Today,” made clear by the silvery reiteration of “eyes meet, fall in it” against pizzicato violins that build out the track’s “Idioteque”-like overture. She has nothing but fun on the last of the B-side: “Doing Now,” “Miracles” and “Bergamont.” The music video for “Doing Now” employs her favorite people and sport, almost as if to say that distance is relative. She makes peace with the uncertainty of balancing her career, loved ones, and sense of self by the end of Describe, an elevated showcase of her vision, skill, and overall artistry.
Read Luna’s interview with the ever-growing delight Hannah Jadagu below.
LUNA: How does it feel to be back in Texas?
JADAGU: It feels amazing. I love being back here. I’m always like, oh my god, I used to go there. I used to go here. I’m sure you know the feeling, when you go home and you’re showing maybe, like a new friend around, and they’re from a different state. That’s kind of how it feels to be on tour. We each get to take turns doing that, and lucky me, I’m first up. It’s awesome. I love it. I like the southern charm, the southern hospitality, and the food. Food’s a big one. That’s important to me.
LUNA: How did you get connected with Gigi?
JADAGU: Actually, my sister and Gigi are good friends. They came up together. I mean, even Sam, our tour manager, is friends with her. I forget how my sis and Gigi met, but I’ve always been a fan of Gigi, even, like when she first started putting her stuff out on SoundCloud, and then started doing her early EP on Spotify. I’ve been a true fan, for sure.
LUNA: And that’s how you started, too. You started off on SoundCloud, right?
JADAGU: Yes, that’s how I started. I love SoundCloud.
LUNA: What part of the record are you most proud of?
JADAGU: I mean, I’m proud of all of it. But let me, let me think. I love the B-side, the whole B-side of the record. I don’t know if they sent it to you yet, but that’s my favorite part. So, for the Luna readers out there, I think that’s what I’m most proud of. But I mean, I also love the drums. We pay a lot of attention to drum parts on my stuff, so I’m always big on that. We’ve got a lot of cool synth stuff going on. I’m just proud of the overall direction that we went in.
LUNA: Yeah, the production direction is super, super dope. I think it’s really cool to hear what you’re doing on Describe because you recorded so much of your early stuff on your iPhone. So, to hear you get to experiment with synth and all the rest?! I don’t know, it must feel so good as an artist to expand your portfolio like this.
JADAGU: Agreed! Because I think the mentality I went into making the second record was like, I don’t want to make the same record that I just made. I love Aperture. She’s near and dear to me. But my literal goal was, how can we showcase a lot of growth? How can the record feel a bit more timeless? How can it feel like an elevated showcase of skill, but also melody and songwriting? The goal was to definitely pop out and do something different, for sure.
LUNA: I think you did. I hear skill, melody, songwriting, all of that. And I think timeless is a good way to put it, too. Did you have to learn anything brand new as far as production goes, or were you pulling from things you already knew how to do?
JADAGU: Yes, I had to learn to be okay with new things. That’s what I’m learning always. I’m definitely a creature of habit in my everyday life, but when it comes to music, I have to be okay with allowing someone else into the experience and trusting their judgment. And luckily, with my co-producer Sora, I really was able to do that. He had me making a new bridge on some songs and, like, typically I’m an ABABAB girl, like very poppy. But, you know, we tried new stuff structure-wise that I hadn’t tried before. I learned that I love repetition more than ever now. Yeah, I think those were a few things that I learned about myself and just about the process, if that makes sense.
LUNA: It makes a lot of sense. Also, I just want to commend the fact that every song is doing something different. It’s not just that the album is doing something different than Aperture. Each song is unique in what it brings to the table, which is really admirable for a second album. You did that.
JADAGU: Some might say I was doing too much.
LUNA: I don’t think so.
JADAGU: I appreciate that. Honestly, I can’t say that was intentional. Something that sort of happens when I make music is I end up being like, well, this song can’t sound like that song. And I know a lot of like the greats, they have a specific sound, but something I like to do is just, and I’m not saying the greats confine themselves, but I don’t like to try to put myself in a box, like I try to just serve the song—however the song needs to be served. And sometimes that means track five is a different genre than track three. You know what I mean? I also have this joke where I never want my listeners to be confused between track five or seven and be like, is that one this one? I don’t want that to happen to me, because that happens with a few of my favorite artists. I’ll be like, wait, how does that one go? I never want that to be a question.
LUNA: That’s a good rule of thumb.
JADAGU: Maybe it is intentional. Maybe what I do is intentional, a little all over the place, but yeah, I just draw from so many different things.
LUNA: Did you have major influences production-wise, or just like other artists you were listening to while making Describe?
JADAGU: Oh, we did. And the artists I listen to are producers, too. So like Rosalia, [FKA] Twigs, Bjork, Thom Yorke, Frank, Steve Lacey—we were only listening to the goats. Yeah, we were trying to listen to the people who are just so goated at their craft, and make timeless music.
LUNA: And there’s that word “timeless” again (laughs).
JADAGU: Oh! Imogen Heap. Had to throw her in there.
LUNA: How do you feel about going back on the road this time around? I know touring Aperture is what led to a lot of the complicated feelings about long distance that you’re talking through on this album. What did you maybe learn from the first time around that you can take with you this time?
JADAGU: Something I learned is that you just need to make sure you’re meeting somebody where they’re at. And you have to understand that what we do in the music industry is weird. This lifestyle is abnormal, and I think touring taught me, like, I need to consider that when it comes to anybody. Like, whether that be romantic or platonic or familial, or anybody else in your life. Learning to have that compassion, but also learning to have those boundaries is important. I think in my personal life, I grew a lot from tour; my relationship grew a lot from it.
LUNA: I just read this thing that was like, “being in love is to rest,” kind of how you were just talking about meeting someone where they’re at, versus constantly trying to prove yourself.
JADAGU: And that’s something I was obviously battling when I was making this damn album. Like, not to get vulnerable on main, but that’s really what it is. A lot of this album is super vulnerable, super personal to me. Being in a relationship can be tricky, and you have to realize that it’s not all about you. There’s this whole other person that you need to consider, and you need to really, actually practice empathy for, but you know, also try to take accountability when necessary. I was just always feeling guilty in the past, but you know, I think something I took away was that you can relax a bit, too.
LUNA: Pump the brakes.
JADAGU: Yeah, I mean, I’m just saying shit though, guys, don’t listen to me.
LUNA: (Laughs) No, because I am…
JADAGU: (Laughs) Me putting out a whole album, but then I’m like, guys don’t listen.
LUNA: Do you feel like there was one song on the album that you got to be the most playful with production?
JADAGU: Oh my god, yes. Songs like “Perfect.” It’s kind of an interlude, one that may sound a little dark and depressing to the listener, but to me, it was playful. I didn’t feel confined by anything. I didn’t set an expectation, which can sometimes happen when you’re making music. Like, “Oh, I need to make something like blank.” Yeah, I didn’t feel that for “Perfect.” I think on interludes, I’m most free, so “Perfect” and “Couldn’t Call,” those are the two interludes. Another song where I felt like I got to have fun was “Tell Me That.” I literally say “period, pooh.”
LUNA: That was so fun to hear. That’s going to be so fun to do live!
JADAGU: Yo, I hope the club is jumping for that one, because I really was having a little too much fun. That one was super fun. We were in the studio, and I just started going “period, pooh, period, pooh.” Next thing you know, it’s happening, like too many times.
LUNA: Repetition.
JADAGU: My favorite thing.
LUNA: Did you go into writing this record knowing that you’d be shifting more toward this kind of sound?
JADAGU: Yeah. I would say most of me knew, because there was a time I think, where after Aperture came out, I was kind of trying to do some stuff on the guitar, but it wasn’t giving. I think what was happening is it felt as though it was limiting my songwriting process, and limiting being able to be vulnerable with what I had to say. I think switching to the synth, keyboard, and more electronic drums just found the early parts of the songwriting process to flourish a bit more for me and blossom in a way that allowed me to open up more. As we kept adding the production and the layers, and we kept writing more and more, the stuff that accompanied the song and really gave emotional depth on the production side was strings. And cello, there’s a lot of cello on this record. There’s a lot of Moog analog synth on this record. It helped accompany whatever I was trying to say in any capacity.
LUNA: Yeah, that’s awesome. You have two Pitchfork shows in November, right? And then you have your album release show this month. What are you most excited about over the next couple of months?
JADAGU: I’m excited, of course, for the album to come out, the album release show, and then I’m excited to just start making more music. After we play these shows, I’m gonna jump right back in the studio with my producers, Max and Sora. I’m quite excited for that. Typically, I think it takes me a while to want to get back in that room. But, you know, the touring is kind of light right now, so I think I’ll have some energy. Then, I’m excited to go home.
After wrapping fall tour with Gigi Perez, Hannah will be joining Del Water Gap across the US and Canada this January. Describe is out now.
