Q&A: Josie Man Shares What Perfect Means to Her
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIERRA WHITE ☆
THE MEANING BEHIND “PERFECT” HAS CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS—and Josie Man, along with the rest of the world, is still figuring out what it truly means. “Perfect (Idols)” accomplishes something a lot of other songs don't—the truth, all while still feeling upbeat behind deeply meaningful lyrics. While some may never know what “perfect” means, Man encapsulates the feeling of questioning the best on this track.
Since becoming an independent artist, Man has taken her next steps into making new music that reflects herself on a deeper level than ever before. Getting to take on more creative liberties and risk, Man proves that she has what it takes even with no major label behind her. There is something to be said about the world today of how everything has to feel perfectly curated to be seen and Man lets us know that sometimes there is more that meets the eyes with the curations made.
With her next EP God Forbid A Girl Has Dreams set to release September 9, Luna had the opportunity to talk about her tracks so far and what’s next for the English singer.
LUNA: You’ve said “Perfect (Idols)” is about our obsession with perfection and how little of what we see online is real. Is there something you used to think that was perfect that you've come to see isn't anymore?
MAN: I think it's actually the idea of being perfect, and constantly thinking, “Oh, if I do this to myself, maybe I'll feel this certain way,” but really, it's more about how you feel on the inside, and that's the toughest thing to swallow.
You're never going to be perfect and that's the meaning behind the song. But also the song has a double meaning. As in, the music industry is not perfect, and what you see is not what it is. I definitely had to learn that the hard way from being within a major label, seeing how everything works, interacting with people that you look up to and realizing that they're not what they seem to be as well.
LUNA: On the flip side, you have an incredible video series that's titled “Things I Consider Perfect That Have Nothing to Do With The Way We Look,” which highlights the positives in the world and gives a new meaning to the word “perfect” without the negative background. What would be in this week's “perfect” for you?
MAN: My new merch that I made. I've got tracksuit bottoms as well, and I'm really proud of them, and the fit of it is literally perfect. It's my favorite type of fit.
LUNA: “Perfect (Idols)” marks the third song released this year ahead of your EP, God Forbid A Girl Has Dreams. What do you want listeners to anticipate before its release?
MAN: The new era of my music. The music that I was making previous to this was when I was signed to a major label, so this is my first project where I've been independent. And it's way more musical, as in the instruments used and the harmonies. It's way more the stuff that I would actually listen to and it's just really nice that I was able to be in control of what I release. I just had so much fun making it, and I hope that comes across in the music.
Also, you get to pick exactly what it is that you want to do. Because you have to fund it yourself. You're more specific on what it is, and you just care about it a lot. Not that I didn't care before, but you look at it in a different way, like, “This is really special to me.”
LUNA: Like a music baby!
MAN: Literally, yeah!
LUNA: A lot of your music centers around themes of self-love and accepting who you are. Has there been any change in the definition you have for those two terms since starting your career?
MAN: One hundred percent. I think at the beginning, I was very naïve. . And then as I got a bit older, I was like, “Sometimes it's not good to just be positive all the time and push away your feelings.” Now I've landed at a place of self-love, it’s just something to do for yourself.
When you have that real self-love and acceptance of yourself, your life just changes. You're not doing things for other people anymore, and you see yourself as something that you love, which is so crazy, because I feel like we should be taught that at school, to love ourselves, not in a way of, “Oh my god, I love the way I look,” but, “I love the way I feel, I love who I am.”
That's where I am now with the word “self-love.” It's more of who I am on the inside rather than the way I look. The way you feel inside reflects the way that you are as a person to other people. So that's how I see it. It's definitely changed throughout the years.
LUNA: That's really beautiful. I think a lot of people, when it comes to self-love, there's this connotation of, “Oh, if I'm not like this now, it's never going to be.” But, it's something that progresses as you grow up and get older.
MAN: Yeah, as you get older, you care less about what other people think. Then it's just a win-win, because you're like, “Okay, I don't care about that, but I also love who I am.” But it definitely takes so much time and conscious effort to be like, “Oh, I don't hate myself.”
LUNA: With over seven years of experience in writing under your belt, what is something you're still learning about the craft that still manages to surprise you?
MAN: If you're stressed out, overstimulated or not in a good headspace, you'll just be blocked. There are things that I have to do to get into the zone of being able to write.
You have to understand yourself. But it's so weird, you can just get blocked at any time. And then you get so frustrated, because you're just like, “I literally have all these ideas, and now I can't remember anything.” And then just letting yourself be like, “Cool it's not gonna work today.”
LUNA: Writer’s block comes for everybody.
MAN: Yeah!
LUNA: Are there any songs or shows that inspired you when creating “Perfect (Idols)” that you would like others to see before listening to it?
MAN: Carol Ades. I wrote the song with two other people, and we went to see Carol Ades. Basically, we’d gone into a session and we heard one of her songs for the first time—we were like, “Oh my god, this song's sick.”
Then, she was playing in London. What she was saying on stage—“It's never too late to just do what you want to do.” I think in the industry, sometimes you feel like you get to thirty, and think it's time to give up now and do other things. So she was really inspiring.
LUNA: If younger you could look at you now, what is something she would be proud of?
MAN: I just think that she believes in herself, and just keeps going. It's so easy to just give up, but I just keep going. One thing about me is I'm very consistent. I also feel like, when it comes to singing and writing music, it's not only for you, but it's for other people as well, to make people feel good. That's just something where, even if it makes one person feel good, it’s so rewarding. So yeah, being confident in myself. I was really shy when I was little, but now I feel like I can go to places and I'm secure with who I am. I think she'd be proud of that.
