Q&A: Maddy Davis and Jimi Somewhere Capture Golden-Hour Longing on “Chase After Me”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
Photo by Cooper Roth
EARLIER THIS YEAR, MADDY DAVIS WAS REWINDING VHS TAPES—exploring heartbreak, and learning to Smile At The Good. Now, as the New Jersey-born, LA-based artist closes out an impressive year of releases, she’s focusing on a collaborative track that feels a bit softer and even more cinematic.
Her new single, “Chase After Me,” is a collaboration with Norwegian indie-pop artist Jimi Somewhere. It’s the perfect curtain call that showcases strings and slow-burning longing. Written during a week-long cabin trip in Vermont with longtime collaborator Milo Orchis, the track perfectly captures the golden hour blur by Lake Champlain: a mix of crush energy, quiet delusion, and the hope that someone might finally turn around and run after you. From a 4 a.m. verse demo to the surprise addition of sweeping strings months later in Oslo, the song carries memories and a strong friendship between two talented creatives.
We sat down with Jimi Somewhere and Maddy Davis to talk about Vermont cabins, creative chemistry, and the heart-on-sleeve world of “Chase After Me.” Keep reading for more.
Photo by Cooper Roth
LUNA: “Chase After Me” is such a beautiful song. Since you’ve both mentioned that the writing trip in Vermont played a huge role in shaping the track, was there anything from that trip that changed the way you collaborate or write together moving forward?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: I think for our chemistry, we definitely figured out our work dynamic. We hadn’t really worked that much before that trip, just a few sessions.
DAVIS: Really two, maybe three sessions.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: And before that, it was mostly just getting to know each other that summer going into fall. So on the trip we really figured out our whole work chemistry, and it was a little different than what you were used to, Maddy. You can speak on that.
DAVIS: A big thing for me was that it wasn’t like a normal session where you meet at 10 a.m., work until five, and go home. We were all in one house for seven days. The workflow was this never-ending circuit. There was always someone working, sometimes two of us, sometimes all three. And that was interesting because I’m usually like, “Okay, we’re done for the day, let’s think about other things.” But working with them—especially Jimi and Milo [Orchis]—they aren’t by-the-books. They follow the creative spark. That was cool to learn from.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: [Milo and I] love to work around the clock and take breaks when it feels right. A lot of people get thrown into this session loop; it’s super formulaic, almost like a school day. But because Milo and I have always worked together, we developed our own intuition. Learning discipline is great, but it’s also about following instinct; staying up late because you never know what you’re going to get at 3 or 4 a.m.
LUNA: Definitely. You get both structure and freedom, which is such a good balance. And speaking of 4 a.m. sessions, Maddy said she woke up to you quietly working on your verse. What pulled you back into the song at that moment? Was it just a spark?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Honestly, I was looking for a moment of silence. When we started the song, I knew I really liked it and wanted to try something on it. I just needed to wait until everyone was asleep and I wasn’t too tired; there’s that sweet spot. And that’s how I usually work with Milo, too. Even back home, sometimes I need a few hours alone at night to try things on the mic, see what feels good, write a bit. I like figuring that out on my own before showing anyone. But then Maddy caught me [laughs].
DAVIS: Caught him in the act. I’m like, “Who goes there?” I asked, “Do you want me to wait with you?” And he was like, “No, sleep.”
LUNA: That’s amazing. Maddy, what was your reaction seeing him working like that?
DAVIS: I always feel like such a loser around them because they stay up so late and I go to bed at like 11. So that whole week I’d have FOMO. When I woke up and realized he was working, I was like, “Oh my god, am I missing out?” But Milo wasn’t even there; he was asleep or in the shower. So I realized Jimi was having a moment to himself. I didn’t hear what he recorded that night because he didn’t actually keep that version. He brought it back to LA and that ended up being the final.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Yeah, I needed to sit with it before showing anyone. I changed a few things and recorded it better later. I think I sent it to you months after.
DAVIS: Yeah, a couple months. I remember because you texted me during a party at my house, like, “Just worked on the song.” And I was like, “What is this vampire energy?” (laughs)
JIMI SOMEWHERE: It was right after a party; beer Olympics or something.
DAVIS: Yup. I didn’t hear it until then, but I loved it.
Photo by Cooper Roth
LUNA: That’s awesome. And Jimi, with the time zone stuff—do you get thrown off going back and forth between LA and Norway?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: I try not to go back and forth too much. I’ll just stay long periods in each place. The lack of boundaries with this job makes sleep weird; you can just stay up because there’s no one telling you not to. I try to sleep when my body needs it. In Norway I try to wake up earlier so I don’t miss the sun. In LA it’s whatever.
LUNA: That makes sense. I love the sweeping strings and the longing in the melody on this track. When you listen back now, what scene or feeling does it transport you to?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Golden hour at Lake Champlain in Vermont. It takes me straight back to that trip; like a supercut in my head.
DAVIS: Same. Besides the strings—which we added later—the rest stayed almost exactly the same as the demo. So it really does feel like the trip. Emotionally, it feels like longing for someone who’s maybe unaware of it. Like the classic crush feeling; this “please notice me” energy. It’s a little delusional in a cute way.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Yeah, it’s wanting someone to want you, but you don’t totally want them either. That push and pull. Or like Maddy’s boyfriend said, “like a tennis ball wanting to be chased by a dog.”
LUNA: I love that. Everyone needs a good yearning track. Did you always envision the song being big and romantic, or did that unfold later?
DAVIS: I think it unfolded later. The strings weren’t planned. Jimi and Milo went back to Norway for a few months, and while they were there, they had a friend add strings. They completely gatekept it; they forgot to tell me [laughs]. When they played it for me, it was exactly what the song needed. It already had that romantic energy from day one. And since I don’t have many songs where I’m singing in that higher, sweeping register, it felt right. It was definitely begging for that direction.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: We have a string guy in Oslo [Athisaiyan Suresh] who’s insanely talented. We throw strings on everything with him. I wrote those strings with him, and honestly, we almost forgot about the file. When we found it again, it was this huge pleasant surprise. Hearing it back felt like hearing a new track.
LUNA: That’s so special. Your friendship seems like the backbone of this collaboration. How does knowing each other personally shape the way you give feedback or challenge each other creatively?
Photo by Cooper Roth
DAVIS: I think we can be really honest with each other. We’re not afraid to bicker like siblings.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Yeah, sibling energy. It makes the chemistry real. You can be honest, push back, whatever. It’s always [out of] love.
DAVIS: It’s always for the best interest of the music. I had to get used to that at first because I’m sensitive. At one point in Vermont, I’d write something and Jimi would go, “That’s really good, but you can write a better verse.” And I’d be like, “Ugh, fine.” But then I would rewrite it, and he was right. I needed that. Working with “yes men” doesn’t push you. And now I can give it right back.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: We argue about tiny stuff all the time, but when you trust each other and want the same thing, you figure it out. It makes you more confident putting the song into the world.
LUNA: Absolutely. When everyone has the same end goal, critiques feel like support. Next question: what’s one thing the other person brings into a session that you feel you don’t have on your own?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Maddy is always 100% herself—heart on her sleeve, so sincere. I can be more “cool guy,” more guarded. She goes straight to the vulnerable stuff, and that’s exciting to work with. It gets something real out of you.
DAVIS: That’s so nice. For me, Jimi isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of where a song can go. Some people get complacent, like “good enough.” But he’ll sit on one lyric for hours until it feels right. And the way he’ll write a verse at 4 a.m., sit on it for months, revise it after a beer pong tournament—I wouldn’t have done that. Working with him pushes me to not settle.
LUNA: I love that; this is turning into a friendship circle. You performed the track during Maddy’s headline show at Silverlake Lounge. How did the song hit differently live compared to creating it in the quiet of Vermont?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Since we didn’t actually record it together, it was our first time fully joining forces on it. That felt special. And we had live strings, which was amazing.
DAVIS: There was so much solitude in making the song; just the three of us in Vermont, or Jimi alone recording his verse. Performing it live with five people onstage and a whole room full of people was totally different. It was the first time it existed outside our heads. Also, it was exactly one year from when we left for Vermont, so it felt full circle.
LUNA: Was there anything new you learned about the song while performing it?
DAVIS: That it’s extremely hard to sing. It’s so high. I had to adjust some notes live. Recording is easier because you’re not moving and can redo parts. Live, it was tough, but ended up great.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: Same. It was mostly figuring out how to sing it live. I didn’t learn anything new about the meaning, but hearing it out loud with strings was amazing.
LUNA: For the music video, how did the visual direction take shape?
DAVIS: We both had the same vision: casual, running around in a field. Very simple. The video came together pretty recently too.
JIMI SOMEWHERE: And Cooper Roth filmed it. He was with us in Vermont, shot the cover, all of it. He keeps everything cohesive emotionally and visually. It felt like the team was back together.
DAVIS: One of the first times the four of us were together since Vermont. It was casual, just our local park, but so cute and fun.
LUNA: One last question for each of you. Maddy, now that you’ve wrapped your year of releases, does this song open any creative doors for what’s next?
DAVIS: I’m still figuring out what’s next, honestly. But I learned so much making this song—and from Jimi and Milo—that I’ll take with me forever. Sonically, I don’t know yet what direction I’m going in, but the lessons will definitely carry over.
LUNA: And Jimi, has working with Maddy spilled into anything you’re releasing soon?
JIMI SOMEWHERE: I’m figuring out my next stuff too; I just put out an EP. But Maddy brought this drum machine to Vermont, and I loved it so much I bought one. I’ll use it for shows and production. And honestly, that whole trip shaped my time in the States. Maddy was one of the first real friends we made in LA, and we befriended Cooper [Roth] there too. They’ve both been really important to us. I carry that whole experience with me.
Photo by Cooper Roth
