Since exploding onto the scene in 2021 with her viral hit “I’m Not Pretty,” JESSIA has been on a journey through the highs of major-label success and the tough but rewarding reality of going independent. Known for her unfiltered lyricism and pop dynamics, the Canadian singer-songwriter is entering a new era defined by radical self-acceptance and a “house cleaning” of the soul.

In this interview, JESSIA opens up about the “Let Them” theory that inspired her latest single, “Let Him,” the creative liberation of being her own boss, and why she’s traded the chase for viral numbers for a deeper connection with her community. From her recent Her Music Award win to her upcoming EP, Therapy and Yoga, JESSIA proves that the most powerful thing an artist can do is surrender to their own truth.

_

What did it mean to receive the Her Music award at this stage in your career, especially as an independent artist?

It was such an honor. I was honestly not expecting that I was going to win. It’s incredible to be recognized as a female songwriter in the community. I think that we need more things like Her Music that are hyping up women a bit more. So, it was absolutely incredible. It felt amazing. 

What’s one change you still want to see in the industry when it comes to equity and support?

I think creating more of a community, especially across the country. Each big city has its own little scene, but I think it’s more a matter of just going out and going to jams and mixers and sliding into people’s DM’s being like: “Hey you’re an artist, want to come hang out?”

Like, it doesn’t all have to be so transactional. I think that all artists just want to be able to be friends and have connections and to feel truly seen. It’s a weird thing to be an artist in the music industry.

So I think just working on community is something that we’re getting better with, but I think that we could do so much more—just non-transactional friendships with artists.

Have you seen the music landscape shift for women and gender diverse creators since you first broke out in 2021?

Perhaps yes. I think that I was on the upswing of it when it was like being independent and being like a business woman and being recognized for that—instead of just major labels that are predominantly owned by men who are telling you what you need to do and having it be very much about your looks and how much you can sell the song versus just your words and what you’re actually saying.

So I feel like me even being put on the map with “I’m Not Pretty” being the song that kind of kiboshes everything about looks and it’s just all about loving yourself and loving who you are.

I think that being an independent artist, especially as a woman, is not like, “Oh god, is she going to be okay?” It’s now like, “Oh, she’s got this.” I think that these days there’s a lot more confidence that is given to us, which is great.

Your new song, “Let Him”, is rooted in the idea of surrender. What drew you to that concept personally? 

Well, it’s inspired by the ‘Let Them’ theory, if you’ve heard of it or read the book. The ‘Let Them’ theory is all about just letting people show their true colours and not pushing them into loving you or staying. Whether it be about a job or a relationship, in any form, you’re not able to control someone else’s thoughts, opinions or feelings towards you.

So I think that this was just surrendering to that and being like, I’m going to control what I’m able to control and let go of what I can’t. So much peace and so much freedom comes through after you come to that realization, instead of dwelling in the “why won’t they love me?” and giving this person so much of your energy that could be spent somewhere else.

You’ve described this project as the art of letting go. Would you like to build on what it is you were holding onto and what you needed to release?

I feel like the year of the snake was definitely the year of the snake for me. I think that I kind of just combed through my life and let go of a lot of relationships that weren’t serving me and weren’t really aligning with where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be. So I let go of that.

I find that when you let go of things that aren’t serving you, you have all of this space to fill up. I think that I’ve filled it up with a bunch of different things that have been serving me outside of Jessia. Just taking more time for Jess and being able to go for walks and fall in love and go to different workout classes.

I tried out rock climbing the other day and I was like, “Okay, bad at this, but like it’s kind of cool and it’s feeding my soul.” So, I think that it’s about the art of letting go and bringing in the things that do serve you. I think it’s just a whole house cleaning of your entire life. So, it was very needed.

The song started as a poem. How did that origin shape the final version that we hear now? 

The chorus is the only thing that changed because it was a poem; it was just a chronological order of everything. Like, I let him kiss me at a party, I let him walk me home, let him do all of these things.

I wasn’t sure what the “thesis statement” was, and so the chorus was just that. But everything else was just verbatim of the poem and then, yeah, we stuck a chorus in there. And of course, we needed a hook too.

How does “Let Him” signal what’s to come sonically and emotionally on “Therapy and Yoga”? 

I feel like the whole EP is kind of like the landing base of where I want my sound to be. I’m really excited about the new ones, especially the first one on the EP. I’m really excited to hear what everybody thinks of it.

But yeah, I think I’ve landed into this organic yet still produced as a pop song style. It’s not just me and a guitar. It’s organic, but we’re playing with the sounds and playing with a bunch of different vocal builds.

Me and my producer Jason, we’re so into vocals and what we can do with their boundaries. So with “Let Him” having these moments of big production and then going back into really small moments, we’re really playing with different dynamics and stuff which is really cool.

How does being fully independent shape the sound and direction of this era?

I honestly love being fully independent. I mean, it definitely comes with its challenges. You’re the only one driving the ship, and if things go down, then it’s essentially your fault. When I was signed, everyone wanted me to be a bunch of different things, and it was hard for me to even find out what I thought sounded cool and true to me.

There was a lot of chasing the Billie Eilishes or Sabrina Carpenters for inspiration, but they’re already doing their thing and they’ve already capitalized on it.

So, I think that being able to take things from artists of any different size and being able to feel inspired—but not feeling like I have to fit in a specific box—is key. No boxes; that’s the biggest thing about being independent. There’s lots of creative freedom and I can kind of do what I want.

If you could go back in time and talk to the version of yourself who posted “I’m Not Pretty” on TikTok, what would you say?

I would be like: “Get ready for a ride.” I was very proud of that version. It was in the middle of COVID; I was back living with my mom and wondering if this music thing would work out.

I’m really happy I posted that video, but I think that what I would say to her is to ride that wave and keep releasing music as soon as possible.

I think that I got caught up in it, and I wish that I had just released more music instead of waiting for the approval of a bunch of different people who needed these music videos and everything. I would just want to release more music while there’s so many eyes on me, you know?

Has your definition of success changed since you first blew up?

Yeah. I definitely think that the goalpost is always moving for us artists. We could have a new release get 100 million streams the first day and still not feel good enough. So I think that while I’m very proud of the things I have accomplished, there are definitely other things that I’m wanting to accomplish.

I think now it’s less numbers-based. In the last five years, numbers and views and things like that have just gotten misconstrued. There are incredible songs and incredible artists that have like 100 views per video, but they have their own little cult.

So I think that instead of being the most viral artist, I prefer to just have my cult—my family and my community I’ve built with my incredible fans. It’s just us vibing out together and me being like a little unkept secret kind of thing.

Head to AdmitONE to see artists like Jessia LIVE!