Behind the Tunes with DeEtta Jain
This October, Nicole got to sit down with DeEtta Jain to chat about their new era of artistry and most importantly, their newest single and video, “The Twist to the Glitch”. The immediate words that comes to mind to describe DeEtta are absolutely delightful. They are kind, intuitive, and creative in ways a lot of rising artists strive to be. We are so excited to brag about them and the incredible visual worlds they continue to create that are culminations of every corner of artistry - fashion, music, dance - you name it. DeEtta is someone that recognizes the world we live in is never just black and white. They celebrate the grey spaces. The glitches, if you will. Without further ado, please enjoy our Behind the Tunes with DeEtta Jain :-)
Nicole: Alright, so let's get started. I want to hear about you, I want to hear about kind of a little bit more behind your story!
DeEtta: I am from Colorado. I grew up in a town called Loveland, which I've always found to be.. cute. I wish the charm of the town matched the charm of the town's name, but it doesn't. It's a pretty, you know, suburban, unremarkable space. But it's weird because despite that, and despite my family not being super artistically inclined, I came out of the womb ready to make things. I wanted to express myself so badly. So it's been super cool of them to facilitate that in any way they can, despite not really having any background or knowledge there. I got into dance, they gave me all the art supplies I wanted, and I just started dabbling in creation. I didn't know exactly where I was supposed to reside in this whole realm. But after being in dance at my local dance studio for about 10 years, I learned that there was an arts high school in Denver. I auditioned, it was going to be my junior and senior year that I'd be there. I made it into the school somehow, for dance, and I still don't know how that happened. I spent my last two years of high school there, and that experience just really connected all the dots for me because I was like, "Whoa! Okay, absolutely! Film goes with dance goes with style and fashion goes with music... these things all live in a house together." Growing up, I don't think I really understood that. I knew I wanted to do it, but wasn't really sure which medium to focus on, you know. So I spent my childhood just exploring, being a kid, and then getting to go to that school, it really sealed the deal. By the time graduation came, I wasn't ready to commit to a specific medium or collegiate program. So I kind of floundered for a few years between different things. Yeah. That's that.
(we both laugh)
Nicole: And that is that! Did you stay in Colorado after that? Did you move around?
DeEtta: I stayed for a couple of years post graduation. I worked with a kid I met at my school. We had like, a creative partnership which was very educational. We really took a year just exploring. He would compose the music, I would write the words/ sing and we would kind of work through the visuals and stuff together. But after that, I was really itching to experience a new place. A lot of people from my school ended up going to New York City. I had an affinity for New York because I visited in like 2012 or 2014 and I fell in love. I knew I needed to go back. It kicked my ass truly and wholeheartedly. Like I just did not...I don't know, I don't think I followed a logical order of operations, so I put a lot of stress on myself. I owe so much to that chapter, and how it shaped me and how it propelled me forward and made me see how strong, not only how strong I am, but how strong other people are. And just like, seeing people's lifestyles there and learning about other cultures and the communities that have been there for decades.. that really played a massive role in who I am I think.
Nicole: I have been having so many conversations about people's first times living in New York and those first years and everybody says the same thing. And it's so true. Like New York really kicks your ass but it kind of gives you a new sense of self. It teaches you a lot about yourself. If you can do a year here and you survive it and you can come out the other side, you can really do anything anywhere.
DeEtta: I desperately want to return. I really do.
Nicole: Come back!!
DeEtta: I know. I'm like, "Ahh!" My best friends are there, so much of what I love is there. Hopefully I'll be ready for that here soon.
Nicole: Maybe soon! When we first met, you talked a lot to me about coming back to Colorado from New York and finding the community that you're in now, this creative space where you're getting to tap into all of these different sides of art that, like you said before, intertwine. So what was your experience tapping into that community in Colorado and how has it impacted your musical journey today?
DeEtta: When I came back to Colorado, it was March 2020. So the pandemic had struck. It felt like a lot of people had returned to Colorado that had previously, you know, started other lives elsewhere. And it felt like there was a good amount of us that were just like, "What the fuck is going on right now? Like, what do we do?" And so, gears started turning for me. I was recording songs by myself out in New York. I started my solo music journey in 2019. But it was so isolated that I felt like, almost because of that, I handled the isolation of the pandemic pretty well. But I was just so starving for the connectivity. I also found myself while I was living in New York, really pondering, and desiring to host gatherings, which I had no idea how to do. Like, how do people do that? That's incredible. So it snowballed. Upon being here, there were just so many people that were down to collaborate near and far. Projects started brewing. 2021 is when I finally took the jump/ leap into organizing social gatherings, and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked. So I was like, "You know what, this is needed. There are so many people that want to express themselves and don't have anyone to facilitate that for them. So why not just keep this going?" Then, I also met the team that did the visuals for this video, and that was one of those very harmonious, creative partnerships where it's like, "oh, we're going to be doing stuff together for a long time." I think that answered the question.
(we both laugh)
Nicole: That's perfect because it was gonna lead me into asking how was the Denver space a part of the process of connecting you to the individuals that helped you put the visuals together for this video and for twisting, glitch and everything, so that's perfect. So yeah, I guess we can go into… the video! Let's talk about the song! Let's talk about the inspo and the overall journey and process of putting it together!
DeEtta: So the inspiration for "Twist to the Glitch" goes all the way back to 2016. I actually found this song on SoundCloud, and the title was “sick-wench”, which just..made me giggle. I think that's why I clicked on it. It's honestly such a startling song. I truly have never heard anything like it. It's one of those songs where if someone hears it, they either hate it, or they get it and they love it. I believe it is an unreleased track by ARCA, but for some reason that information is still kind of foggy, so it's kind of a mystery of a song. But in the song, there's a line that goes, "You're the twist, you're the twist to the glitch." I was so struck by that for some reason. I was like "I absolutely am. Thank you. I'll be putting that in my back pocket. That's brilliant." So, I've been thinking about it for years, and what exactly that means to me, and how exactly I could expound upon that to make a whole project out of it. I connected with a music producer and artist named Stephen Patrick. He is phenomenal to me. He is a mad genius, mad scientist type-beat. Once I explained the idea to him, at the top of the year, he was like, "oh, yeah, absolutely. Like, let's make a song about this." We took it in a completely different direction energetically. I think the songs conjure two very different feelings. But, we built a Sonic World around the idea of feeling like a glitch in the system, and then kind of finding another person that feels that same way and how something magical occurs when that happens, because then you're just like leaning into the discomfort of existence together. You're kind of just twisting and glitching through the maze together. I feel like the pandemic brought a lot of existential feelings and existential crises. So that was part of it as well. I knew this concept meant a lotttt to me. I wanted to do a visual, like, there has to be some kooky visual going on here. I kept driving past this field that had airplanes and different little aircrafts just kind of sprinkled in it and I was like, "that looks like a glitch in reality, that doesn't look real." I eventually went over there and visited these really nice people who own the property. It's on a farm. They were so cool. They're like, "Yeah, do whatever you want. We don't care!" Which is unheard of. Anytime I find a place I want to film they're like, "that'll be $1,700." Totally understandable, but everything just kept kind of coming together, the pieces of the puzzle. Once I had the locations and everything kind of figured out, I reached out to Hunter and Jordan. (altr agency) They are the masterminds behind running the camera and directing. They loved it so much. We were all like, "Let's, let's do this." We wanted to create a visual that felt like a glitchy, fever dream type situation.
Nicole: And I would say it's very well accomplished. And it's beautiful. It's beautiful. I think sometimes visually the concept of glitching can kind of get overwhelming. But it's so visually pleasing. *Chefs kiss* Y'all did a beautiful job, it's amazing how the stars just aligned.
DeEtta: It was such obvious alignment. It felt like it was supposed to happen. But thank you so much, they will be thrilled to know that you feel that way.
Nicole: Oh, gosh, of course, I feel like everyone is gonna love it! Everyone who's gonna see this, I'm sure it's gonna just freak out. This is kind of a new chapter in your visual work that you're doing and your musical journey as a whole. And something that is a through line through you as a person and your story is this concept of being "nonlinear" and not existing in the spaces that we know and are concrete because gray areas are everywhere. Embrace the gray spaces, right?
DeEtta: Beautifully said!
Nicole: What has it been like for you to start this new chapter? What does this new chapter mean for you as an artist?
DeEtta: I honestly feel like from 2018 to this year, it was.. I don't want to use the word failure, but just so much trial and error. Putting my all into these things that either just missed the mark technically, or I didn't market it properly, or the music just wasn't quite there. I feel like, with this project.. I feel like all the boxes are checked. Which is exciting! I did a visual EP called "Boys to Men", which was a super thoughtful, conceptual project. I did three different mini visuals for the interludes of the song. In my mind, that made so much sense. But it did not read to a digital audience, it just didn't make sense to anybody else. I had to recalibrate and be like, okay, you can still do something really deep and thoughtful but maybe do a more high energy song and create one really strong visual that's more accessible to pretty much anybody to either enjoy or, you know, feel however they feel. This project felt like getting over a mountain a little bit. And, you know, the more you learn the less you know. There's always new challenges and new lessons. But this felt triumphant. As well as with the release party, it felt like a really harmonious step forward in event planning. Things are just starting to make so much sense. Really. So that's what it's been like. It just felt nice.
Nicole: Good! That's so good. Failure is such a harsh word, but I think it's a word that we definitely all need to get comfortable with in our young lives.
DeEtta: Let's de-stigmatize it because it's going to happen.
Nicole: It's going to happen and you won't just have one big failure, you'll have many, many, many failures. I was talking to somebody the other day who just had a pretty "big failure" happen and I was like, "The first one hurts the worst. You know, it's just like heartbreak."
DeEtta: It is, yeah. And failures cushion the good moments.
Nicole: Right.
DeEtta: Which is hard to accept as well. I feel like something great will happen and you think it's just going to keep going but... it's nonlinear. Once again, it's a wave girl!
Nicole: It's a wave!! Everything's a wave! But everything is about growth and learning and I think you're in such a good place and you're heading in the right direction. All the things are happening in the right times right now! So that's really cool. From that, visual elements are incredibly important to your identity as an artist.
DeEtta: For sure.
Nicole: Why is that so important to you? And then what have you learned the most about translating this non-linearness into visuals? Because like you said in the past you took a concept that you thought made sense and it may not have been as palatable as you've thought and then had to read your audience again and reevaluate. What has that been like for you and what have you learned?
DeEtta: For sure. Visual elements are so important to me because I feel like that's my language. I was always interested in connecting all of the mediums. I didn't just want to be a dancer, I didn't just want to be a songwriter, I didn't just want to work in fashion, etc. Through trying to focus on one of those in so many different chapters, it was like, no, music can really be the driving force to bring all these things together, and then create something people can like, damn near taste, you know! That's the stuff. And the learning sector of it was like... I have to compromise. I have to be willing to listen to people who know more than I do. Because I feel like, in the prior moments, I was so stubborn that if I would have been a little bit more fluid with the process, things may have translated better. And not rushing! I feel like I rushed a lot of things and had I not done that and had I given everything a little bit more space to breathe. That's when the harmony comes in. So when I think about 'the twist to the glitch" it’s like... yeah..you can never start planning too soon. You can never start reaching out to people and festering that energy too soon. There's never a point too early to hop off of. It's been a lot of time management, compromise, collaboration, and all of those things have really been vital lessons.
Nicole: Yeah, I hear you. On the listening thing too. That's huge. You're saying so many things that I'm like and people will be like *snaps fingers in air repeatedly*
DeEtta: I hope so. Hopefully, they're not like, "okay...?"
Nicole: Definitely not! You were making me think about things that I was like, Yeah, damn, I need to think about that in my life too."
DeEtta: It's cool! It's so applicable!
Nicole: All applicable and all important things. Settling and giving things space to breathe as well, I think that's so important.
DeEtta: And it's hard to do! Our culture seems to just keep speeding up and keep speeding up. The output that people are wanting seems to just have this never ending incline, but it's like that will screw you in the end. If you know, choose to not lean into it.
Nicole: It's not sustainable.
DeEtta: For anybody.
Nicole: And in the music industry as well, there's just such an oversaturation of everything. No one has any idea what's going on anymore, because there's just so much.
Exactly. Like "drop a single every month!" Like, okay, I guess... that just seems like a lot...
(we both laugh)
And then on top of that, Oh, by the way, you got to be touring. Oh, by the way, you have to be putting visuals for everything. Oh, by the way you have to be you have to be you have to be.
DeEtta: It's a lot. It's too much.
Nicole: It's too much. So I think bearing down on what feels right, trusting your gut, and giving things space I think is really, really important.
DeEtta: I agree. Cheers to that.
Nicole: Cheers to see my coffee. Okay SO, your visuals are pretty unique. How would you describe your aesthetic and your vibe? If you could do it in three words, what would those words be?
DeEtta: Not to be cliche but bold. I feel like the aesthetic is definitely bold, a little chaotic at times. And nonlinear. Like, there's always this nonlinear layer where it's like, "oh, is this person wearing an XLR cable as a harness? Yes, they are." You know, like just repurposing and trying to go a little bit beyond the box. Making things a little bit glitchy where things can be glitchy. You know? Bold, chaotic, and nonlinear.
Nicole: Awesome. Love! In terms of just writing and recording, and people that you're working with. You touched on how impactful your community in Denver has been to your recent creative experience. What has been your process in general collaborating with people and working with new people? Have you been doing that a lot? What's been exciting or negative, or any feelings about diving into new working relationships?
DeEtta: I'd say till the end of 2021, I had such awful stage fright. Not only stage fright, but even just the idea of getting in a studio with other people and coming up with ideas in real time genuinely scared the shit out of me. I felt so uncomfortable doing so. And I feel like that comes from a prior experience where there was a lot of negativity and a lot of judgment and a lot of harsh energy coming my way. I think after that, I really just closed off, and I was like, "I will not do that." But I want to do music! It was this horrible internal conflict. At the end of 2020, or 2021, I just hit a wall. I was like, "Okay, you're not going to grow if you're not willing to conquer these fears. Like, let's get it together, girl." I performed live with a room of, you know, my favorite people and a bit of my community to present "Boys to Men." And it was this grand epiphany. I was like, "Oh, my God, like I can do it. I didn't do it well in that moment, but I can do it. And I can definitely make this happen." Then the universe just kept like plopping little opportunities for that to grow. I connected with a producer that has a home recording studio, but it's legit, and he is a master mixer, engineer, and producer. He was like, "Yeah, you just need to start coming over here. We'll get the saxophone player, we'll get the bass player and we'll just really start creating things organically and in real time." Which was so exciting, but also very scary. I've been working with them. We put out a song called "Leaning", which was about a month before the "twist to the glitch", and it just really unlocked everything for me. Because now even as I'm working with producers that are not here physically, I'm so much more open to feedback and critique and ideas. Once again, it was like such a building block of compromise and collaboration that feels monumental to me. I think as artists we do sometimes get a little one track minded and just always thinking that we know best which is so so understandable when you're in an echo chamber with yourself. So that's really broken through. I feel like I've entered another room of possibility with performing, the visuals, and the collaborative efforts.. like it's all making sense! So that's where I am at with that.
Nicole: WOOOOOO!! That sounds so awesome. Is it Soundbender Studio?
DeEtta: Shout out Soundbender! so cool. I love them.
Nicole: Yes, definitely shout them out! And good that you're like gaining your confidence and all of that. It just takes the right people.
DeEtta: It does. Yeah, it takes the right energy and it takes... I don't know. I feel like the more I've implemented good habits as well like..eating breakfast and taking my supplements, you know, just these little things, has helped me be more even keeled and calm and quiet internally so I can actually do these things, which is huge.
Nicole: Your normal human needs are being met!
DeEtta: My normal human needs that I was so overtly neglecting. I don't know why.
Nicole: No, we all do it at times. It ebbs and flows, but it's really good that you're on top of it and you're feeling good. Everything's aligning and happening. Let's talk about the rest of this year, what is going on in your world?
DeEtta: This is possibly my final release of this year. BUT I do have another Variety Show happening next month, November 11. It's going to be super neat because, it's going to be Scorpio season, and it's happening at a place called Scorpio Palace. just divine.
Nicole: My goodness! Is it going to be in Denver?
DeEtta: Yes, Denver! If anyone is going to be in Denver on November 11, this will be the place to be!It's such a sweet lineup of different mediums and artists.
Nicole: I definitely have friends I'm going to directly send it to.
DeEtta: Yeah! It's always a good time. Something so inexplicably magical happens at these shows. I don't know what it is, but it's worth experiencing, for sure.
