Sadie Jean is a young singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who became known in 2021 thanks to the viral success of her single ‘WYD Now?’, the story of a person who, now in her twenties, still thinks about a teenage love. A couple of years later, Jean has released his first album, ‘Early Twenties Torture’, where he reflects on the emotional lessons that youth leaves behind. Jean will present it in Spain in December: on the 7th at Razzmatazz 3 in Barcelona (tickets) and on the 8th at Changó in Madrid (tickets). No fan of Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams or Olivia Rodrigo should miss it. We spoke with Jean via Zoom, just the day before her album comes out, about her first steps in music, her new album and her favorite Taylor songs: she can’t decide on one.
Your album is out now. Do you feel ready to let go? Or are you too fond of him?
I’m really looking forward to it coming out, and the longer I wait, the more anxious I get. I don’t want to keep saving these songs in my Dropbox, I want people to listen to them.
What is your favorite song that hasn’t been released?
‘This Time Around’ is the one I most want people to hear. Or ‘Know You Forever’. They both show a different side of me, and I’m looking forward to knowing what people think. Plus, I really like singing them live. ‘Know You Forever’ may be my favorite of the two, it talks about my friends and the lyrics are fun and witty.
For those who don’t know you, you were born in 2002, what precipitated your love for music?
My parents say I made up songs before I even knew how to speak. I was very inspired by the songs that played on the radio, because I spent many hours in the car with them: Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Taylor Swift, Coldplay… When I listened to those artists I thought that I also wanted to write songs like theirs.
Do you remember the first song you learned to play?
‘Teardrops on My Guitar’ by Taylor Swift. I loved that song and I wanted to learn it on the guitar.
What is your favorite song from Taylor’s new album, and what is your favorite of all time?
From the new album, ‘The Fate of Ophelia’. Of all time… ‘I Almost Do’. Sorry about ‘All Too Well’. I love the whole album ‘Red’ (2012). ‘Enchanted’ is another of my favorites.
‘Early Twenties Torture’ is a curious title. Why is it torture to be 20 years old?
In my experience, in my twenties I have felt like an adult for the first time and I have had to assimilate the loss of childhood, and that is a little scary. On the other hand, at this time of life one does not make the best decisions and gets into situations that are not convenient. But I’m young, I say I do it for the plot (laughs). Young adulthood is an emotional roller coaster.
The hope is that then the good years come later?
(laughs) I think so! At least, I hope so. I hope to be a little better at 25.
I was thinking more about being 40, 50… People say that life improves a lot at 60.
I hope so, when I have learned all my lessons.
How do you describe the sound of the album?
I consider myself a singer-songwriter, above all, so the songs stand out mainly for the voice and the lyrics. But on the album I liked to experiment with different sounds; For example, the last song, ‘See You On Sunday’, has jazz influences, and others have 2000s pop influences. I write my songs first with instrument and voice, and then I decide on the production.
What is the chronology of the album?
The first song I wrote was ‘I Tried’, I wrote it two years ago and it’s the one that opens the album. I knew the moment I wrote it that it was going to be on my debut. And I wrote the last one last month: ‘See You On Sunday’.
‘The One That I Want’ is my personal favorite. What can you tell me about her?
I wrote it two summers ago. I was so obsessed with a guy who kept putting me off all the time, it was the most frustrating situation in the world and it consumed me every day, but for some reason I still liked him, even though I knew he didn’t have enough positive qualities to make up for everything else. ‘The One That I Want’ is important because it is the title song of the album.
You trained at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. What is your greatest learning?
I learned to write songs with other people. I learned a lot, because when I was little no one around me made music. If I had said out loud that I wanted to be a pop star, no one would have taken me seriously. At the Clive Davis Institute I felt understood for the first time. The biggest lesson, without a doubt, was learning to collaborate.
«If I had said out loud to the people around me that I wanted to be a pop star, no one would have taken me seriously»
How have you applied that collaborative desire on the album?
On the album I have written songs with people who were classmates at the Clive Davis Institute; In fact, I’ve only written one song on the album: ‘I Miss My Friend’.
‘WYD Now?’ It was a very important viral moment for you. Do you think that song will always represent what you do, or that it will become a naïve moment in your career?
I love that song and I feel lucky that it is my “hit”, or whatever you want to call it… but at the same time I feel that I have evolved a lot as an artist and I am sure that in ten years I will not believe that it fully represents me, as an artist and a person. But I still like it a lot.
Was it never an option to put it on the album? Not even revisited?
I felt like I wasn’t part of this new world I’ve created. It came out on my first EP, which talked about my teenage years and my first love. It didn’t make sense to fit it into the story of ‘Early Twenties Torture’ and I never considered including it, because it feels much younger than the album.
Do you have any dream collaborations?
Dolly Parton, start dreaming… and with Olivia Dean, I love her! Also Chris Martin and, of course, Taylor Swift.
