An Interview with Jessika Zen

Jessika Zen is an up and coming artist exploding onto the music scene with electrifying hypnotic techno vibes.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessika about her music and her life as an artist.

James Johanson: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you began as a musician.

Jessika Zen: I was born in Bandung, Indonesia and moved to Sydney, Australia at the age of 5.  I learnt classical piano at the age of five and attended Berklee College of Music on a performance scholarship.  Growing up, I was rather an inspired & curious contrarian who was always interested in obscure art and was sort of  an odd child. There really wasn’t anything like the indie-pop movement and less individualism. Growing up in Australia we would just get fed American and UK pop.  So, my influences basically come from burying myself in my dad’s record collection since he listened to world music, film scores, jazz and had a large collection  of culturally deep, “high-concept” films, foreign films, and design/art books.  I was the only kid at school listening to Brazilian, Latin, and classical music.

I was attracted to the storytelling, mood & drama in music.  When I was about 16, I started going clubbing and sneaking out of the house heading to raves, so during that time I was really influenced by bands like Portishead, Massive Attack, Basement Jaxx, Prodigy, which got me into electronica.

Then I got the opportunity to go to Berklee.  Before that time the only thing I really hadn’t gotten an opportunity to fully explore was jazz music since it’s such an American tradition I wanted to experience it from where it came from, and in Berklee I got the opportunity to really learn from the greats.  I was also able to delve deeper into music technology. I used to only perform music organically with just me and the piano, but now it’s this whole system with computers and very technical in that sense, you can now have an orchestra at your fingertips.  Now I am just going back to the roots of focusing on creating good music and concentrating on the concept then using the right tools to execute that sound be it in pop, dance or film scoring that hopefully inspires others to create as other artists have inspired me.

The kind of music I’m working on now are songs that are dance-oriented. The only thing is that I’m always a little moody so a tinge of darkness always comes in there from somewhere. I’m highly influenced by my environment/surroundings and the people around me so when I make the music I just let it all out there. Music is my therapy.

JJ: Could you describe your music making process?

JZ: I usually start with lyrics, scouring everything around me. I carry around a notebook all the time of ideas that I gather usually inspired by my environment, going to exhibitions, museums and the crazy people I hang around, because I’ve got plenty of those around me (laughter).  I am very inspired by culture, exotic and ethnic instruments, the unknown, conversations, human behaviour, psychology and traveling as well as nightlife, I have spent a lot of my life in somewhat dark places.  I love to travel, experience and live in different countries.  I see everything as a journey and not necessarily a destination, I call it the “wandering nomad” syndrome.

I respect any artist who gets to fulfill their vision. It’s pretty tough to be an artist, so many external factors considered before presenting the actual work. If you are writing music in an industry like the Hollywood blockbuster machine, network television, commercial music, which is how I got my break, then it’s realizing a vision with others who are talented in other creative areas or working within a team to realize a project, you develop a kind of Zen like detachedness to your contribution. I find both processes equally rewarding in different ways. To me though, some of the best music out there comes from pure passion and a love for their work, which is the most important thing when it comes to music. I’m priviliged enough to have the opportunity to do what I love, have this calling and gift, to be able to have my voice heard and see my work come to fruition. To have soul, spirit & empathy, to know your roots and to understand who you are & where you come from & to know yourself and what you personally believe in is very important to me.

The worst thing is not being inspired, I need this constant feeling of restlessness, curiousity, breathlessness and a yearning for more. I’m currently living in Milan, Italy and traveling around Europe and immersing myself in its culture and surroundings which is visually, historically and culturally rich and allows me the space and time to imagine and be free.

JJ: How would you describe your musical style?

JZ: It’s indie-pop/electronica with world music influences. Deep and fun at the same time. Catchy beats with strong vocal melodies, bringing back a lot of organic and ethnic instruments.  In the near future, live performances will include me on vocals plus some live electronics and live PA system.  I am trying to create a world with a visual artist right now for a projection that will be rehearsed for the show.

I’m very taken with textures and mood so I’d like to create it in the vibe of the atmosphere.  I see it as the space which that music lives in.  A lot of these songs are influenced by native American music, tribal, nature and light emerging from the dark, going back and forth from different extremes.  The visuals will be kind of spooky, but it’s always fun so it’s a nice contradiction of both of these things.  My music is also very feminine and from a girls perspective – and I don’t know why, but I keep writing songs about growing up in a way, maybe because I refuse to in my imagination.  Also as someone who travels around a lot I’ve had to challenge my beliefs on a constant basis. I’ve been an immigrant for as long as I can remember and I’ve always had that kind of identity crisis.  I’ve always had to find my own community rather than fitting in to somebody else’s.  I always just kind of accept what happens in the world and have a (excuse the pun), Zen element to life.  I’m really influenced by this constant theme of hope within the darkness the balance between good and evil that is essential to life, and fear vs. courage. I think right now the world needs to get in touch with each other more than anything, I’m feeling right now that a lot of people are disconnected and detached from each other, from feelings and emotions.

JJ: Where can people experience your music?

Any tracks and mixes can be found at www.jessikazen.com.  People can also keep up with me on facebook, myspace, and my twitter page.  They can also read my blog/fan page about things that inspire me.  People can also subscribe to my youtube channel where I will be uploading a lot of my work over time. I’m looking forward to doing some shows in Milan soon as well as London in the near future, dates and locations can be found online as well.

JJ: Is there anything you would like to add?

JZ: Hopefully I will continue to work with inspiring artists, to constantly be inspired and hopefully inspire others.  I guess that is my main goal.  So many artists have inspired me, and my goal is to do the same.