5 Minutes With … Jack River
The Forster-born, Sydney-based singer-songwriter had a chance to chat with us ahead of her massive national tour. Read on for a peek into her song writing process and how Jack River settle on her distinctive sound.
BYO: You’ll be starting touring again in a couple of weeks, how do you feel about embarking off again?
Jack River: It’s going to be great, I’m a country gal so it will be awesome to finally visit so many regional centres, with so many great people.
BYO: Is there anywhere you’re most excited for?
Jack River: Oooh maybe Townsville as I have never been there!
BYO: Your new song Sugar has this really nostalgic 2000s vibe with a contemporary kick to it. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired this sound?
Jack River: After making Sugar Mountain I had so much dream pop fuel left inside me, I really wanted to work on something that was at the complete end of the pop spectrum - and Peking Duk were keen to make something that sounded a little like a JR song! So we met in the middle and created Sugar - it was so much fun!
BYO: Do you always enjoy the writing process, or is there anything about it that you don’t love?
Jack River: I write only when I want to, so I always love it. I write a lot in my diary, but probably only write a song once a month or so - I don’t like to force writing, or make it stressful. I believe a song will make its way into your brain if it’s meant to be created.
BYO: What influenced you to first get in to creating music?
Jack River: Wanting to express the feelings in my mind and finding that words weren’t enough, adding music makes the experience feel 3D.
BYO: How do you think you came to develop this spacey, eclectic pop sound?
Jack River: I think it’s just all my favourite sounds combined, along with my intention to demonstrate how I feel the future should be. Organic and real, and camping under the stars, but infused with electronica and a sense of outer space and possibility. I’m intrigued by all the different forces co-existing in our world right now and try to express that in my production.
BYO: What’s next for Jack River?
Jack River: GTM! A massive national tour, a deluxe album, working on my own festival Grow Your Own, and forever writing/hustling/weirding out.
