Photo Credit: Luke Pardy (@lkpardy)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // December 10, 2020
Having been surrounded by an incredibly artistic family, Jada Klein is the music prodigy here to keep the R&B world alive and thriving. The Vancouver native truly has an intoxicating essence to herself and her growing discography, which has now been blessed with her stunning debut EP, Always, Forever. Whether she’s exploring the restless of being young or embarrassing party moments, Always, Forever lets us into Klein’s life like never before.
On Always, Forever, Jada Klein shared,
“This project has been a year in the making and I couldn’t be more excited to finally have a body of work to share. Writing this music has gotten me past many hardships and it’s a gift that I get the opportunity to make this dream a reality as I share it with you. Every connection I’ve created has led me to this moment and for that I can’t begin to thank anyone who has shown love, showed up, or supported this goal of mine. This is for you.”
To celebrate the release of her new music, we recently chatted with Jada Klein about studio sessions, memorable parties, and of course, Always, Forever.
HH: How did growing up surrounded by an artistic family shape your passion for music?
JK: Some of my earliest memories were surrounded by music. For as long as I can remember, I was always listening to music on my CD player in my bedroom or attempting to sing and learn how to play the piano. My parents were big music lovers, both being musicians, so I had the influence of that from day one. Music has always been something I’ve enjoyed and I’m so grateful that my family introduced me to it at such a young age because I truly believe I was born to create music.
HH: At such a young age, you manage to leave us absolutely mesmerized. What inspires your music?
JK: My main inspiration is everyday life and the experiences that come along with it. All my storytelling is fueled by situations I’ve been in, watched happen, or have heard about. Being only 19, I’ve only experienced so much and sometimes in order to create different stories I have to take inspiration outside of my world and tap into my imagination.
HH: Always, Forever is everything we could ever ask for. How does it feel to finally have your debut EP out in the world?!
JK: It feels very surreal. This project has been a long time in the making so finally having it out is obviously very exciting and also a sigh of relief. It’s amazing how these songs I wrote a couple years back have developed into everything I could’ve hoped for. If someone would’ve told me two years ago that I’d be traveling to LA to record and eventually release my debut EP, I’d tell them they were insane. I am so thankful for the opportunities given to me prior to this moment and I can’t wait to see where this project takes me. Having these songs on the backburner for a while and now they’re out in the world, I can focus on new ideas and start to think about what’s next.
HH: Can you walk us through the creative process behind Always, Forever?
JK: The creative process for this project was actually very unique as I was only in the studio for five days to finish the whole EP with producers, Danny Garcia and Itai Schwartz. I flew down to LA in October 2019 after Danny and I had been trying to make something work since April. It worked out that we chose these four demos ahead of time and decided I should come down to LA and record. The week went by extremely fast but we managed to finish just what we needed to. After I came home, it was a lot of back and forth finishing up the final touches for the project. The whole experience in LA was more than I could’ve hoped for and I am so grateful for Danny and Itai putting in the work and making this EP come to life.
HH: What’s so special to you about “Bygones?”
JK: “Bygones” was my first release of 2020 and this song was such a special one to record. I had actually won the studio time with Kyler Pierce through the Fraser Valley Music Awards in 2018. I knew immediately that this was the track I wanted to work on. I had written this song after an embarrassing incident happened to me at a party a few years ago where someone I didn’t expect to see had shown up and it took me by surprise. I wrote “Bygones” the next day. It was such a cool experience getting to record this track, which is the most soulful song I’ve released. Getting to play around with different elements and really experimenting with my sound was really exciting for me. “Bygones” is always going to be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever created, even if I had to make a complete fool out of myself to write it.
HH: “Where Is My Mind” makes us feel understood in ways we’d never expect. What was your intention with this gorgeous track?
JK: “Where Is My Mind” is all about the confusion and restlessness of being young and not knowing what lies ahead. Almost everyone has that stage in their life when you don’t know who you are and you’re just trying to find yourself. I wanted this song to communicate that feeling and be able to put into words the way it feels to be lost in your own world and not knowing what to think or do. This song came from that time of my life and I’m honestly still going through it in certain ways, and that’s okay. Slowly, everything is going to fall into place and this song is going to be my way of remembering exactly how I felt when I thought it would never end.
HH: If you could have anyone in the music industry be your mentor, who would you pick?
JK: I feel like I would have to pick SZA. Not only could I stare at her all day, [but] I feel like the way she’s so in touch with herself and who she is as an artist, she would have so much wisdom to share. I mean she’s one of my favorite artists, so the chance to pick apart her mind would be the coolest thing.
HH: What are your three hidden hits?
JK: That’s so hard to narrow down to just three but I would probably say “hiccup” by Valley, “RITF” syd B, and “These Times” by Far Caspian. There’s so many amazing underrated artists and songs out there, but these are the three I’m loving the most right now!
The Hidden Hits 