Artist Spotlight: Meet ettie
How did you come up with the idea?
“Jealous of Him” is the scorned tale of a love kept secret. Having to watch the person you loved move on is hard, but when you have to watch it in silence because no one around you knows what happened between you, it’s agony. As queer people, we often get into relationships with people who can’t love us out loud, be that because of familial pressure, society, or our backgrounds. And it’s torture. So this song came from a place of wanting to scream out the feelings I had to suppress, being jealous of the man she moved on with because he gets to live loudly in a love that I couldn’t.
Can you walk me through your songwriting process?
I’m such a lyrics person. All throughout the day, wherever I am, I’ve always got my notes app ready to write down lines and phrases and metaphors; it’s like a diary. And usually while I’m writing it down I’ll have little moments where a small melody comes into my head and I scramble for my phone to get a voice note of it. And then I will obsessively play that line over and over again in my head until I can get home and grab my guitar and write it all out. I think a lot (maybe too much), and I have a lot to say, and writing songs is a great way to get that out.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "Jealous of Him?"
“Jealous of Him” was the first track I did with Mat Leppanen so it really was a cool experience. He asked me who my inspirations were and I said Avril Lavigne and Paramore, and he basically replied “say less.” He knew exactly the vibe I wanted and he really ran with it. I got into the booth near the end of the day to do backing vocals and I got so into it, and I just looked up and he’s got both arms in the air doing the punk rock devil horns. It was such a vibe and I love the tracks we’ve done together.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
Making and listening to music has been this constant in my life even when everything else felt out of control. Whether it was listening to pop princess CDs in my Walkman when I was sitting alone at the back of the school bus, or screaming ‘Jar of Hearts’ karaoke when I was home alone as a teenager, to going up on stage now and performing the songs I have written, music has always been there even when people haven’t been. I’d love to make this my career to make songs that hopefully make other people feel less alone too.
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
A lot hahaha, I think a lot and I have a lot of feelings, and I think that’s where my songwriting comes from. And when I’m performing them, because they’re so true to me and my experiences, I go straight back into how I felt while writing it. Every song I perform I go right back into that world. It’s very vulnerable, but it’s such an amazing way to make a connection with people.
