JADU HEART: “YOU HAVE MORE CONTROL THAN YOU THINK”
Jadu Heart are a band with a penchant for escapism, and with third album ‘Derealised’ they take listeners through the darkness and into the light. Ahead of the release, Sally Clegg chatted to Diva Jeffrey about the pair’s creative processes, inspirations, and experiences of the music industry.
Jadu Heart, formed of Diva Jeffrey and Alex Headford, first came together as the duo studied at BIMM, working on a project which ended up being the band’s first EP. In true surrealist style, the tracks were based on the pair’s exploration of an alternative universe, seen through the eyes of their alter egos Dina and Faro. Their tutor, artist Saint Saviour, was so impressed that she introduced the pair to their now manager. “She was like ‘finally, I knew you guys had something in you!’”, Diva explains as she joins our call from the studio.
Photo credit: Jaxon Whittington
In the six years since, Diva has experienced first hand the ups and downs of life as a recording artist. While grateful that she’s able to do music for a living, she reflects on the imbalances that permeate the industry: “it’s weird that as you move along, you realise just how many old white men there are at every stage”. Artists have been feeling pressure to bend to the desires of 'the powers that be' since records began, but Diva and Alex have grown to understand the importance of standing your ground where necessary. “It’s important to remember that you have more control than you think, and that you don’t have to be afraid to say you don’t want to do something”, Diva says. “That took me a while to learn”.
When it comes to life on tour, she’s particularly observed a lack of diversity in the live music sector. “Everyone of course knows how male dominated the music industry is, but I realised it was especially true on tour. I would sometimes go 4 or 5 days of not talking to a single woman in venues”, she shares. Having also experienced patronising and dismissive behaviour from men working within venues, she recognises that “tour managing and sound engineering are seen as very male dominated, and it’d be really cool to have more girls seeing it as a career option - I’ll hire you!”.
The duo behind the music have developed more confidence in their own assertions as the years have passed, and Jadu Heart have garnered a loyal fan base along the way. Diva notes that fans often feel like they know artists personally, something that she suggests is especially true in relation to musicians: "music comes directly from your brain and your soul, which can elicit a really strong response and allow people to form a primal connection”. She holds a great respect for their fans, and feels strongly about fostering this connection wherever possible. “We make a real effort to be ‘on’ our social media ourselves”, she explains. “We never let anyone else do it for us, it has to come from us to them”.
Armed with a sense of calm self assurance that only comes with experience, and with the mantra “nothing is as permanent as it seems”, Alex and Diva approached their latest album with a renewed sense of freedom. “Our main goal has always just been to make timeless music that people enjoy, and I’d like for people to think we weren’t afraid to try different things ”, she says. Described by friends as “2020s hippies”, Jadu Heart aim to follow what feels right and hope that it resonates with others.
Photo credit: Jaxon Whittington
‘Derealised’ is even more drenched in ethereal shoegaze than previous releases, something Diva credits in part to the simple matter of equipment choice. Namely, that Alex has gravitated to a particular guitar pedal of late. Turning the camera to their ‘Loomer’, Diva explains that “Bullet for My Valentine actually used the Loomer pedal, which is why some of those grungier elements come through”. Their most personal album to date, ‘Derealised’ explores the idea of escape and maintaining hope in the face of dark times. The title is a reference to dissociative feelings that both Alex and Diva have experienced. Diva explains that “now we know that there’s a word for it - that feeling that nothing is real - we’ve come to a place where we can accept that the world is just a strange place, and that’s fine”.
Discussing some of the album tracks, Diva shares that 'I Shimmer' thematically reflects emerging from a period of poor mental health: “It's when you ‘snap out of it’ and feel like maybe everything’s okay, everything’s shimmering”. This acts in contrast to interlude ‘The Glass Box Between Me and You’, which tackles “feeling like you can’t connect to anyone when you’re in a low patch”. These tough personal experiences of mental ill-health can’t have been easy to revisit; while maintaining the surrealism that has underpinned their previous work, the pair have left the alter egos behind and are now the main characters. “We do sometimes feel like monsters in the world, which is where Jadu started”, Diva says. “Though we’re now exploring real life feelings, we keep that aspect [of surrealism] because our lives just aren’t interesting enough - are we going to sing about sitting on the sofa watching Real Housewives?” she laughs.
However, reality TV is far from the only thing the bandmates consume when back at their shared house. “It can be hard not to get caught up if Alex is showing me some folk record from the 1940s, to not get excited and immediately start working”, Diva smiles. But she also acknowledges that it can be tough to keep boundaries between chill time and creative time. “Music is so much in your brain, you can’t switch it off - we’ve tried to set time limits, but inevitably break them to talk about some bassline”. Music is tied up in emotion, and partnerships within it can be fulfilling, but they don't come without their challenges. Diva notes: “there’s always going to be ego involved so you have to work to keep it chill, be open minded, and let each other have your moments”.
With a refreshing optimism and a determination to draw hope from the darkness, Jadu Heart evoke something special with their melodic shoegaze. When coupled with compelling visuals and a genuine approach to social media, it's clear why so many are drawn into their spellbinding world.
‘Derealised’ is out now.
Tickets for Jadu Heart’s international tour available here.
