Jewelia FAULT Magazine coverstory

After three years in the making, the highly anticipated alternative pop album ‘Little Wins’ by Jewelia has finally hit the airwaves. Boasting a collection of 12 tracks, each united by the theme of self-acceptance, the album has been met with eager anticipation following a series of infectious singles such as ‘Invisible Wall’ and ‘Second Best’. We caught up with Jewelia to discuss the release, her process and her FAULTs.

What was the journey like creating this album?

I wrote all the songs on the album and also produced all of them. They were mostly recorded and produced in my home studio, in Logic. I’m a perfectionist, so often I can end up working on a song longer than it needs, which is why this album took so long to make; it’s hard for me to say ‘stop, this is now ready!’, but that moment eventually needs to come.

Some of the songs have been co-produced with Andy Denyer, who also mixed the spatial audio for it, the Dolby Atmos version. The album was predominantly mixed by Mario Borgatta (Foster The People, Of Monsters and Men) and Niko Battistini (Charlie XCX, Caroline Polachek), and it was mastered by Antony Ryan, who also mastered it for vinyl.

Did your process change at all this time round?

Yes, usually, I would write in front of the piano and then arrange, but this time around I was producing at the same time, so moving in parallel with creating the backing tracks and the melodies/lyrics. Usually for me, the lyrics are the last to be finalized, and it was the same with this album – perhaps next time I should start with the lyrics and see where that takes me?

Three of the songs (Queen of Make Believe, Extra, and The Quiet Ones) were written very much on the spur of the moment and produced in a few days, just about making the cut to be ready in time for the already booked mixing dates. So I didn’t have the time to tweak them endlessly. If I wanted to include them on the album, they had to be ready quickly, and this reminded me that I can produce quality work without taking forever.

What inspired the title ‘Little Wins’?

All the songs on the album have a common theme: self-acceptance. We all do the best we can at a particular moment in time, with the resources we have at that moment. Those resources can mean anything: time, energy, knowledge, confidence, money, love, other people, self-belief, self-love. So really, there’s no point in beating ourselves up, and instead of constantly focusing on the climb ahead, we should take some time to look back and see how far we’ve come, and learn to celebrate the little wins!

You mentioned the album fluctuates between self-encouragement and self-doubt – is this a personal struggle you have found yourself having?

For sure! Though I think it’s something that we all struggle with. But yes, I do struggle with self-doubt a lot, and I’ve been trying all sorts of positivity tricks and gratitude diaries and that sort of stuff, but they don’t quite work if you don’t believe in them. Some of the songs do tackle this idea of toxic positivity (Second Best, for example, or Queen of Make Believe), but despite the ups and downs, the conclusion of the album stands: we do the best we can!

You wrote and produced most of the album yourself – does being so close to all aspects of the creative ever leave you feeling burnt out?

It’s very fulfilling, but yes, it can lead to burnout, and I have already been there. It happened with my Project2020 (when I was writing, producing, and releasing a song a month, and also making videos for many of them). The period of recovery from burnout and the efforts to change my mindset is actually what inspired the overall idea of Little Wins.

“Validation” tackles the pressure of social media – it’s almost impossible to make it as an artist without embracing social in our digital world. How do you try to strike a balance between art and all the promotional tasks that come with being an artist?

Like most musicians, I wish I could spend all my time on music, but it’s not possible these days. I’m trying to be better at social media and find ways to create enticing content without spending too long on it, which is at odds with my instinct of always questioning if anything that I put out there is good enough. I’m still trying to find a balance, but I do find that these days I am enjoying creating content more than I used to!

“Little Wins” ends with a message of resilience. What advice would you give to your fans who might be facing setbacks in their own lives?

Life is not fair, we don’t all get the same chances, but it is what it is. We all do the best we can every single day, and we all deserve to feel proud, or at least appreciative of our efforts, and we shouldn’t judge ourselves too harshly, especially when the setbacks are out of our control.

What are you most excited for in the rest of 2024?

I am excited to have a band again and to be back playing live gigs! Also, as much as I am excited for Little Wins to finally be out in the world, I am even more excited about writing music and moving on to new projects!

What is your FAULT?

Probably the self-doubt that I was mentioning previously. I would probably put out a lot more music and a lot more content, and network a lot more, and find myself a lot more opportunities if I had more self-confidence and were a less harsh judge of myself. It’s something that I am working on every day!