JAIDENE VEDA: ACOUSTIC SESSIONS

Singer-Songwriter-Producer-Musician-Photographer-Filmmaker-All Around Beautiful Artist JAIDENE VEDA surprised me with a quick chat to share what she’s been creating as of late– her SIXTH album!! And we can all be a part of it!

INTERVIEW BY AMANDA FRONTANY

Jaidene Veda!! Here comes album number 6!! Congratulations! Every album you do has been significant or special  in its own way. What is special about album number 6? 

Thank you, Amanda! I can’t say I saw this coming, but my sixth album has become my reunion with ‘six strings.’ This project will showcase acoustic renditions, stripped in nature, but most songs will have House mixes. While some songs are covers, I’m definitely looking forward to sharing more originals than what’s been previewed in the samplers so far. I’ve saved some that are too special to share as raw demos. 

As heavily influenced by [the label] Naked Music as I’ve always been– this surely feels the most naked– more intimate than ever before. I’ll always want to make people dance or sing along, but comforting you when you don’t feel like dancing is of importance on this album too. Lyrically, the covers have already comforted me.

“…this surely feels the most naked– more intimate than ever before…”

So as an independent artist, your approach to creating and releasing new projects has always been through crowd-funding campaigns via the Indiegogo site– and you have always reached your goal, which is amazing!! What should we know about this particular campaign and why should your supporters join now– before the album is released? 

I really want to note that every single person who backs this campaign (no matter the donation size) will be a part of the final product– all their names are included in the liner notes as they are the ones who make the music possible– from how the music is recorded to which studios, engineers and collaborations can be committed to. Support garnered now genuinely dictates what the album can become, and people can truly be a part of it in that sense.

Also, backers will always be the first to preview or receive copies of the music, all mixes too!

So when your supporters back your current album campaign, what are some of the special extra perks that you offer?

There are a lot of chances to connect to me or the music in unique and customized ways. Not just signed CDs and photos or handwritten lyrics, but personalized radio drops and birthday recordings or my previous albums they don’t have yet. For the first time I’m offering mentoring regarding recording, singing and songwriting or just in terms of the indie music business over all. But as always, people are able to work with me in-studio whether they’d just like access to remix stems, or want to start from scratch on their own brand new tracks.

If you want to collaborate, this is how to make it happen!

So you’re truly sharing your talents with this project. Tell us all about the journey that led to creating an acoustic project? What was the inspiration? 

It was only this past summer that I picked up an acoustic guitar again, to accompany myself with the preschool and kindergarten children I’m teaching of late. Like most people, I’m guessing, I went down the YouTube abyss of tutorials or looking up chords for all my favourite songs and I worked like crazy to develop calluses and get over the painful stage! Thankfully the inner critic quiets down while you’re exploring other people’s music, and I’ve been recording non-stop since! While it’s scary to venture so far from the sound most people know me for, I’m in love with singing now more than ever and challenged to keep trying to be a better songwriter. That’s what acoustic passes do– test the strength of the song– is it really there?

“…I’m in love with singing now more than ever and challenged to keep trying to be a better songwriter.”

So you are doing some covers on the Acoustic album. Tracy Chapman. Radiohead. Nirvana. And more… Tell us all about the decision to do covers. 

I have to shout out my long-time collaborator and a dear friend, N’Dinga Gaba! A few years ago we learned that we shared more than just an affinity for deep House, but Grunge music too. I ended up recording NIRVANA for him, and then followed with RADIOHEAD over another one of his beats. We were forming new sonic chemistry. After writing original material for five albums as well as 20 years of House music singles– I just want to honour great songs now– and I’m counting on nostalgia being the connecting factor for anyone listening. 

And we know you always give your Househeads that musical experience that has come to be synonymous with your name. How are you including something for our beloved House Music community via the ACOUSTIC album? 

“DON’T STOP” with MONODELUXE & MARK FRANCIS was such a warm and  fitting way to debut the album. But shout out again to N’DINGA GABA! You’ll hear all of his remixes, brilliant new music, and potentially even a co-produced release of my album on his new label. We’ll share all those details  with you as soon as he’s ready.

“‘DON’T STOP’ with MONODELUXE & MARK FRANCIS was such a warm and  fitting way to debut the album.”

I’m a huge fan of N’Dinga Gaba! And I love when you two collaborate. For artists just starting out on their journey who want to release a project– what advice can you impart about the decision to use a fundraising campaign, such as you have always done?

Speaking from the heart, I always want to express that whether you’re an underground or established Artist, asking for help is not “beneath you” (like I’ve surely heard some people say), it certainly isn’t for everyone, but the ability to connect to your community is not only vital, it’s empowering and it’s a privilege to know that people believe in your promises: the music will be made; the gifts you backed will be received; the questions you asked will be answered; and in my case, all of the above by me. That level of accessibility is key, being humble enough to know we’re all just music lovers, fellow fans of the craft, that we all need to feel true connection!

I’m so excited to hear the entire project when it is released. Thank you for chatting it up with me again, Jaidene! Looking forward to your New York City visit! Any parting words for us?

“You won’t get what you don’t ask for.” Always do the scary things, they make you grow. 

November 2019

Brooklyn, NY and Vancouver, Canada

You can support Jaidene Veda’s current album on INDIEGOGO until November 17th here: https://igg.me/at/jaidenevedaacoustic 

Connect, Support and Listen to Jaidene Veda:

Bandcamp

Traxsource

iTunes

Spotify

Soundcloud

YouTube

Facebook

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Twitter

And here’s my January 2018 Interview with Jaidene…

Link: Jaidene Veda: Heart of Gold!

Interview by Amanda Frontany

Via: https://indamixworldwide.live/