Spotlight October 20, 2023

Spotlight - Jean RN

Meet Jean RN, a Suffolk-based artist blending noisy glitch-pop with emotional depth, crafting chaotic yet humorous tracks inspired by a lifelong passion for music.

What is your name?

Ben Wright

Where are you located?

Suffolk, England

What is your artist's name?

Jean RN

How long have you been writing music?

Basically forever. I have early memories of making simple melodies on a toy keyboard - I would also make my friends write raps with me on the playground.

What inspired you to start playing and making music?

My childhood best friend came from a musical family and they were all super talented, so I guess that inspired me. My dad also played guitar and produced his own music - he taught me how to use a DAW when I was 10.

How would you describe your style of music?

Noisy Glitch-Pop, with an emotional bent.

How is your personality reflected in your work?

I like to think of myself as something of a Silly GooseTM who can get a bit chaotic, and I think that's reflected in the scattershot maximalist nature of my work. Humour's really important to me, so I try to use it whenever I feel the music's getting too self-serious.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

Most of my songs start out as dumb melodies that get stuck in my head as I go about my day, and from there I think about what kind of shapes and textures I want to present them with - often the songs are fully formed in my head before I even open the DAW - lately I've been trying to adopt a more spontaneous, whatever-happens-happens approach to production.

What is the name of your latest releases?

SKID MARKZ - a 4 track EP. Short and sweet.

What was the inspiration for that release?

Making my last project ('Laughing Alone, Eating Salad') left me feeling pretty drained emotionally, so I wanted to make some songs that were fun and experimental - not too deep. However, I'm still a big fat emo at heart, so there's still a bit of that whininess here.

Can you tell us any "behind the scenes" stories about writing or producing this release?

Maybe this is TMI... I recorded the vocals in the summer, in my tiny studio - it gets pretty hot after a few takes of a song. So any readers may be happy to learn that most of the vocals you hear on the EP were recorded fully naked! <3

What do you do to promote your music?

I'm trying to force myself to be less shy when it comes to self-promotion. For this release I sent the EP out to various blogs well in advance of release, to hopefully broaden my reach. I've also been making little teasers that I post regularly on socials, as well as giving away Bandcamp codes (shoutout to GetMusic for making this easy). Putting myself out there is scary and definitely doesn't come naturally, but I guess it's the only way to get music into the right ears.

What are you currently working on?

I have a pretty big project in the works, which likely won't see the light of day for another year or so - I'm also making time to just open the DAW and have fun experimenting, with no end-goal. Lots of collabs to come, too!