I had the great pleasure of chatting with up and coming NYC singer-songwriter Jodi Good. Check out the interview below as I talk with her about writing songs during boring movies, the writing process for her new EP "Definitely Different" (due out July 30th!) and more. Check out the interview below!
1) When did you originally start playing music?
I
took my first singing lesson at four years old.
2) Who were some of your musical influences earlier on?
It was always Christina Aguilera; she was my main (influence), love her. I love Jewel P!nk. Those are who I listened to in my pre-teen and teenage years.
3) When did you have that moment where you thought to yourself “this is what I want to pursue in life, this is what I want to do?”
There was a moment when I had a giant lightbulb go on in my head. It was last year, right after I moved to the city to pursue music. It was always the plan for me to pursue music, but in the back of my mind, there was always that “well what if it doesn’t work out?” thought. I got together with another artist, named Kristen Riley. We went to the same vocal coach. We wrote a song together, and I just felt after writing that song “Wow! This song really encompasses everything I wanted to say. This is the feeling that I’ve been looking for my entire life. This is what I am meant to do on this Earth.” I know that this is my destiny.
4) I read somewhere that you wrote the song “Definitely Different”, off of your EP, while watching a boring movie. What was that song about, and what was the name of the movie you were watching?
The movie was The Bourne Supremacy, or one of the movies in the Bourne Identity series. It was boring to me. If there’s not comedy or romance, I’m usually falling asleep (laughs). The song was about how every time I meet somebody, like a prospective love interest, I always tell them “I’m different. Beware a little bit. Are you sure you want to get involved?” And everyone’s always like “You’re not different. You seem like everyone else.” After a few months go by, they’re like “you’re definitely different, you weren’t lying when you said it”. I wanted to write a song that was autobiographical in showing people, telling people up front how I’m different. People will say “well tell you what you mean. How are you different?” So I wanted to try and encompasses those ways that I actually am different.
5) I heard your cover of “Lego House” by Ed Sheeran, and I really enjoyed it. What made you decide to cover that song in particular?
Well first, he was new at the time, so it’s always good to cover new songs to try and get some views (laughs). But I love slower songs. I tend to veer towards those, but this wasn’t a slow depressing song, and I loved that. I also loved the talking feel of it. Although it’s a song, it’s as if he’s sitting down and telling someone a story.
6) What made you choose to go to New York City over Los Angeles, the route that a lot of singer-songwriters will go?
A few things. I hate to fly. It requires a lot of medication to get me on a plane (laughs). Also, my family lives in New York, so even if I was living in Los Angeles, I’d still want to see them sometime (laughs). I tend to be a bit of a hoarder, both emotionally and physically. I’ve been in New York my whole life, so by living in the city, I’m still able to go back to Long Island. I love Los Angeles, and one day I hope to visit there a lot, but I could never see myself completely abandoning my roots without the ability to come back here all the time.
7) What was the process like writing and recording the “Definitely Different” EP? How long was the process approximately?
The writing happened relatively quickly after a really bad breakup I went through, and I still say, with the love of my life, even though it’s been about two years. I remember writing the songs, and I forced myself to write them because they were feelings I didn’t want to feel. The best things are going to come out of real emotion. The songs took about two months to write. The recording was much more of a process than I expected. I’m not so instrumentally inclined, and I don’t know how to produce. So when I make a version of a song to play to somebody, it’s me strumming the four little chords I know on guitar. My producer was Jimmy Landry. The amount of detail and energy he puts into each sound effect; it was intense. The whole recording process took about eight months. A lot of hours in the studio.
8) What kind of message would you like fans to walk away with after listening to your music?
As an artist, I want my message to be, no matter who you, that’s okay. As long as you’re not hurting anybody. As long as the decisions you’re making are just to affect you and yourself, no matter who you are, that’s okay. And that’s beautiful. Owning who you are is the most important thing, and the hardest thing.
9) What are your future plans right now?
You can check out my YouTube channel, where I post a new cover every Tuesday! My YouTube is JodiGoodMusic. Some are very obscure, some are what you’d hear on the radio. I’m already recording my second EP as well!
You can keep up to date on all of the latest music and news from Jodi Good on her Facebook (www.facebook.com/JodiGoodMusic), Twitter (@jodi_good) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/JodiGoodMusic). Her debut EP, "Definitely Different" will be available on July 30th.