The Drama Behind Jessica Ride's EP ‘DRAMATIC’

The EP’s title is pretty straightforward and it usually has a negative connotation. How did you arrive at the decision of calling this body of work ‘DRAMATIC’?

When I was at the lowest point with my mental health and was also dealing with quite negative and exhausting relationships - I would try and speak to my friends/partner about how I was feeling and the response was always the same, ‘Jess you’re just being dramatic’. I started to work up a name for myself with this dramatic undertone and people started to really not believe me about anything, anything I said that was remotely deeper than surface-level was automatically labelled as dramatic, I even started to believe I was being dramatic and began to shut down. After I left school and had some time to recalibrate, I realised that I wasn’t being dramatic and I actually had real trauma that was invalidated so the EP name is a sarcastic play on this nickname.

Among the five songs, which one do you resonate with the most? Is there a specific line that you consider your favorite?

I definitely resonate most with ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’. I wrote that song in my bedroom during lockdown at the height of my loneliness and frustration - I wanted to really represent the pattern I was finding in each and every one of my relationships, the pattern of my exes suddenly realising (almost overnight) that they just didn’t love me anymore. I was honestly exhausted (and angry) by the fact that I couldn’t hold down a relationship and that these people had the ability to switch off their love for me so easily. The song is a recount of all of the things that were said to me during these relationships and the things that were implied as well - I really feel every single lyric deeply in that song, but my favourite lyric is ‘I’ll still let you in because of what could have been, am I built to be picked apart?’ 

You previously said that these songs were birthed from a toxic and painful time in your high school life. How were you able to overcome that tumultuous season?

High school can be really difficult because it’s something that you have to be faced with everyday - there was no real escape during my time at school, especially in my final year. I actually really loved school for a long time before that so it was really devastating that everything seemed to fall apart in my final year. The best way I was able to overcome high school was graduating. I felt like dropping out, I felt like changing schools but because I was in Year 12, I was so close to the finish line anyway that I (and my parents) decided that it was best to hang in there until the year ended. I had to practice a lot of self-love to counteract the situation but before I knew it, it was over. Since high school I have found out that the world is huge and full of opportunities and I have really found my happiness, but I understand it is difficult to have perspective when you’re trapped with the same group of people from your childhood, especially if those people are unkind.

All the songs in the EP were produced by Curtis Hatton. How was your working dynamic in creating this project?

Curtis is a brilliant producer - he worked with me on ‘Again’, my first ever single, so he really showed me the reins in the industry and walked me through the process first-hand. He was a real guiding force in both ‘Again’ and in ‘Dramatic’ as he showed me that he really believed in me. I really do hear both Curtis’ and my own sound interlaced into the EP and I love how we turned the mere idea of ‘Dramatic’ into an actual body of work. I knew I wanted to create ‘Dramatic’ since school but it was Curtis that made the magic of bringing it to life and adding in ideas that added to the evolved sound that I think it has. I’m also a person who wants to make a very broad style of music and I can sometimes have quite eccentric ideas and Curtis has always been down to fulfill those ideas and it’s always created such a unique and special sound.

What advice can you give to those who are having a hard time healing from their past experiences?

The best thing I ever did was ask for help. I can’t stress this enough - asking for help is nothing to be ashamed about! 

Another way to heal is to practice self-love, which can be difficult at the best of times. I found that the best way was to practice it when you’re feeling at your lowest, rather than when you’re having a good day as it can help with redirecting your thoughts. 

Most importantly though, everybody heals in different ways and at different paces. It’s important to listen to yourself and take your time.

If you can collaborate with any artist at any given time, who would you want to work with?

My top favourite artists of all time are Hozier and Missy Higgins. It would be an absolute dream to collaborate with either of them. Their songwriting has inspired me and shaped me as a songwriter.

Who inspired you to become part of the music industry, and who/what inspires you to continue to thrive?

Ariana Grande is a huge inspiration of mine. She was an artist I listened to all throughout my mental health struggles and I always found safety and comfort in her music. Of course, in addition to her music, her strength really inspires me and I felt like I could always listen to her to distract myself or to help me search for my own strength through hers. 

My childhood self actually inspires me to thrive the most. I think about how proud little me would be thinking about the music I’m making and the performances I’m doing. It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and I know my younger self would be fangirling right now.

It’s amazing that at such a young age of 19, you are already beginning to unleash your power to the rest of the world. What advice can you give to aspiring artists going into making music as a career?

First of all, thank you! My advice is, if you love it, do it! I truly believe in following your dreams and trying your best to make them happen. If you never try then you’ll never know and if you never ask, the answer will always be no. 

I also think that in the music industry, you should make whatever style you feel is most authentic to you - not what is trending at the moment to try and fit into the scene, your authenticity will shine through if you express yourself through your songs and create art that you are really proud of.