Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Jessica Morale

If you’re on the hunt for a new artist to add to your playlist, look no further than singer-songwriter Jessica Morale. The South Florida-based alt-pop musician just dropped an empowering anthem about reclaiming your power and learning to love yourself. It’s the first of many new singles that Jessica has planned for the year, as she dives deeper into her art than ever before.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of chatting with Jessica about her new single, “Hunter”, and what’s ahead.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Hunter”. What was the inspiration behind the song?
Jessica: “Hunter” is an alt-pop power anthem that emerges in a much darker direction than my previous singles, “This Romance” and “I Am a Song”. Listeners can expect the song to have seething with sparkling synths, cinematic percussion, and soaring vocals. It’s definitely my favorite song I’ve released thus far! “Hunter” is all about taking back your power and learning to love yourself.

Too often we find ourselves living subservient to please others in the need for acceptance. We put our souls upon a shelf and hide it away, neglecting ourselves in the process. “Hunter” is about taking back your power and embracing uncertainty. It’s about not giving a damn about what others throw at you and releasing toxic relationships that no longer serve you. It’s refusing to give in and rising from the ashes. It’s learning to love yourself wholly in the most badass way. I’m still learning.

PC: You’ve released a few singles now. Are there plans to release a larger body of work? What can you tease about a possible EP or album?
Jessica: My first EP, Good Intent, was released a few years ago. It was a concept album on how human beings have good intentions when starting romantic relationships, but ultimately, it falls apart and we have to learn to pick up the pieces. I think it’s safe to say I’m planning on releasing another EP in the near future. This body of work will most certainly be another concept album. It’s going to be a lot more mature, raw, and gritty than the first release.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Jessica: I’ve loved singing and performing for as long as I can remember. I always had a lot of excess energy as a child and didn’t know exactly where to channel it. My parents would always play different kinds of music throughout the house and I found myself singing and dancing and being enchanted by the words and lyrics. I began singing on stage and joined musicals where I could channel my excess energy and fell in love with performing. There’s nothing like the feeling of being able to control the energy in a room. It almost makes me feel like a superhero.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jessica: Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga made me absolutely fall in love with pop music at a time when I absolutely abhorred it. It’s no secret that I’m a huge rock ‘n’ roll girl. Growing up, I was a total emo kid. In middle school, my friends and I were total weirdos and would head bang during all of the rap songs at school dances. I had the DJ play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Down With The Sickness” at my Quinceñera so my friends and I could mosh. I definitely always prided myself on being different than the status quo. At the time, I absolutely hated pop music, with the exception of a few guilty pleasures. One night, a cousin of mine came over and showed me the music video for “LoveGame” by Lady Gaga. I was blown away. The fact that a pop artist was so artistically obscure and gritty who stood for something blew my mind, let alone the fact that she is EXTREMELY talented. I was an immediate fan. I don’t think I would have ever gotten into pop music if it weren’t for Lady Gaga.

PC: What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of the industry?
Jessica: Not everyone is going to like your music. Not everyone will understand what you’re about. Don’t try to make music to please everyone, because you never will. As long as you love your art and it comes from an honest place, you will gain genuine, faithful fans that will vibe with you.

PC: What is your creative process like when you’re working on a new song? Has it changed over the years?
Jessica: Honestly, it’s different every time. Sometimes I’ll come up with a chord progression on the guitar or piano and write to that, or I’ll come up with a vocal melody or a lyric that sticks with me and I’ll write around that. In the case of “Hunter”, I had the lyric, “Caught up in the web of my own fantasy,” stuck in my head and wrote the first part of the first verse. On a completely separate occasion, I came up with the chorus lyric and melody and the two just happened to be in the same key and fit perfectly together. I, then, built the chord progression around the vocal melody.

PC: As we look ahead in 2019, what does the year hold for you?
Jessica: 2019 will hold lots of new music with a completely new sound. I’m delving deeper into my art than ever before, and I’m stoked to say that 2019 will be the best year yet.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jessica: Game of Thrones

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jessica: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

PC: Favorite book?
Jessica: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jessica: RENT

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jessica: Probably Cardi B. I bop to her so hard!

PC: First album you bought?
Jessica: Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory

PC: First concert you attended?
Jessica: No Doubt

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Jessica: Ugh, I have too many, but one of my favorite pop albums of all time is Queen of the Clouds by Tove Lo. The album is broken up into three sections, “The Sex”, “The Love”, and “The Pain”, which are the three stages of a relationship. It was angsty, gut-wrenching, and raunchy at the same time, which I absolutely loved. Sonically, it was extremely interesting and ethereal. I had a lot going on in my personal life a few years ago when I first heard it, so I related extremely hard!

PC: Venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Jessica: Madison Square Garden

PC: Hidden talent?
Jessica: I can freak people out by turning my left arm all the way around.

To keep up with Jessica, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up “Hunter” on iTunes or Amazon Music or stream it on Spotify.

Photo Credit: Katherine Gregorio