+ (614) SIMPLY LIVING WITH JESS B
Bouncing from New Zealand netball courts to UK music studios, Jess Bourke – better known through her stage name, JessB – represents the direction the Australian and New Zealand music industry is gearing itself towards - amplifying minority voices and experimenting with different sounds from around the world. Raised in Auckland JessB hails from Kenyan descent and has been a part of the music scene since 2017 after leaving behind a career in sport. Funky, fresh, and with a bold spark, she’s a part of the new generation of Australian and New Zealand rappers who are quickly debuting on the rising Hip Hop scene. JessB rose to acclaim by collaborating with the likes of Baker Boy and placing in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020. Her musical style can be described as storytelling which is reminiscent of 2000’s Kanye West with her music featuring prominent 808 beats and snake drums. A melting pot with splashes of Hip Hop, Dancehall and Afrobeats have resulted in her sound being uniquely her own, taking influence from her Kenyan and Pakeha heritage. Taking the strength and determination instilled into her on the Netball courts, JessB moved onto shooting goals into the big bad world of music where her opposition is a bit more than the team you play against. With the determination of a firecracker, ready to take on the world, watch this space as JessB works on the launch of her debut album. We managed to catch up with JessB via zoom in between her studio sessions in Berlin.
614. How do you think your background as a netballer has transferred into your discipline as a musical artist?
The sole reason for me being as disciplined as I am is sport. In sport, there is no other option than to be there, especially when you’re playing with a team and you don’t want to let your people down. Qualities like goal setting were instilled into me at a pretty young age, so when I did come over to music, it was very easy to directly transfer those skills. Even in terms of performing on stage, I’ve always treated it like a sport. I’ve always aimed to stay fit and be able to give my best performance, especially when it comes to a festival stage or a big crowd.
614. Was there a specific moment that made you decide to pursue music or were you always interested in it?
It was definitely something I was interested in from a really young age. As soon as I got my first iPod I was constantly plugged into that and listening to things my mum would not approve of. Even though I was interested, I never thought it could be a career and I got sucked into a sporting netball pathway from a young age. Music was something that I was naturally practicing; I’d be rapping in class and writing lyrics. It wasn’t until I started putting things on Soundcloud when a well known producer in New Zealand called P Money found it. That’s when it hit me that I could really do this. My mindset changed and I was like ‘Okay let me go buy a mic, let me write a song.’
614. Were you playing netball professionally while all of this was happening in the background?
Yeah, there were a bunch of different things happening with netball and the professional team I was playing for. I was dropped and didn’t get recontracted so I had this change in focus. I was an absolute wreck because what I thought I was going to be doing suddenly stopped. I really started to focus on music more and spending time with P Money as a mentor. So when I stopped playing, I was already doing gigs and had a music pathway in motion. That was my first experience in terms of a massive hardship of not achieving something in the way I had envisioned. I think that’s what changed my perspective on music, because I had this period of time where my life did a complete 180 degrees in direction. I’m not so obsessed with the outcome anymore. In terms of where I see my music career going, it’s not like ‘I must win a Grammy’ or ‘I must headline Coachella’. It’s much more like, as long as it feels good and it feels like I’m doing something important, then I’ll keep doing it and see what comes next. Sometimes I think I’m too realistic but that’s also good, you know?
614. Being of Kenyan and Pakeha descent, have those cultural musical influences made an impact on your music?
It definitely has. My Kenyan heritage has ultimately shaped my experience in the world and my worldview,. The way I relate to music and create music is very much shaped by the person I am today. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily inspired only by my Kenyan culture or Maasai culture, which is what my background is. Also in terms of a collective Black experience across the diaspora. I grew up without my Kenyan family here in New Zealand so being able to connect to Black influence across genres like dance hall, afrobeats, reggaeton and hip hop just happened naturally because of the way that I am in the world. I would love to start doing more specific Kenyan musical influences. I’d love to go there to make music. It’s been quite a long journey to find a sound that feels right for me and I feel like I’m there now; or at least more there than I was before.
614. What is the musical scene in New Zealand like at the moment?
It’s pretty good. I think there’s always room for more platforms, women, queer, trans, and non-binary artists. There’s always room for more [inclusion]. I do think it’s in a growth phase at the moment. The internet specifically has allowed artists from New Zealand to gain a following and reach out to people without necessarily being famous in New Zealand first, which has changed now. I do think that there’s lots of places that are still lacking or could be better but that’s not to say that things aren’t slowly changing.
“CLOSED MOUTHS DON’T GET FED.”
614. As a queer person of colour, what has your experience been like in such a male-dominated space?
My experience has had its ups and downs. I feel like it is important to express that my experience is not a monolithic experience. I also think that struggles are present for minority groups across creative worlds, and not necessarily unique to music. There will be many shared experiences in that way. In terms of finding my identity, my sound, who I want to be in the world, those things have been extra hard, especially as I’m growing up at the same time as doing music. I’m obviously trying to have an artist image and a brand but sometimes it feels like you can’t change that brand without being questioned. It’s getting easier now that I have my foot in the door. It’s easier for me to suggest someone’s name and create spaces for minority artists. I think the problem still lies at a greater scale. It’s the people booking festivals, promoters, and executives at record labels. That’s where we need to see significant change and that’s where the trickle-down effect will be.
614. What was your intention behind creating the club FILTH?
Creating a space where we prioritise the experience of Queer women, Trans, Non Binary & Intersex BIPOC , in the very specific context of clubbing and nightlife. There was no spaces I knew of that did that in New Zealand so we felt it was something that was lacking. Me and my good friend & DJ, Half Queen, came to London just before COVID and we went to a party called Pussy Palace which we call the mother of FILTH. We had just never seen or experienced anything like it before. When we came home, we were really inspired to create something similar because we hadn’t experienced that in New Zealand yet.
614. How do you find inspiration?
First and foremost, I’ve realised that simply living life is the best way to have something to talk about because you can’t force inspiration. You can’t force creativity when you’re not feeling it. Obviously with COVID over the last two years it’s been pretty rough in regards to being in the studio but now that I can, I was able to learn different skills. Like learning how to engineer my own vocals, which is really cool, and just feeling more creative but just not being in the same space as I was for a long time. So that’s my creative process in terms of inspiration, just flowing.
614. Do you have plans to perform internationally?
Similar to what I was saying about inspiration, I just felt I needed to get out and meet new people. I want to meet people who I want to work in a studio with – particularly the producers that I worked with for my last project - so there was a lot of motivation to get out of New Zealand.
614. Who are your favourite New Zealand and Australian artists?
My favourite artist from New Zealand has always been and will always be, Rubi Du. My big sister and inspiration! Honestly there are probably too many to list but NZ artists that I’m a fan of include (but are not limited to) Church & AP, Deadforrest, Juju Lips, Paige & in Australia Shanae, Liyah Knight, A. Girl, Pania, Jerome Farrah, Gold Fang, Big Skeez and the boys from BBGB.
614. Any advice for others Like yourself entering the music space?
My favourite saying which I stand by so much. ‘Closed mouths don’t get fed’ . If you want something, you literally have to put yourself in a position to ask someone or to ask for it. I feel like if you’re doing the rest of the work, in terms of getting your music together and you’re really pushing for it, people will be more open to helping you out than you may think. like ‘Yeah I can do that, do you’. The worst thing that will happen is that they say No...but they might say yes! You never know until you ask, so that would probably be my number one.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN
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614 ISSUE 02
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN – 614 ISSUE 02 –
