Press Conference: JAWNY
Words by Isabelle Turner
If there is one thing to know about artist JAWNY is his innate ability to make music for the soul. From catchy songs that make you dance, to deep ones that explore loss and pain, JAWNY is quickly rising due to his complete and raw authenticity.
I had the absolute pleasure of attending a press conference with JAWNY. We got to speak about his latest album, it’s never fair, always true and his journey to it.
Jacob Lee-Nicholas Sullenger, known professionally as JAWNY stepped into the music industry in 2018 with his debut and self titled EP “Johnny Utah”. Shortly after, Johnny Utah rebranded himself as JAWNY. Quickly developing a sunny sound that incorporates timeless elements of pop-rock, JAWNY’s new rebranding gave him a platform to explore a different sound. Through this exploration came his hit single, “HoneyPie”. Upon releasing his song “HoneyPie”, it quickly gained large recognition. Becoming increasingly popular on TikTok due to its addicting chorus and infectious lyrics, it garnered over 200 million streams on Spotify alone. As “HoneyPie” quickly became a hit, JAWNY worked to cope with his quickly changing life.
“It was still hard for me, and mine didn’t even come until I after I was in my early 20s. You think about some kids, with TikTok and stuff, they’re blowing up at 16 so I can’t even imagine how much harder it was for them than it was for me. I don’t want it to be all pity me, because it was obviously a great thing that happened and now I’m really grateful for it. But first it was scary. You try making different kind of art and different kind of songs and put them out into the world for years and you don’t have anything of that same magnitude of a reaction. You put out a different type of song, a different genre and it does what it does at that magnitude at that song did. And you get into your head. I thought that is what I needed to do, I needed to recreate lightning in a bottle a bunch of times. Luckily I shook that mindset but it was a little jarring”
After his EP For Abby, JAWNY built on the traction he gained from “HoneyPie” in anticipation for his upcoming album. Putting out a string of singles that offer an emotional, yet lively preview to his latest album, it’s never fair, always true. With singles like “fall in love”, “adios”, and “strawberry chainsaw”, fans have been eagerly anticipating his upcoming album and what awaits for JAWNY. As a natural-born songwriter, the lyrics of these singles are infectious and show JAWNY’s true talent. Through the creation of this album, Sullenger gained the ability to showcase his full spectrum of emotion and show that both sides of himself are allowed to co-exist.
“For this record, I have had my back against the wall for definitely a couple of years, always making music with the means of what I had. Now I had this opportunity with Interscope, the number one label in the world, that was going to give me funding and tell me ‘go make the record you’ve always wanted to make’... With this record... I wanted to make the dream record that I wish I could’ve made when I was 17 or 18 that I didn’t have the ability to, the funds, the money, the time, the connections to make. I also wanted to mix in the kind of indie roots I had as a teenager that I feel like Ive never fully feel like I’ve put into my music all the way. At the same time, on the second half of the record, show my more serious side of my songwriting and that I can write some more serious, beautiful, and meaningful, emotional songs. And make them both exist in the same project and in a cohesive way”
Throughout the course of his discography, JAWNY has explored many different sounds. As he puts out another installation that shows a variety of sounds, Sullenger reflected on his sound and why it has evolved over time. For this recent album, he pulled in inspiration from not only his own life, but influences outside of him.
“From For Abby, to The Story of Hugo, to this, there has always been some sort of change. Whether I have intended for it to or not. And I know this isn’t a good answer but I just think it’s that Im growing every day as a human and getting older. Some other factors that are obviously out there is that music is always changing too. Theres always new songs... I’m always hearing new melodies, new chord progressions, new genres, some for of new song writing and that would be weird to not acknowledge that that has had an impact on me”
As for his writing process, JAWNY reveals he simply “fakes it” into existence. For his recent single “true”, he simply had voice memos of chords sitting on his phone until he found a way to pair them with other aspects of the song. Throughout the creation of this recent album, his unconventional writing method led him into creating an infectious project filled with raw emotion.
Building his brand on genuine music and complete authenticity, JAWNY’s latest album shows his talents as a songwriter, singer, and artist that makes music for the soul. With his album, it’s never fair, always true, JAWNY continues to show his uncanny ability to help others, and himself.
“In my opinion, the best way to convey any story in music or make any good song, is such an elementary school answer, make things that are true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Write a song, write a chord progression, whatever it is, and let out whatever is on your chest.”
it’s never fair, always true is out now and you can listen to it here. JAWNY is going on tour so you can check out his tour dates here! Be sure to follow JAWNY here!