Q&A: Glenna Jane’s Debut EP, ‘Kid’, is an Ode to Teenage 20-Somethings Everywhere
WRITTEN BY FAITH LUEVANOS
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Growing up takes time, but what do you do when you learn things in your 20s that society says you should’ve known earlier? Indie artist Glenna Jane is navigating this too, and wants you to know you’re not alone. She’s gearing up to release her debut EP, Kid, which features her latest releases, “Two Years” and “Juno.” Kid invites listeners to experience the core memories she held onto over the years and learned from, providing a sense of comfort for those who are still learning and growing too.
Her second release off the EP, “Two Years,” explores the concept of “right person, wrong time” and the love one continues to hold for them every time they come back, even if it’s truly not meant to be. When asked about the single, Glenna Jane shared, "It's for your breakup that's not a breakup because you never dated them."
Life On Jupiter recently spoke with Glenna Jane about her story behind “Two Years,” the inspiration behind Kid, what drives her to make music, and more.
LIFE ON JUPITER: In your new single “Two Years,” you share the story of time spent together with what I’d imagine to be a long-distance relationship or situationship. Can you share your personal take on the song?
GLENNA JANE: You hit the nail on the head. (laughs) “Two Years” is about a summer fling turned four-year situationship. But ultimately, I think it's about being an avoidant lover girl and imagining potential within relationships, and prioritizing the illusion of a relationship over what is actually reality. I wrote it two years ago after reconnecting with the person I always referred to as my “right person, wrong time” - someone I kept going back to because of “romantic destiny.” Then there was this reckoning I had that with time–the inevitable evolution of our relationship–came a reconstruction of my memories.
At its core, I think that “Two Years” is about mourning the loss of but also latching on to the past, whether that's a past love, or a past life, or a past self. It's for your breakup that's not a breakup because you never dated them.
Definitely. If anything, it’s a sign to end that situationship while you’re ahead.
GLENNA JANE: I think the song expresses so many feelings, it's sad and yearning, it’s angry and cathartic. The bridge is, I’ll see you again over and over and over again. Some people might, listening to it on the first pass, think that that's a sort of hopeful turn, but I feel like when I wrote it, it was just delusion. My framework was like, I'll probably see this person again. Should I see them again? No. Sonically, it was the first song that I started recording on the EP. It was the first song that I worked with my producer Ben on, so it means a lot to me. It was this beacon of creative agency, because coming into the recording and production process, I really just wanted to go back to this ethos of play, and just throw paint at the wall and see what stuck. I could come into the studio with such amorphous ideas, see them through, and answer all these what-ifs. The song merges the acoustic and the electronic. It is a bit of a departure from “Juno,” my first single off the EP, but I know that it continues to build the world of the EP, and I hope that, in the process of doing so, it shows that I am a versatile songwriter.
What are you most excited about with the release of the EP?
GLENNA JANE: Growing up, I always thought that I was a singer and entertainer first. But, in making this EP, I have really stepped into this role of songwriter and musician and instrumentalist and producer. I'm just really excited to release a project that feels so wholly me, because [these songs] are just musings on my life for the past 10 years. Kid is about coming of age as a 20-something. Growing up, I was definitely a late bloomer, so it was weird to me watching these teen coming-of-age movies and romcoms all set in high school. I feel like most of the things that really stuck with me, things that really rewired my brain chemistry, I didn't start experiencing and feeling until I was in college, and even well into my 20s. You come of age your entire life, but particularly when your frontal lobe fully develops. (laughs) That’s really what grounds Kid. It’s growing up but feeling younger. The EP taught me to honor my younger self and little me’s big feelings. I really hope that when people listen to it, they just feel emboldened to hug their younger self.
The whole EP is a unique ode to adolescence and the formative moments you experienced throughout. Can we expect to see similar visuals to the “Juno” music video?
GLENNA JANE: The visuals definitely mirror the EP’s eclectic sound. They’re similar in the sense that they’re based in narrative, but because “Juno” and “Two Years” are worlds apart in meaning, they feel diametrically opposed visually. I was also lucky enough to work with different crews like my friend Marian directed “Juno” whereas my sister Gwynneth Jean directed “Two Years.” And my partner Mika and I collaborated on the creative direction of the EP from start to finish. There were so many helping hands. I think that reflected in the distinct but cohesive visuals.
If Kid could be the soundtrack to a movie, what movie would that be?
GLENNA JANE: I always think of each song evoking different soundtracks for different movies, but I actually think Uptown Girls is the perfect movie that encapsulates Kid.
Do you have any superstitions or rituals when it comes to songwriting?
GLENNA JANE: I’m so averse to routine, but in terms of creating music, I feel like I need to be at home, in my bedroom, sitting on the bed criss-cross applesauce in the dead of night.
Now that your EP is set to come out, what are you learning that drives you to make music?
GLENNA JANE: Music to me is therapy, but also deeply political. As a queer, Filipino American, first-gen kid, I feel like pop culture was so embedded in who I was, but I still never felt like I really saw myself in any media, like music, movies, and TV. So, besides music just being a way for me to understand myself, it’s also a way for me to connect with people and build bridges. With “Juno,” I remember someone reached out to me and was like, “I’m still obsessed with ‘Juno,’ and I’m now dating the girl that it reminded me of.” My music and I can be a mirror for some people; that’s really all I can ask for.