Q&A: JARNA

If you haven’t heard of JARNA yet, you’re in for a treat! Think about where Kiana Ledé’s soulful jams meets the stunning energy of Ella Mai’s beats.

We chat to her about her biggest inspirations, her favourite NZ artists and the ton of new tracks she’s been pumping out this year for us all, with more to come very soon!

How did you get into making music, and have you always known you’ve wanted pursue it as a career?

I’ve always been involved with music ever since I was young! Whether it was singing karaoke with my family or just jamming with my cousins. Music has always played a huge role in my life. The first time I realised I wanted to pursue it as a career was in my second year of uni which was last year (2019).

Who are your biggest inspirations in music and why?

They change quite a lot lol, but they’ve been Kiana Ledé, Kehlani, Chris Brown and most recently Lucky Daye. They’re all in the R&B genre but have done songs in other genres and I love that! I never want to be stuck in one specific “sound” because I enjoy all kinds of genres.

We’re loving the string of singles you’ve released this year, with “Chill” having already over 80K plays on Spotify! What have been some of your highlights creating these tracks?

The biggest highlight would definitely have to be working alongside producer and very good friend Edy. He is one of the best producers in NZ right now, and I’m grateful to have crossed paths with him!

We find your latest single “I’m Fine” so relatable! Can you tell us a bit about what inspired the concept of this song?

“I’m Fine” is definitely a personal song, one of the very few that I actually wrote for myself! The track talks about what it’s like dealing with anxiety in everyday life, and just explains that sometimes people that look fine really aren’t. So I guess dealing with it myself inspired the concept!

We’d love to know a bit about your process of writing a song from start to finish! Is it the same or different each time, and are your songs generally inspired from your own personal experiences?

My song writing process is usually different each time. Sometimes melodies come first and then other times the lyrics do. But usually if I’m really vibing with the beat, the song will come out naturally. As for general inspiration, I usually draw it from other people's experiences as it’s quite hard for me to write about my own thoughts and feelings.

Out of all the songs you’ve written, which song has the most meaning to you and why?

I’ve written a lot of songs so it’s pretty hard to choose, but ironically it’d have to be an unreleased track called “Choose”. The track explains that it’s ok to be sad, cause you can’t always be happy. And I think people forget that it’s normal to not always be perfect, because no one is.

We can’t wait to hear it! Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now? Are there any songs in particular that you love or connect with?

A few of my favourite NZ artists right now would have to be some of my muso friends! Them being Sam V, Mikey Mayz, Aidan Fine, bKIDD, Villette and Disciple Pati. They all have amazing songs out which I personally love jamming to while I’m driving, especially “City Millenial” (Sam), “Miss My Homies” (Mikey), and “The Boy Who Cried Woman” (Pati). Lazy plug coming thru haha but Sam V, Aidan Fine, Bkidd, Disciple Pati and I have a show coming up soon (once lockdown is over) called Y$O Vol.4. Also featuring one of NZ’s top dance crews Prestige! Definitely go check them out too.

Wow, looking forward to it! What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

I can’t really think about why I love living in NZ, but I love the people in it! My friends and family are amazing and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else at the moment. Honestly going to any bball court with my G’s is probably one of my favourite places to go.

How was the lockdown for you and what’s one of the biggest lessons you learnt during that time?

Lockdown wasn’t too bad for me, my classes were online and I could still make music from home! One of the biggest lessons would have to be that time and company is precious, so make the most of being able to go to places with those you love and enjoy being around!

What are some of the main things you’ve learnt over the process of writing & recording your own music, and what advice do you have for new artists out there?

Don’t be too hard on yourself! I’m still trying to learn this myself, as I judge my work quite hard. Making mistakes is part of the process, same goes for songs that aren’t hits! The best advice I could give as a new artist, would be to put yourself out there, try new things and don’t be afraid to show people what you’ve got!

What’s next for you?

We’ve got a lot of work in the bank, but my next project we’re dropping is a mixtape called “Memoirs for the Broken Hearted”. This is dropping on August 31st so definitely keep an eye out for that!

You heard it here first! Make sure to keep up with JARNA on Instagram (@itsjarna), Facebook, Spotify & Apple Music.