Nightmare is a track that really stands out for you - what was the inspiration behind it?

I wrote Nightmare when I was feeling a bit uncertain of what I wanted to do with my future and the pressure and stress that can come with making decisions as such. Nightmare explores how overthinking only brings confusion to your mindset so that even if you feel like you are making the right decision, it will probably end up feeling wrong.

How did the writing and production process for Nightmare differ from your previous releases?

It started out fairly standard, just playing around on my guitar and then singing on top of it, but when I wrote Nightmareinitially just with my guitar in my bedroom, I didn’t have a clear idea of how I wanted the production to sound. When I was driving to the studio that day to record it, I had ’93 ’til Infinity’ playing on Spotify and was still singing the lyrics to Nightmare, and the two worked perfectly together. I showed my producer Richy how they worked together, and he loved the idea of a more hip-hop-centred production.

You’ve mentioned stepping away from dance music to explore your own sound - does Nightmare feel like a defining moment in that transition?

Nightmare definitely feels like a defining moment in this transition given its deeper hip-hop roots. It's different to any other song I’ve done in the past, and I think it’s a good indicator of what is to come.

What was the most unexpected part of creating this track?

I would say the ’93 ’til Infinity’ reference. I didn’t have a clear idea of how I wanted the music to sound in this one, only the acoustic in mind, so it felt like it was meant to be when it matched the track perfectly.

If you could have any artist remix Nightmare, who would it be?

Southstar

Which artist/artists can you not get enough of right now?

Beach House

What’s next for Jess Ball?

There is a lot more to come, including my new EP soon to be released, so stay tuned and keep streaming!!
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