Jade LeMac discusses her next chapter and why being afraid of the dark is her superpower. 

Listening to Constellations by Jade LeMac for the first time pulls you into a world that is vaguely familiar yet stunningly fresh. Maybe that’s the mark of true authenticity: music that latches onto something universal, something raw. Maybe that’s why it went viral. 

To write a melody and lyric that resonates on an unexplainable level can only mean you have ventured deep. Exploring music with total vulnerability, Jade originally wrote “Constellations” at just 15 years old. Today, that same unabridged spirit has found such momentum she’s amassed millions of streams, millions of followers, and (just announced) a slot on one of music’s most coveted stages: Lollapalooza. 

Now 21 years old, Jade LeMac has already released two full length EP’s, each of which is a snapshot in her ongoing evolution. Instead of trying to outpace it, a move that can be expected of young artists in the industry, she’s documenting it. Jade is charting a path that embraces who she is now, and now, and now: utterly present in each song, and we can feel it. 

Jade’s debut album, Constellations, is an appropriate introduction. With feathery production, strong beats and shimmering harmonics, her songwriting leaves space for her voice. The album is catchy, but right when you expect a textbook pop hook, she subverts it. Instead of ear candy, she’ll sing an emotional riff. Instead of manufactured serotonin, Jade will deliver an experience.

If the first record was atmospheric, Jade’s second, Confessions, is full of shapes. It’s sharper and more defined with forward motion and personality. She plays with rhythm in her melodies, and the production leans metallic, glitchy, and unpredictable. Ear worms are woven into the fabric of each song so the familiarity is still there, but this time, we’re chasing it. 

And her voice? Front and centre with way more presence. Working with the same producer as her first album, Jason “JVP” Van Poederooyen, seems to allow for true, organic evolution and as a result the album is bolder and more daring. There’s a dark, and cinematic pop quality to this record, one that suggests a deepened sense of freedom and confidence.

Below, Jade LeMac discusses her next chapter and why being afraid of the dark is her superpower. 

Listen to Constellations…

Read the interview…

How are you doing? 

I’m good. Things have been a lot busier this year and it’s crazy, but really, it has been going great. I’ve got my first headline shows in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Brooklyn and LA, and those are all very, very exciting, and I think I’m at a place right now where I’m really focused on, you know, finding, what my sound sounds like, at least for like this year of me. And writing new music feels really good and authentic and everything. So I’ve been good, I’ve been working hard. 

Are you producing any of it yourself too? 

No, I wish. Production is something I want to get into, but it’s just the writing and the vocals for now. I work with a producer very closely, JP and I. We work really well together and he gets me. 

Talk to me about that relationship. What is it like? 

It’s different every time, but usually how it goes is I have a song written or a very solid idea, and that’s just like on guitar, piano, and we kind of figure out which ones are the best and then we kind of just go from there. Sometimes the song’s just like we know the exact vision for this song and then others take a little bit more work. But he and I just have a great relationship. We’ve been working together since the very beginning…it’s just a very comfortable and easy place to be, so things come out easily. 

How did you feel walking into Constellations, the album, versus how you felt walking into EP “Confessions”? 

I think when it came to Constellations, there were just a bunch of songs and there was no cohesiveness to it, you know. With the “Confessions” EP, I think I was experimenting more. And honestly, looking back on the process, I feel like I was still figuring out myself. Neither of them to me feel super cohesive in a way that I’d like, and that’s why I’m so excited for this next one, because it’s been something that I want to focus on. Maybe I’m still at the age where every year I’m growing. It’s constant change for me and I want to be the best that I can be. I’m proud of what I’ve done in the past for sure, but I’m also just very excited for what’s to come. 

What kind of elements are you gonna bring from either Constellations or “Confessions” or both to this new sound?

I think I’m really trying to focus more on just the feel of things and the lyrics. Lyrics are something that I’ve always taken a lot of pride in and want to be really good. I feel like these other songs that I’ve been writing, there’s a lot of emotion in them. And you can feel that, not only with the lyrics and the melody but with the production and everything. 

What is your relationship to social media is like in general. In terms of being a creator, does it enhance? Does it hinder?

Yeah, I used to never love social media so to this day it’s a difficult relationship. I started on TikTok, not taking it super seriously. And I just had one of my videos go viral, literally it was my second video that I ever made. It wasn’t about music at first, my TikTok. It was more comedy…part of the LGBT community…and I used that as a door for the music industry. I slowly started posting more about music. There’s times where I wish I could solely focus on the writing aspect and the singing aspect and the creativity, but social media will always be a part of the job now. I also do love it because of the community that I’ve built on there. So overall I’m very happy and lucky and blessed. 

How do you take care of yourself artistically? What does it look like to show up for yourself so you can be your best artist itself, like walking into a studio or before you get on stage? 

I’ve been trying to work on my breathing because especially when it comes to performing live, I get really, really nervous. Also just taking care of myself as a human. I’m trying to go on more walks, work out, eat healthy, sleeping. Sleeping is a big thing…getting good rest. But it can be hard because I always feel inspired the most at night time!

Is there a reason? Is there something that just clicks on? 

I think there’s just something about the vibe of nighttime, you know. It’s darker out. Even though I’m scared of the dark, weirdly, it’s inspiring…and I think I feel emotions a lot more at nighttime, you know? And especially back in the day when I would write about heartbreak or something, it was always at nighttime. 

You’ve been creating and writing music since you were young. Tell me a little bit about your relationship with music. 

Yeah, so I grew up in a house with my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents and then my brother and my parents and we always hosted family get-togethers and Christmas. There’s a lot of UFC fights, my uncle’s really into the UFC fights. But that meant that people were coming over constantly and my uncle loved singing and we would always do karaoke. I was really lucky because our cousins, we were all one year apart, so all four of us were very close. And we would always be singing karaoke. I have a really funny voice memo, actually, of my cousins and I singing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus in like 2015. Haha yeah, maybe one day it’ll come to light, but, yeah, we’d always be singing. We’d sing a lot of Vietnamese songs, which is funny too, because I can’t speak Vietnamese, but my family can. But yeah, I think that’s where, like a lot of my love for music came from. Also my dad’s just…he’s always been more into hip hop, but he always would like to dance. He used to break dance and beatbox and everything. So I think I got a lot of that from him as well. My mom, on the other hand, I love her to death. She has great music taste, but she’s tone deaf, for sure. Love you, mom, but I don’t think I got the voice from her. So I think that’s where it all came from. My whole family loves music. 

Words by Ari Tibi