Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Zauner seems to be starting anew after about four years since the beloved band’s last album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet. The 2017 release is a project woven intrinsically with anguish, loss, and the explorative musings of a young person in pain, trying to figure out what to make of it. The girl singing in Jubilee is more sure of herself, more confident in her voice and her power.
Japanese Breakfast has grown, though the music is still unwaveringly honest and vulnerable. Their songs still allow you to insert yourself into them, relating and feeling the hopefulness and resilience.
It’s been a few years since your last album release- how has the creative process for Jubilee been different from your last?
The last record, I was a bit petrified by the sophomore slump, and my way of combating that feeling was to have a really insular studio environment. So it was just Craig Hendrix and I in his studio in Philadelphia arranging and producing the songs together. I think for Jubilee, I wanted to expand that sonic palette and bring in new collaborators and larger instrumentation and spend more time on the preproduction process on my own before bringing it into the studio. So I think it’s a more ambitious record in some ways because of those reasons.
What is your pre production process like?
Well, it’s starting to arrange the songs and demo them out before going into the studio. So, for instance, Paprika had a pretty fully realized arrangement. I had recorded all of the strings, the horns, and the drums, basically the entire instrumentation on the computer, and then I brought it into the studio to kind of recreate that with analog instruments. There were a couple more songs that were a little more fully realized than with Soft Sounds from Another Planet, which started largely as just guitar demos.
The songs on Jubilee are sonically a lot bigger and symphonic. What inspired this sonic shift?
I think that writing for those instruments became much less intimidating over the course of three years of touring and meeting musicians like Molly Gerber, who plays violin, and Adam Shatts, who plays saxophone, and having those players in your back pocket to utilize on your recordings. Chris Hendrix is a Berklee grad with a swiss army knife of a skill set, and gave me the confidence to write those types of arrangements with them and understand what they were adding to the music in a way that I maybe wasn’t prepared for on my previous releases.
Wow. Amazing. Thematically, what inspired this project, and how did you go about collecting songs for it? It has such an uplifting feel.
My narrative as an artist has been so rooted in the loss of my mother in 2014, and the last two albums and my book are all about grief and loss. I felt I had said everything I needed to say about that experience in the book, and it was time to write about something completely different. I thought the most surprising thing for me to do as an artist would be to write an album about joy. So that was my thought process.
That’s beautiful. If fans are to gather anything from Jubilee, what should it be?
I think that Jubilee is also about this fight for almost teenaged unabashed feeling. I just really want people to be carried away by intense emotion when interacting with this record, however that may be.
Where is the best place to listen to it, or doing what?
Actually, I have so many fond memories of listening to records on modes of transportation. On the subway platform or on a plane. I feel like it is such a transient place to experience art, and I don’t know why, but I’ve always had very vivid experiences with albums that way. I really enjoy hearing about people who have listened to the record on a subway or a train.
It’s a very introspective place to be. A lot of times you’re traveling alone. When you’re younger, you’re looking out the window, dramatizing everything.
Being your own protagonist. Yes, exactly. What is your favorite song on the album? I think it changes every time. I would say that “Kokomo, IN” has a soft spot in my heart because it unlocked something new for me compositionally. That song was exciting for me and now Jeff Tweedy has covered it, and that’s really special.
Wow, that’s incredible, I didn’t know that!
Yeah, it just happened a few days ago.
One thing that stands out about you is your vulnerability and your rawness in your lyrics. I’m the type of person that rests a lot on the lyrics; they’re often my favorite part about the music I like, and I really pay attention to them. That’s the thing that stands out the most to me. I was wondering if that’s ever difficult for you, being so vulnerable, or if it comes naturally.
Lyrically, there is so much that’s hidden in a way that is more laid bare in prose writing. I was probably more nervous about the book than I ever have been about the lyrics of songs because people misinterpret lyrics all the time. It’s not too scary. I’m in this interesting place now, where, for a long time ,music was just a way for me to work out what I was feeling or a complicated situation in my life. And now it's slowly becoming less about that, but for a long time a song didn’t feel important to me unless it exposed some part of my personal life or unpacked some part of my personal life. I think for the first time, that’s begun to change for me. I’m entering a new chapter, and the beginnings of that are maybe seen on Jubilee.
Speaking of your book, based on a 2018 essay - will you tell me a little bit about writing Crying in H Mart?
It was a long, almost five year process, but it was very rewarding and allowed me to explore part of my creativity that had been untapped.
Now that you’ve moved in a different direction artistically with Jubilee, did it feel like closure of some kind to go through all those feelings and then to write them all out in the book?
I realized after writing two albums about that experience, I still had so much left to say and unpack, and I think that was my way of doing that, certainly.
You postponed the release of your album. What was that like for you?
Oh, I mean, in retrospect, it was a really petty concern, you know? But, at the time, I was afraid and devastated, and it seemed like the most important thing in the world to be upset about. But in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t such a big deal.
Well, I think it was a good choice because I think it’s been released at the perfect moment. The album feels like a light at the end of the tunnel, and I think that’s similar to how a lot of people are feeling right now. The past year and a half has been so troubling and difficult for everybody, so I think it worked out in your favor.
I think it did, too, I’m glad we waited.
Check out our exclusive interview with the artist below.
How has gratitude helped ground you into your identity?
Without having a sense of gratitude, you can’t truly appreciate the moments. As I get further down this path I’m on, all that matters is those moments you look back on. Nothing else matters but the moments. I remind myself to be grateful in the here and now. I have to be mindful that this moment is going to pass and it will be a memory and [I’m] gonna look back and wish [I] enjoyed the moment more. So for me, it’s very important to be grateful. Just to soak in everything. I’m from Dublin and [I] don’t think that it’s an option to make music and be respected, so I’m just doing me and expressing myself. All the shit, I can’t be responsible for that.
What has your life looked like in the past four years?
I have a very strict regimented routine. I’ll wake up, drink two bottles of water, exercise. I’ll try to spend an hour alone with music. I’ll read. Check-in with family. For the last two years, I’ve liked to be outdoors as much as possible. Especially around trees. I’m a fucking tree lover. When I’m around trees, I feel this sense of solace, man. The last four years have been me killing whatever ego that’s there and then completely connecting with the outside. There was never an ego, but when I make music, I have to be very mindful that this persona I have can’t exist on the off days when I’m not making music. The last four years have been me trying to work through that identity thing. Just killing all that shit and coming back with a whole new perspective.
How has your production skills evolved within this project?
I’m more confident. I know what I want from every track. There’s no indecisiveness. I came into this music thing not knowing anything; just a person with ideas. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around amazing producers [and] talented humans. I’ve observed a lot throughout those years. Now, I’m at a place where I can truly create what’s in my brain. But you know, I’m black, so we have that in us. I’m in a good space compared to my first record where I was a little bit nervous. Mainly because I was putting so much energy into the world. This time, I understand the musical space more. I feel more relaxed - you can hear that in the music. It’s more concise, whereas my first record was brain scattered. I made the record two years ago so it’s a little bit stale. If you were to listen to this album it’s very much a collaborative album. You’re not gonna come away from it knowing how I feel like as person, which was my intention. That’s all I want to do- put out good music.
In the “Relax Interlude,” you talk about how darkness is beneficial to us. From the past four years, how has unknowingness and darkness helped bring clarity into your life?
I feel death in itself is something that we all avoid, but when it’s staring you in your face, you can’t shy away from it. It shows you that you have to live life correctly. For me, death is a dark thing. It’s always been something that I’ve shied away from, but now, I’ve been able to heal and mature with the process that comes with that. Life throws you a lot of shit when you’re in a world of music and entertainment. Dark days are just as important as bright days.
What was the process of working with MF DOOM?
I was fortunate enough to meet him 2 years before at dinner. When I sent him the record for “Cookie Chips,” it was just business. I made sure he had his bread. I’m so grateful because this is someone who I listen to every single day. His music hits a different part of my body. When I see that we made something together, it trips me out so much. It brings me to tears. There’s never gonna be anyone like that, again. When I found out he passed, it was crazy because my grandmother had passed the day before, so it was a shock. To have him on my record, it’s an honor. I can’t wait to put my daughter on to him.
What was it like being in Egypt? How is this place significant to you?
I guess the label had a budget so I was like, ‘I want to go to Egypt.’ I turned it into a holiday because you know, finesse gang. But Egypt - that’s where my head is at. I grew up and didn’t know where my parents came from so I’ve been deep diving [into] history. Egypt is this place that I’m so intrigued by so I figured, ‘Why not go there?’ We just shot the video, really simple. that’s why it’s quite simplistic because it’s just me there as a tourist. It’s a really beautiful country. I went to the markets, I got to meet people. My father’s Nigerian so I’m only now getting to connect to this place. I went to Egypt with one piece of clothing. It forced me to go there for the right intention.
Love is the one thing that we can count on for being constant in life. How has fatherhood healed you?
There’s no greater love than fatherhood. It’s only been two months for me, but the one thing I’ve felt has just been the admiration I have for women. The vessel, the body they have- it’s incredible. I’m kinda getting the sense that this is my purpose. I was made to do this, you know. It’s such a remarkable thing; to bring life into the world. To have someone with your DNA, it hits different you know. I’m not gonna lie, I felt guilty for not being nervous and shit. Man, I was so lax. I was just high off of love. The vibrations in the room were heavy. When she first came out, she looked at me, first. I felt instantly, like, this is my G right here. Like, I’m about to protect you.
Tell me about the ways you’ve been finding yourself outside of your music.
Just connecting on a human level with everybody I meet, not just people that are closer to home. I feel like as I’m getting older and shit, I’m getting better and wiser. I’ll be forever finding the person that’s in here. Forever. Now that I’ve got a responsibility that’s greater than [myself], it’s important to be bettering myself. [I’m] making sure that everything that consumes me, consumes me in a positive, righteous way. I’m soul searching in every angle. I think it’s nice that I do music because it’s gonna come out in the music.
Your music seems to center itself around identity. Why do you think it’s essential that we outgrow certain identities?
You have to make new experiences on the earth. It’s the only way to understand yourself, but it’s also the only way to find your place in the world. It’s hard to understand because there’s so much ego you have to kill. With social constructs and ideologies, It’s hard to look at yourself - who you are, where you’re from, the mission you’re on. Not everyone has a mission, but everyone has a purpose. My mission would be to do good with the platform I have. But yea, It’s so deep.
Who is Alex Anyaegbunam, right now, at this moment?
I’m just a person with a lot of love to give. I’m excited about what’s down the line. I’m grateful, too.
The unisex pieces are embellished with RuPauls’ autograph, along with the words Balenciaga Music Limited Edition Merch. Everyone will be sure to know who you’re wearing and will be upset that they didn’t get it first! This collaboration was announced through a collection of videos blending current and early RuPaul performances, as well as cameos from some of nightlifes’ fixture faces.
Balenciaga is not unfamiliar with the world of curated playlists. As an official Apple Music curator, Demna hand selects which creators the brand will be teaming up with and the direction the collaboration will go in.
Look at the collection HERE