office — How was New York?
Jasmine Rodgers — Both shows were really, really, really lovely. Warsaw is gorgeous venue and they looked after us really well. Great sound. People were singing along and being really engaged. It was amazing. While we were in town, I found out that, as a child, I took my first steps in New York.
What were you doing there?
JR — Walking [laughs] My dad’s a musician and he was touring, so I was there with my family.
Big full circle moment. So when bôa started in the early 90s, there were six of you. Now it’s just the three of you. Does it feel any different?
JR — We’ve gone through a lot of life, as you do. And the world has changed a lot. And we didn’t have the Internet to such a degree. When we first started, online streaming wasn’t even happening. When we released the first album, it had only started happening. So that global aspect of music — as much as it’s lovely, it wasn’t quite as present. Sharing music wasn’t as immediate then as it is now. Social media has changed things. But in terms of songwriting, we all just gelled.
Lee Sullivan — Right back into the same groove.
Even 20 years later? It was just kind of always there?
JR — The parameters have changed so much. It’s just a much bigger kettle of cake that we’re dealing with now. We’re proper touring and playing venues that are bigger. It’s just different. We had a lot of popularity because of Lain, so we’ve had a really strong, supportive fanbase for years. But they were always international. We didn’t to experience the audience quite in the way we experience them now. People can drop us an Instagram message or comment on something we’ve posted on TikTok. And then when we’re at shows, we’re actually meeting people and everyone’s singing along, so we’re getting to hear them and experience them too.
LS — When we were in the States the first time around we didn’t have TikTok, the only time we actually really connected with our fans was right before or after the show signing a few things.
And now you can see people recording covers of your song.
JR — One of the things I’ve noticed the most — you know how you have music that’s a soundtrack to something you’ve enjoyed? Nowadays, people show that in a story form. So, you get to see how your music is part of their landscape, of their memories.