Joji Sheds His Skin
For Joji, this contrast has proven to be at the crux of what makes his presence so relatable and special. After 2018 mega-hit "Slow Dancing in the Dark" jolted him to the top of the Billboard R&B charts, fans everywhere naturally wondered what his next move would be. Is he this internet jokester? Or is he a meticulous and focused artist whose cultural sensibilities know no bounds?
Luckily, Joji doesn't have to choose between the two. His sophomore album, Nectar, out this Friday, is a sprawling body of work that cements him as a one-of-a-kind artist who is here to stay. At 18 tracks, and with features from heavyweights such as Diplo, Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, Yves Tumor, and BENEE, the album rejects any preconceived notions of the "sophomore slump." Nectar feels like Joji's big debut as a bonafied star, and somehow, he still makes it all seem so effortless.
Joji stars in our September digital cover below.
I’ve read your production is influenced by FX artists. How do you incorporate that approach to sound in your music? What FX designs have been influential for you?
To be honest, I was into the FX stuff a few years ago, but it’s not in my field of interest at the moment. I still very much appreciate it but I don’t put much of it into my music. I might go full on FX when I’m older though and just do that kind of stuff.
The sophomore album has the potential to be the make or break moment in a musician’s career. Coming off the success of Ballads 1, how did you approach recording Nectar?
I can’t think about it like that. Each album is its own distinctive project. I finish one then I move on to the next and try to make it bigger and better. And when that’s done, I move on to the next.
Did you feel the need to go in a different direction? It’s a little early to tell, but from the singles, it sounds like you might be putting the Joji spin on more hi-fi, glossed up R&B/pop.
With the Joji music I usually just follow the demand and my own personal taste and see if there's a workable balance in there. If there is, I apply it. I wouldn't say that I start a song looking for a certain genre, I just focus on creating in a way that feels right to me and look for things that people will enjoy from these Joji projects.
What would you say Nectar is about? What does the title mean?
Long story short, there were some ants that formed a powerful assembly line from my electrical socket to my freezer. I assume they were trying to get ice cream. When they finally made their way in, I’m guessing they couldn’t get out or they froze to death before they had the chance to get out, because one day the assembly line was gone and I opened the freezer and the whole colony had frozen to death in there. I remember picking up a handful and thinking they looked like coffee grounds. It just fucked me up for a day or so, but the next day I showed a bunch of people and we started saying “Nectar... what are you willing to do for it?” in a deep voice over and over again. So what started as a joke then became a, “What will you do for your nectar?” idea. It was so funny at the time and it just grew from that kind of a dark concept.
In a handful of your music videos, space appears as a reoccurring setting or destination. For example, in “Run,” you stumble through a never-ending limo, hurdling manifestations of the glitz and glam of fame, until you eventually break out, only to wake up—alone—on a space ship. Can you speak a bit about this video and what it means to you?
I thought space was just a cool idea to explore. No different from the other themes. I think the video in “Run” was just a nightmare about the world in general, or “earth”. This character is actually named Dr. Wallace. In the “Gimme Love” video, he’s holding a certificate in a very quick shot. The quality is poor, but it says Dr. Wallace. I’m assuming he bounced from earth and fucked everyone over to get away. Maybe he knew something, maybe he was just psycho, maybe he caused it, maybe he knew the solution, we don’t know.
In “Run,” this same guy is just running through an endless limousine and it seems like a nightmare. The people and surroundings look weird and it just won’t end. I think it was meant to comment on the silly materialistic lifestyles that a lot of people strive for as everything else we know goes downhill. A lot of people also might look at some of this stuff and say, “I want to leave this planet.” I think we see this in the endlessness of the limo as he gets more concerned about never getting out. Luckily, it was just a horrible nightmare from the past, and the character wakes up on his empty ship far, far away from earth. He walks over to where his “earth bag” is and pulls out a photo of what seems to be his car and favorite view. He then throws the photo and the car keys across the flight deck after considering returning home in a moment of weakness.
Maybe he knows he will have nobody to enjoy it with, maybe he knows people won’t understand, maybe earth is just gone, maybe he’s a psychopath and hates everyone, maybe he was trying to find a cure. One thing we know for certain is that he is reassured (especially after that nightmare) that he has no need to ever go back or care. He’s made his bed.
In other videos, you seemed to have repurposed your knack for the dark, but comically absurd. You’ve presented yourself as a Satyr in a tux, you’ve driven through the desert on a moped while wearing a wedding dress, and you’ve chained yourself to the bottom of an empty swimming pool dressed like a giant Muppet. How do you come up with these ideas?
I wish I had a cool answer to that. I just write the stuff down as I think of it and then try to execute it with the intent of making it into a great product. Honestly it sucks that I have to be in these videos because I'd rather be the director watching some poor sap do it all instead! One day, one day...
What music did you grow up listening to?
A lot of nu metal from age 7-12, mostly rap music from 12-16, and then a silly (but important) hipster phase at 16-18 where I rediscovered older music and searched for “weirder” sounding stuff.
What was the most recent song you listened to? Is there music you’re consistently going to at the moment?
There’s no one song or type of music that I’ve been listening to. I’ve just been bumping other people’s playlists. I don’t even know what I want to listen to a lot of the time. I’m quite spontaneous in that sense, and I like to mix it up. I don’t even know what I want to hear right now!
A lot of your music’s energy seems to be created by the tension of its own conflicting elements: In “No Fun,” for example, the aesthetics are light, polished, and bubbly, but the lyrics (like “I run, I run, I run, and I don’t have no more dreams... feel dead, but I feel my bones”) say something darker. What do you think this conflict achieves?
At the time (2018) I think the youth of the day really enjoyed the edgy “Haha kidding but not really kidding” concept. I think that song was just catering to people who felt that way. I personally feel great and my bones are fine too, thanks very much.
You’ve mentioned that you have philanthropic goals—how does your music support those efforts? And can you talk a little bit about what those goals are?
Well, personally, I'm not entirely comfortable speaking publicly about it because I don't want to seem disingenuous. I feel like it’s just great for people to help whenever and wherever they can.
How do you plan on celebrating your new album?
Get a full night’s SLEEEEEEEEEP.
Who are your favorite producers?
I have a lot of favorite producers but I'm looking to refresh that list. The soundscape is changing, it’s time to see who adapts the best!
Was there a moment in your musical career that told you, “Yeah, I can do this?”
I don’t like to think about it from such a personal angle, because I don’t want to get my own hopes up. I tend to see it more as just "Do your job.” I’m very lucky to be here and I do not take it for granted.
After the release of Nectar are you going to take a breather and enjoy the finished project? Or are you one to immediately jump into the next thing?
I have to jump into the next thing, but I’ll definitely try and do some nature shit if there’s some time in between hehe.
