INTERVIEW: Jess Ball on her new single 'Lost On Me': "I’ve developed more of a personal identity in terms of what I write about, as well as the lyrics and style of music I want to put out."

Throughout most of this decade, Australia’s Jess Ball has been one of the most sought out vocalist and collaborator in the dance music scene. Her work with artists such as EDX and Nervo has seen her accumulate streams in the tens of millions.

Releasing her first solo single in 2021, her solo work has showcased her true versatility as an artist, with her music covering EDM-dance, pop, trip-hop and indie pop.

This year, she has launched the next era in her career with two singles, the soul-inflected pop of ‘Roundabouts’ and the edgy pop of ‘Kiddin’’, as well as relocating to the UK.

She has recently released her third single of the year, ‘Lost On Me’. Created with long time collaborators Antoni Polimeni and Richy Sebastian, ‘Lost On Me’ is a gorgeously gentle indie pop gem with a thread of nostalgia and melancholy running through it as Ball explores the conflicting emotions of excitement and sadness that comes with moving on to a new life: ‘All these rentals have no memories / At least none that we’d know’.

The nostalgia of the song is reinforced by the music video which features old video footage filmed by her parents of Ball as a child.

“‘Lost On Me’ is a tribute to childhood memories and the people who helped shape them, while also embracing new beginnings and the possibilities that lie ahead,” Ball says. “Although it can be bittersweet to realise that some moments are behind us, there's something beautiful about having experienced them in the first place. As life changes, the places and people we hold close are not diminished - they remain a lasting part of who we are.”

With her innate musicality, ability to authentically inhabit multiple different styles of music and her impressive, warm vocals, Jess Ball is the type of artist that it is easy to become enamoured with. She has opened the next chapter of her music with style, and it is exciting to see what is coming next for her. We recently met up with Ball to chat all about ‘Lost On Me’ and her career to date.

Hi Jess! Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us. How is everything with you right now?
Hello! Thank you for having me - things are going really well over here in the UK having just released my latest single, ‘Lost On Me’ and with some live gigs in the works.

On that note, congratulations on the release of your new single ‘Lost On Me’. It is a beautiful song that explores memories, the people that made you who you are and the melancholy of moving onto new experiences with the knowledge that no matter how exciting they are, things will never be the same again. Can you talk me through the creative process for this song?
The song really came to fruition quite rapidly, as I was feeling a lot of emotion in the lead-up to my move to the UK. The lyrics come from a place of gratitude and love for the beautiful people who have surrounded me throughout my life, but also from the fear that comes with moving countries and potentially returning to everything in a completely different state. People, places and things inevitably change as time goes on, and I think the song captures that feeling of wanting to hold onto something while knowing that change is unavoidable, especially in the pursuit of personal development and growth.

As you say, much of the moving on and letting go of the song is connected to your recent relocation to London. I’m curious to know how the move has gone and how living in a new country and culture has impacted your creativity, if at all?
The move has been amazing so far, particularly in terms of music. I’ve been so lucky to work with a lot of creative people already, and I feel like everything moves at such a fast pace here, which has definitely been a bit of a shock to the system! At the same time, it’s been amazing to watch how many opportunities can unfold as a result. It’s also been really interesting to see what you can create when you work with people who aren’t necessarily within your usual realm of music. You end up coming up with things you might never have considered on your own, which has been really exciting. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have my sister and her partner, as well as some of my best friends, already living here, which has definitely helped to soften the transition.

The music video for ‘Lost On Me’ is made up of old video footage your parents filmed of you as a child. What was it like going through all this old footage, was it emotional at all?
I was very emotional! As I mentioned, I hold such fond memories of my childhood, so seeing them documented like that really takes you right back. There’s something quite special about seeing those moments from when you were younger and being able to experience them again in a completely different way. My mum is 27 in some of the videos where she’s holding me as a baby, which is the same age I am now — and I have to say, that was slightly frightening!

You started your music career very much in the EDM world, while your last EP Where You Go in the main had a trip-hop, dance sound. Your recent music has evolved further with a more indie sound mixed in with a pop-soul sound, particularly on ‘Lost On Me’ and ‘Roundabouts’. Has this been a natural evolution or something you have purposely crafted?
It’s been an interesting journey going from EDM into the indie/alt-pop sound I’m releasing now. I think Where You Go was a good middle ground between the two genres, which was somewhat intentional. I didn’t want to make a complete switch overnight, so I felt that incorporating some of those dance elements into tracks like ‘Where You Go’ helped to ease the transition and bridge the gap between the two sounds.

You released your debut album Ripe in 2022. Do you plan for your new releases to become part of a new album, or are you just letting things happen as they happen right now?
I’m definitely keen to release another album, but I think it’ll be more likely to come together as a collection of new songs that I can develop as one cohesive project. For now, I’ve got a few singles that I’ve had in the pipeline that I’m excited to release, but I’m definitely keen to put another album out in the near future.

You first released music in 2020 as a featured vocalist on the Asketa & Natan Chaim single ‘No Crime’, and over the next few years you became an in demand topliner for multiple dance acts. How do you think you have changed and developed as an artist over the last six years?
I’m so grateful to all of the DJs who had me on their tracks to write toplines in the past, and I feel really lucky to have had those opportunities in my younger years. I think, since then, I’ve developed more of a personal identity in terms of what I write about, as well as the lyrics and style of music I want to put out. I’ve found that my sound doesn’t necessarily always sit within the dance music world, and I’ve really enjoyed exploring that and finding something that feels more personal to me.

Who are the musicians and singers that you looked up to as a child, and who inspires you today?
I was absolutely obsessed with Missy Higgins, Jack Johnson and Ben Lee as a child, and I still find myself drawing inspiration from their music today. I don’t think I’ve listened to any artists more than I listened to them growing up, as there was constantly music playing in our house. I think some of those songs and sounds have become ingrained in my memory and naturally find their way into my music and songwriting today, even if I’m not consciously thinking about it.

Music has traditionally been a difficult space for women to inhabit, mainly because it has been run for so long by white, straight, older males. Female artists are always held to a much higher standard than men both by the industry and the public. What are your thoughts on women in music and gender (in)equality in the music industry?
It can definitely still feel like a male-dominated space at times, but I also love seeing women continue to progress and put themselves out there, often challenging cultural and societal expectations along the way. I think so many female artists today are fearless and unafraid to express themselves authentically, which is really inspiring to see. I hope we continue to see more and more of that as so many incredible artists emerge and carve out their own spaces within the industry.

‘Lost On Me’ is out now, what else do you have coming up for the rest of the year and into next year?
Yes! I have a few singles waiting to be released that I’m extremely excited about. They’ve come from working with other artists here in the UK, so it feels really special to be releasing them as my first UK singles. It’s been such an exciting experience collaborating with new people and seeing where those creative relationships have taken the music.

‘Lost On Me’ is out now. You can download and stream here.
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