Through heartbreaking lyrics and raw emotions, Sadie Jean, 23, gained massive popularity in 2021 with her debut single “WYD Now?”
After leaving NYU and releasing her viral song, Jean has released more music, including the album “Early Twenties Torture,” released on Oct. 25, which features soft, alternative pop with vulnerable, relatable lyrics that resonate with young adulthood.
As she prepares to open for Lauren Spencer-Smith at Madison's Sylvee on March 4, Jean spoke with The Daily Cardinal about her inspirations, tips and her excitement about the show.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
How do you feel about opening for Lauren Spencer Smith?
I'm so stoked about it. I love her so much. We've been internet friends for years. We started following each other in 2020, so it's been super fun to watch her grow and to finally have this really fun full-circle moment of opening for her on tour. It's super fun. She's amazing.
What's one of your favorite songs that you've performed or created?
My favorite song I’ve created so far is called “Somebody's Everything.” It's my favorite song right now, and it has been for a few months because it just sits every time I get to perform it. It's such an emotional release every night. So I've been super into that one from my new album, so I'm excited about it.
What was the process of creating ‘Somebody’s Everything’ like for you?
I had this idea for a few weeks, and then I had a session. And the idea just came to me…that I want it to feel like that feeling after a breakup, where you're out at a bar and you're dancing with your friends in your single era. And it's a situation that should be fun, but then it kind of hits you that you're newly single and just that really specific moment of being on the dance floor and realizing you don't have someone to go home to anymore, which sounds super depressing. I wanted it to be super depressing and to be the saddest song ever.
It sounds like so much fun being able to write these songs, because it's such a creative process. What's your writing process?
It's a special way to get things off your chest in a musical way. And that's sort of how I've always done it. Instead of journaling when I was really young in elementary school, I would write songs. I didn't think much about it until I became a fan of music and was excited about the idea of being an artist, but it's just always been the way I like to process my emotions. I think I'm a very easily overwhelmed person, and writing songs takes so much focus that it helps me escape. I'm not overthinking all the things in my life…and it's super helpful for me.
If you were a tea, what would you be?
If I were a tea, I would definitely be chamomile tea because I feel like I'm a very chill vibe, like laid back and calm, and I've had people in my life describe me as a calming presence, which is how I feel when I drink chamomile tea.
What's something that people wouldn't know about you?
I think because my music is really sad, people might expect my personality not to be very fun. They're like, “Oh, you're more enthusiastic than your music leads you on to be.” But I feel like I am, generally, a really happy person.
What do you hope the audience takes away from your opening?
I hope that people discover new music. I think that's the best part about opening instead of headlining, is that people might not know who I am, so maybe they get to find another song that they love, they didn't know before. And that's always fun for me as a music lover: finding a new song that I really connect with and getting to listen to it a bunch of times. And so, I hope that people find a new song that they love and relate to and they feel validated in their emotions.
What's the best advice you've been given about performing live?
People just want to see fun. I think that's just a good piece of advice in general. Even with the Olympics going on right now, everyone is so drawn to [Alyssa Liu], and I'm so drawn to her. I watch her videos all the time because she’s having so much fun, and she’s not stressed out about being in the Olympics. She’s just genuinely enjoying what she does and doing what she loves. And I think that goes with performing as well, as people just want to see you in your element and doing what makes you happy.
How did you decide the songs to play on your setlist for your opening?
That was tough because I only get 30 minutes…and it was so hard. It felt like choosing my favorite children, but I went with “WYD Now?”... I've got my songs that aren’t from my new album, “Early Twenties Torture,” because I just want people to hear those songs…Then everything else is like my favorite songs from the new album that I thought would be fun live. So it's like the other songs, “Slow Burn,” “See you on Sundays” and “She's dating my boyfriend.” But it was tough.
What do you want to say to fans who are going to see the concert?
Be prepared. Have fun with some of the songs, and I'm so grateful and happy that you're coming to listen to some music. You're gonna love Lauren as well, because she's insane and her show is amazing. It's just really great music, and I'm super excited.
