Jesca Hoop is releasing a new, joint album with Sam Beam on 15 April entitled Love Letter For Fire. Having just allowed a new track, Valley Clouds (below), from the record out in the wider world by way of a taster, the singer has answered five questions for us.
WHO would play you in a film of your life?
The love child of Katherine Hepburn and Patti Smith who was regurlarily visited by Nina Simone. But… mmm… should I narrow it down to a singular person that we can get a visual on ? Hmmmmm… [chews her pencil] Katherine Hepburn? Not that she and I look much alike, but perhaps she can play my heart and salt it with the vulnerable gusto that I tend approach my days with? Mmmmmmmm… but is she GREAT at sleeping? Is she willing to look like a furry forest creature in the mornings? I KNOW I KNOW! The rebel sister of… Amelia Bedelia! Its settled!
WHAT are you currently working on?
Right now, in the stillness before the Beam and Hoop touring kicks up dust, I’m working on building a house. I live on a building site here in England – the plasterers listen to great music actually! I’m working on warding off the cold and building internal heat through long runs in the countryside. Internal heat? Check! I’m working on not getting pissed off when I slip and fall on my ass in the mud because England is soooo god damn wet! The wet is good for my voice… Vocal health? Check!! I’m working on changing my sleep patterns to early rising. Its working. I’m doing my darndest to write songs. I have a Hoop record in the pipeline (later days) that may just get another egg added to its basket. I’m working on not sweating the small stuff. I am enjoying the days getting longer and the sun coming out earlier. I’m working on what Iron & Wine tunes I want to slip into a Beam and Hoop live set…
WHY do you do the thing you do?
Uuuuuuuummmmmmmm… Here’s the thing, back before I picked up music as a way to make a living, back when I was land surveying to pay my rent, I could not rationalise doing “this” as a profession. “Why would I demand the attention of everyone in the room as I sing some song I wrote?” The notion didn’t add up. There was however, many, many times when I found myself singing my songs around a camp fire. It always scared me in a way.. to open up.. but doing so was one of the most rewarding feelings I have found. Through singing around fires, I found a mechanism for sharing, being of service and a mechanism for raising a joy that I could offer and also take with me. Music, and singing especially, has a way of renderring everything down to a richness. I found I had an ability and willingness to emote through my voice and doing that for my fellow earthlings made me feel more complete… like fine tuning the timing of an engine. Once I found that, I stopped rationalising, I just followed my joy… if not over just a few road blocks along the way!
WHERE do you see yourself in 10 years?
Jesus Christ! I’ve never thought that far ahead. Let’s say five years from now. In five years time I will have released my seventh record, fingers-crossed, and I will have wrapped up a fantastic world tour and now it’s time to really clamp down on Long Play 8. I think I will write melody and lyrics on a very long walk up the Pacific Coast Trail startng in New Mexico and ending in Oregon. Two Months or so of walking up the west coast from desert to evergreens. Sounds like a great place for conjuring poetic melodies. I could write a dance record!
WHEN will there be a harvest for the world?
Yikes… What kind of harvest do you mean? My mind goes to dark places. “Harvest of common sense” you mean? Distribute a bumper crop of good old common sense with a bonus of human decency? A “let’s stop oppressing others” kind of “common sense harvest”, you mean? Like let’s stop humouring Donald Trump kind of common sense? I really have no idea what you mean by this question but I certainly hope that there will be a harvest for the world before 8 November 2016.
For more head to Jescahoop.com
