The British singer-songwriter, frontman of alt-J and new solo project JJerome87, on capturing creative sparks, the potential benefits of drugs, and the rise of the far-right
My morning ritual is …
Toilet, tap water, breakfast and coffee. My daughter normally wakes me up. A couple of days ago she woke me up by shouting “Daddy, let’s make a pregnancy movie”, because my partner is currently pregnant.
I feel optimistic about …
The daughter we’re raising. It’s so lovely to watch her develop: her humour, how kind she is with people she interacts with, and how much time she takes to listen.
What makes me angry …
The corrosively cruel, hypocritical and short-sighted rhetoric of the far-right. It’s really concerning how much of a platform they now have, and the way they convince people that those who are seeking asylum or coming from war-torn countries are the enemy or taking things away from Britishness. We are a country that evolved from countless different kinds of immigration through our history. This is a country built off the back of immigrants. That’s one thing I dislike. Also, my partner asking me to retrieve small things from her bag.
If I wasn’t a singer-songwriter, I’d have liked to have become …
Someone that would require a shed at the back of his garden, where I would be handy, using tools and building things for people at a bespoke level. I’d be like a master builder, a carpenter or a joiner.
The habit that has served me best in life …
Documenting and archiving ideas for songs. Sometimes creative sparks are just that – they happen in a moment. If you don’t capture it in that timeframe, a second or a minute, you can lose something really special. Writing everything down and recording everything that you come up with is the best way to sew things together.
The habit I’ve successfully kicked …
I was a big thumb-sucker until I was 13, but the orthodontist put a stop to that. I’ve recently given up pasta, and I haven’t looked back. And I stopped drinking three and a half years ago.
'We are a country that evolved from countless different kinds of immigration through our history. This is a country built off the back of immigrants' says Newman
My sources of joy are …
I really get a kick out of putting suntan lotion on and then being out in the sun, knowing I’m protected but can enjoy the sun. I also love making people laugh, particularly my daughter. I love watching her giggle uncontrollably.
When things get tough I …
Watch movies. All through my GCSEs and A-levels and my degree, I turned to film when I didn’t want to work or the work was too much for me. I watched films all the time. It’s a really useful way. for me to write and a chronic way for me to turn my back on my responsibilities.
The book I wish everyone would read…
The book I’ve re-read the most is called How I Live Now by Meg Rosof. It’s about a civil war within the UK and a nuclear detonation that occurs at some point in the story. It’s chilling to read.
Sometimes creative sparks are just that – they happen in a moment. If you don’t capture it in that timeframe, a second or a minute, you can lose something really special
The big thing I’ve changed my mind about in life…
Drugs. I grew up thinking they were scary and ruinous. I think now that there is a much more nuanced conversation to have about the benefits of drugs and opening that world that could be controlled and safe and accessible as a way of coping with trauma. I’m talking about cannabis, ketamine, hallucinogenics… I think there’s a future where peer-reviewed research will highlight these are good ways of treating certain things.
What keeps me awake at night …
Ideas for songs. If I go beyond two in the morning, it’s usually because I’m thinking about the overall sonics of an album or thinking about lyrics and pulling them together. Then I pull my phone out and the screen wakes me up.
The thing that motivates me most of all …
Bettering my last release. I’m always thinking about the next idea for writing songs and albums. I exert all my efforts into writing and creating albums.
'I think now that there is a much more nuanced conversation to have about the benefits of drugs and opening that world that could be controlled and safe and accessible as a way of coping with trauma'
My parents taught me …
To follow my dreams. When I graduated from university, as a band, we still had to get on the dole and go to the Job Centre and explain why we hadn’t yet found work. My parents were, like, “This is the time to pursue the thing you’re most passionate about. The bureaucracy of government won’t understand that, so just tell them what they want to hear, get your money, and pursue what you’re doing. For the rest of your life you’ll be paying it back anyway, so you might as well make the most of this.”
I have this theory that …
The next generation of tech billionaires could become comic book-level super-villains. With the kind of unchecked reach into government that we saw with Elon Musk, the desire for governmental power, and the access to resources and extreme wealth, and having a grip on the level of the rapid development of technology, AI and robotics, I think there will be a time when they could be terrorising countries.
I’d like to tell my younger self…
I don’t think I’d have anything to say. I don’t recognise him anymore. I feel that we’re different people as we develop and grow. I don’t think I’d want to bother him.
JJerome87’s album The Canyon is out now on Mushroom Music / VirginMusic Group. See jjerome87.com for tour dates
Photography by Zachary Gray
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