Artist On Artist: NAMESAKE + Jewel Owusu Talk Late Night Post-Gig Feeds, New Projects + More
The pair recently collaborated for the dreamy track 'IN DIFFERENT CITIES'.
NAMESAKE + Jewel Owusu (Instagram)
Last week, Perth/Boorloo-based producer NAMESAKE and long-time friend and Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Jewel Owusu dropped their powerful collab track titled IN DIFFERENT CITIES.
The song delves into the balance between seizing opportunities and accepting the transient nature of relationships while showcasing the strength of female friendships in the music industry as they blend their talents to create a fun and playful composition.
The track reflects on embracing change, understanding that some people may only be part of our lives temporarily, and finding beauty in impermanence.
The collaboration between NAMESAKE and Jewel Owusu exemplifies women supporting and uplifting each other in a male-dominated industry, and through their seamless artistic synergy, they create a captivating musical journey that resonates with listeners.
In celebration of the release of their collaboration IN DIFFERENT CITIES, we had NAMESAKE and Jewel Owusu interview one another where they discussed everything from where they source their inspiration, to what their go-to feed is after a late-night gig.
Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter
NAMESAKE interviews Jewel Owusu
What is a highlight of your music career so far?
There are a lot of little moments and I could never say that there has been just one highlight.
A big thing for me has been seeing people singing along to my songs and knowing the lyrics really well when I play live. Also, when people come up to me after a set to tell me that they were happy that I played a specific song or that one of my songs meant something special to them - that makes me so happy.
What environment do you feel most inspired to create in?
I get inspired to create when I’m overly busy doing things that aren’t music like at work or on the train etc. I often find in times that I actually and sit down and have time to make music, I’m not as inspired.
I am also a very visual person, so thinking about visuals whilst I am creating music inspires how a song comes into existence and I think I more naturally think of visuals when I’m out experiencing the world.
I love to think of a song as an episode of a TV show where different characters are doing different things and responding. I also get inspired by interactions I see around me in real life and in fictional shows or movies.
If you could have your music on the soundtrack of any movie or TV show what would it be?
I would love to have my song in one of those cheesy rom-coms because they are my absolute guilty pleasure. I think my music would work well in films like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Clueless, Crazy Rich Asians and more!
What is your favourite part of being a music artist?
My favourite part about being a music artist is the cool and creative people I’ve met along the way from all over the world.
What’s next for you in the coming few months?
My EP Jool Wave is coming soon. I have really cool visuals planned for every single one of the songs so I am very excited to share it. I’d definitely be looking to throw a party sometime this year to celebrate new music and will definitely be designing some merch very soon.
Jewel Owusu interviews NAMESAKE
What would be your dream collaboration with anyone living or dead?
If I could collaborate with another producer it would definitely be Kaytranada because I’d love to see his creative process and also just learn from him.
My dream collaboration with a vocalist would be Jorja Smith because I’ve always loved her tone and writing and I think we could make something really cool.
How would you describe the music on your upcoming project?
The music on my upcoming project is a bit of a random collection of different music I enjoy creating. I love R&B so some of the songs are very R&B influenced and are more chill and then others reflect the side of me that loves more upbeat electronic music, like house and even some DnB.
With each song, I'm reflecting on different sounds that I love and also showcasing the amazing featured artists that I have collaborated with. So the cohesiveness of the project is that it's music that I, myself, would enjoy listening to.
I heard you’re planning a gig. What can people expect from a producer artist throwing their own show?
I am! I’m planning an EP launch show for late August which I'm really excited about.
The show is going to have me playing drums with a band I've put together and all the artists featured on the EP are going to perform their songs live with the band.
The band members I’ve got are really talented musicians so the show is also going to have a lot of improvisation and live jamming with the band and I'll be doing a DJ set after the live set!
What’s your go-to feed after a late-night gig?
There’s not usually much open in Perth late at night after gigs but my go-to’s would be fried rice from Billy Lee’s or a McSpicy if I'm driving home and pass by Maccas.
What are some of your future music aspirations?
One of my future aspirations would be to tour as a DJ. Going overseas for music and connecting with other artists and DJs around the world would be really cool.
Eventually, I would love to get to a point where I do shows mainly DJing my own music on tours or at festivals.
For production, I’d love to keep collaborating with talented artists from Australia and around the world and try to push the boundaries with the music that we make.
More From Our Network
