00:00Up until Angel In My Dreams was written, I was going in rooms being like,
00:03I have to write a radio-friendly song.
00:05I have to write a song that's going to do well on TikTok.
00:07I have to write a song that's going to please the label.
00:09And I think that's always the biggest killer of creativity,
00:13when you feel pressure to write something for somebody else.
00:17And the minute you are just doing it to please you or your younger self,
00:20which is what I did a lot with this project,
00:23I was like, what does little Jade want to hear?
00:25The minute I just put myself first in that creative space
00:29was when the best music was written.
00:38So I was in LA.
00:40I was feeling very lonely.
00:41I was flying back and forth, writing with different people.
00:44I was a bit lost sound-wise.
00:46I'd been writing so many songs.
00:48They were good, but nothing was hitting enough to be the first single.
00:51And the session was with Mike Sabbath, Steph Jones, and Pablo Bowman.
00:56Pablo I've known for years.
00:57And when he came in the studio, he was like,
01:00do you remember you used to always try and sample
01:03Puppet on a String by Sandy Shaw?
01:05And I was like, that's really, really weird.
01:07Because in my notes for the LA trip as a concept,
01:09I had Puppet on a String.
01:11So we started there.
01:12We started with the sample.
01:17And then I said to the guys, I want to write a song
01:20that is like a love letter to the music industry.
01:23My kind of love-hate relationship, being a part of it.
01:26How toxic it can be, but how obsessed I am with being a star.
01:30That was the dawn of Angel of My Dreams.
01:37I can honestly say if you're ever in a session with Mike Sabbath,
01:39you are about to do something crazy.
01:42He's got such a kind of beautifully erratic energy.
01:46He's phenomenally talented.
01:47He plays so many instruments.
01:49And he's been a huge part of my album, not just this song.
01:52So it makes sense to shout him out at the beginning.
01:55And I feel like it's become a bit of a thing.
02:05I think I learned very quickly when I was put in the band
02:09and signed my first deal and all this stuff,
02:12that I really was kind of a product and not a human at times.
02:16So that's kind of what that verse is talking about.
02:18Being aware that you are in this money machine
02:21and you're just a pawn in the game.
02:26They say, I'm so lucky.
02:27Better act like you're lucky, honey.
02:30I am literally telling my story from the beginning of my pop journey.
02:34And the idea of better act like you're lucky,
02:36I was told that a lot growing up in the industry.
02:38It was like, do you know how lucky you are to be here sort of thing?
02:41Because somebody else will take your place
02:43if you're not willing to work for it or work hard enough.
02:46I heard that a lot.
02:47So that's kind of where that lyric comes in.
02:49And then the better act like you're lucky, honey.
02:52It's just me being a bit cunty.
02:54Because that's what the beat's giving.
03:16I wanted the pre to feel like this release into this more dreamy,
03:19but I do love it kind of vibe.
03:21It's quite sad really,
03:22because it's saying that even when I feel awful,
03:25I'll act happy for you.
03:26I'll smile for the camera.
03:28Because I'm in heaven when you're looking at me.
03:30I remember my great auntie,
03:33she was really, really poorly.
03:34And she was kind of on her deathbed.
03:36And I had to perform Shout Out To My Ex on The X Factor live on TV
03:41and be like super happy and beaming to be there.
03:44When really I just wanted to get on a train and go straight home,
03:47which I did after that performance.
03:49And I'll never forget it because I turned up to the hospital
03:52and I was super sad, obviously.
03:54And just as I was about to go into the room to see my auntie,
03:57I got stopped by the nurse.
03:58She was like, I'm really sorry this is happening right now,
04:00but do you mind if I take a picture?
04:03I was like, oh my God.
04:05But I was so in shock
04:06and I was so used to having to just say yes, that I did it.
04:09So somewhere there's a picture of me just like.
04:22The Angel of My Dreams is the music industry personified.
04:27I guess before I met my boyfriend,
04:30I guess the industry is the love of my life.
04:32And I'm sure many artists feel the same way.
04:34You know, when you first start off, you just want to sing,
04:36you want to write music, you want to perform.
04:38And then when you get sucked into this world
04:40with fame and fortune and all these things,
04:43it is a tale as all the time of kind of losing yourself
04:46or selling your soul a bit
04:47or having to make many sacrifices to get to where you want to be.
04:52The Angel is the industry kind of hovering over me all the time.
05:05You can tell in the song, there's lots of like vocal, tonal differences.
05:09And the vibe there was like referencing old school,
05:13like Clubland classic songs, Scooter, Cascada,
05:17like Flippin' Phil, DJ Sammy,
05:18all those kind of amazing dance records
05:21that I used to listen to growing up.
05:23To me, it's kind of the most tragic part of the song.
05:25It's kind of desperate saying like,
05:27I love you and I hate you.
05:28It's not fair.
05:29It's so bittersweet because I adore every part of this,
05:32but I'm also feel like shit sometimes.
05:34So it's that kind of constant battle.
05:48I guess I was visualizing moments in my career
05:54where I've had like a huge moment or like I've won an award
05:57and then I've gone back in a hotel room by myself
05:59and just being like the loneliest I've ever felt.
06:02It's the idea that behind the scenes,
06:04you know, so many of the things go on that aren't seen
06:07or that people don't talk about.
06:09You know, I've been through a lot.
06:10I have many friends in the industry too
06:11that have been through some pretty dark things.
06:14So that's kind of what that line is saying.
06:19I feel like from the kind of darkness
06:22or the kind of desperation and sadness of the chorus,
06:25it was time in the second verse to lift things up a little
06:28and get a bit cheeky, kind of take the piss a little bit.
06:31So that's what that's doing.
06:32Whenever we'd go into the label,
06:34if something like big was happening,
06:36there'd always be like plates of sushi on the meeting table.
06:39It was such a strong visual for me
06:40because I really hate sushi.
06:42And all the time I'd just be like staring at the sushi.
06:44Like I probably bought that with all the royalties
06:46from the last number on it.
06:48Got you a car, got you a house, got you a suit, it's Gucci.
06:52It's this idea that when you're in like a machine
06:54or in a big label, you're making them so much money.
06:57You are funding their lifestyle to a degree
07:00when they do well because of you.
07:08Oh, she's getting a bit sassy now.
07:10Even when we were at our height,
07:12even when we were doing so well,
07:14if our next album didn't do well, that's it, you're dropped.
07:17So the flip side of that is,
07:18but when I pop off, you sue me, so sue me.
07:20I kind of drew that from people I know
07:23and their experiences of like them doing well
07:26or finding a clause in the contract
07:27and being able to get out of it.
07:29I do know of stories very close to me
07:32of people threatening to sue
07:33when someone can manage to get out of it
07:36or they're popping off.
07:48This is probably my favorite bit of the song
07:50is when at the end of chorus two,
07:52you have that like surge that,
07:55it's like you're being wound up again
07:57and like a jack-in-the-box or something.
07:59And then it bursts into the final chorus
08:02where we slow the tempo down,
08:03we're back at, you know, normal pitch vocal,
08:06and that's the start of the song.
08:08And then at the end,
08:08it's like, yeah, we're all in the wrong place.
08:10It's like, we're all in the wrong place.
08:11We're all in the wrong place,
08:13and we're all in the wrong place.
08:14And then it's like,
08:15we're stuck in the wrong place.
08:16normal pitch vocal.
08:17And that's the kind of, you know,
08:19ballads, arm swing moment,
08:22the grand finale of Angel of My Dreams.
08:25And I love, love, love that part of the song so much
08:28because yes, it's unexpected,
08:30but it also feels quite emotional.
08:32It feels like you've been punched in the face
08:35or you've been beaten up.
08:36And then finally someone's come over and be like,
08:38come on, come here.
08:40I look after you.
08:42♪ And I'll always love you. ♪
08:50It's just so true.
08:51Like I love music.
08:53Music's healing.
08:54It's so powerful.
08:55You know, it's got me through so much.
08:58It was the perfect way to round up the song.
08:59So it's like after all this,
09:01after all that drama,
09:02all the ups and downs,
09:03the good and the bad,
09:04at the root of it is the music.
09:06And I'll always love that.
09:09Three things that I love about the industry,
09:11performing, like touring,
09:13is the best part of being an artist.
09:16I think, you know,
09:17traveling the world,
09:18seeing all the fans,
09:19it doesn't get any better than that.
09:21Writing music,
09:22I love, love, love.
09:24I guess the success has meant
09:25that I can help my family and friends.
09:28And I think that's a really beautiful thing.
09:30The things I hate,
09:31misogyny for sure.
09:32Another thing I hate is
09:35when you're in pop,
09:36sometimes it's hard to prove your credibility.
09:38People just assume maybe you don't write music
09:41or I don't know.
09:42There's sometimes a weird
09:44like snobbery around pop artists.
09:47The third thing I hate is
09:50royalty splits.
09:52What I do think sucks is
09:54it's still not fair yet for songwriters.
09:56It's like, you know,
09:57a triangle of power
09:58with these royalties
09:59and people at the top
10:00who probably do the least amount of work
10:02to contribute to making a song
10:04get the most.
10:05It's not fair.
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