JGrrey is a bit of an enigma. Despite claiming to “never really have a sense” of what she’s wanted to do, she grabbed the attention of GenZ in 2017 with her soulful song “Don’t Fade”, debuting on COLORS YouTube (an incubator of music talent and stepping stone for many legends). With her buttery rich voice, 2000s style, irreverent wit, and sultry stare to match, J's discography over the past few years has grown in tandem with her loyal fanbase. Here she answers Bee Beardsworth’s questions about music, how she started writing, touring with Billie Eilish, and her new single “Ain’t So”.

First things first, we're (obviously) in a global pandemic. How has your Covid been? What have you been doing with your time?

Isolation has been the same for me really, I love not having to leave the house, and I've barely ever been sane… so, just another day at the office. I'm writing less I've found, and just enjoying my days, my family are healthy and I have food and a roof over my head, I'm blessed. I bought an xbox, I've been playing that and plotting for my world take over also.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be everything! I remember seeing an advert when I was like 3 or 4 years old, a lady flicking her hair over her shoulder… I wanted to be her for a while. It was just an advert for hair colour and the model flicked her hair as they do… I didn't want to be on the TV, or a hair model… I wanted to be HER, I wanted to flick my hair carelessly like she did, I wanted to feel the emotion she was trying to emit in the advert. When I was a teenager I got on the tube with my mum once and looked around the carriage at this hustle and bustle of people… there were people who were dressed immaculately, and seemed important, and then I wanted to be whatever that was. But I never really had a sense of career drive. I’d chase emotions mainly, still do.

What were you like as a teenager? Were there specific things you were obsessed with?

Depends, I change a lot. A part of my teenage life I was lost and didn't give a fuck about anything, a part if my teenage life I desperately wanted to fit in, a part of my teenage life I found myself and music and now I’ve ended up here. As a teenager, I was obsessed with constantly figuring out why I was alive. Deep shit, I know.

From what I’ve read in other interviews, you kind of fell into music? How did this happen? Are you an “everything happens for a reason”, trust the universe kind of person?

I didn't use to be but I am now… I dunno the universe just conspires for me.

So, when you did COLORS, it blew up and currently has 2.3 million views. Was this an exciting thing for you or was it kind of premature in your career?

Yo, before I did COLORS, I wasn't trying to do music. Even when I went out there to record, it I was just going with whatever was happening. Only after I started getting called JGrrey in real life did I take it serious.

I guess it’s quite serendipitous, from what I see in the lyrics, “Don’t Fade” is a song about embracing all of life, in all its variations and colours?

I hate to say it, but sometimes I really don't write these songs, I just freestyle over beats and say random shit… and then “Don't Fade” happened.

How would you describe your music?

I wouldn't, I hate describing my music. You tell me.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Erykah, Billie, Lauren Hill, Amy, Band of Horses, Tungz, No Name, James Blake, Cola Boy, Parcels… the list goes on.

What inspires you to write? In another interview I read, it said that you felt that you’d always been writing songs, as you’d always been a writer. Tell me more.

Okay so I've never told anyone this in an interview before but here we are… I remember my first ever detention, I was like 6 or some shit and I got called to see the head teacher and I was sat outside her office twiddling my thumbs and swinging my legs underneath the chair and I just started singing in my head about myself she sits there, twiddling her thumbs, she don't need no-one to tell her she's wrong and then bam. I couldn't stop! Nine times out of ten, if I start humming something I'm singing lyrics in my head about the exact situation I'm in. Maybe I really like or dislike the situation… I dunno.

Was supporting Billie Eilish last year crazy? I’ve heard she has CRAZY fans.

Those kids are CRAZY… crazy beautiful and loyal! Haha I love them, and I love Billie, she's THAT bitch.

I love the visuals for “Growing” (childhood, you with your younger self - it made me literally want to run away to a tent in the forest), they touched me as such sensitive and thoughtful visuals. In “For Keeps”, when you’re like dressed up in the pub, that made me laugh. You have the same wig on in “Half Full”? Is it like an alter ego? How do you come up with visuals? Are they part of your creative process?

To be honest I still haven't created a visual where I’m like, THIS IS IT. I'm a visual person, I'm a movie and game nerd, but I haven't nailed the visuals yet. “Half Full” and “For Keep” are dope. Yeah the wig is JGrrey as fuck, Jen would never.

Tell us about your new single “Ain’t So”?

"Ain't so", turned into a song for anyone who struggles...including myself, the first line inspired by a fan who struggles with their mind as much as I do. The song just happened to fall into place and that shit always feels good.