I have to dig from myself versus digging from something that I like. Digging from something you like is easy whereas from your inside, it's a totally different ballgame altogether. That's not a matter between picking red and blue, it's not like that. It's a decision, it's a choice and, like I've said in the past, it's like jumping off a cliff and hoping you survive the jump.
JlinI like somebody I can consider edgy, because, I also find that when people see me; the first thing they might think about me, musically, is that I rap or make beats, in the sense of trap or hip-hop or whatever, and when they hear what I actually create, they'll often be like, 'Wait a minute, I wasn't expecting this'.
JlinI want the people making this music to stick to what they know in terms of ensuring that they remain true to that and the authenticity. Don't be afraid to be original and explore of course, but don't necessarily abandon certain standards in order to try to appeal to other people.
JlinI love to be challenged. I like to be in places where I don't have easy ways out; it's either I do it or I don't and, in my mind, I don't really have the option of don't.
JlinIf you create something, it really should mean something more than that to you. I had to grow into all of this though, through a learning process. I didn't wake up one day and just say, 'Yeah, that's Jlin, there it is'. That's why I said it took my entire life to make this album and it comes back to having that comfort zone - if you don't have one, the more progress you make and the more creative you become over time.
JlinWell, when you think music-wise, and if you hang with me or you see me or whatever, the average person will be like 'oh yeah, she probably raps'. This is that stereotype and then I do what I do, so they're more like 'oh, I wasn't expecting this whatsoever'. This especially links with the idea of being a woman in this kind of work and within the footwork genre.
JlinIt's like, say you're a dancer and you've been studying modern dance your whole life so you're used to a certain aesthetic of music or motivation or influence, if I send you something that you're totally not used to or don't understand, rarely does that work. On the average, you're not gonna feel that and it won't be you. You have to be in there.
Jlin