Interview: Amy Jay Is Again, and She Introduced Billy Joel’s Heartache With Her

Singer/songwriter Amy Jay’s tackle “And So It Goes” is hauntingly easy, making Billy Joel’s 1989 hit otherworldly.

Stream: “And So It Goes” – Amy Jay

After a yr of getting ready, the soft-spoken indie etherealist Amy Jay is slowly strolling listeners in direction of her subsequent venture with a canopy of Billy Joel’s 1989 ballad, “And So It Goes.”

The observe is a dreamier tackle the heartache ballad, accompanied by pianist Andrew Freedman.

In dialog with Atwood Journal, she’s preparing for a convention in Maine, and he or she’s earnest about overcoming any shortcomings – although you gained’t discover any of these on her launch.

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A CONVERSATION WITH AMY JAY

Atwood Journal: How are you feeling proper now?

Amy Jay: I’m good. I’m on my method to NERFA, which is the Northeast Regional Folks Alliance. I’m in Maine proper now, feeling good, visiting some pals and hoping to make some connections on the convention.

What does the convention entail?

Jay: You may enroll, and all the pieces’s run by the musicians within the trade, so it’s fairly insular. There are just a few issues open to the general public. There’s official showcases after which there’s non-public, unofficial ones, and so they principally hire out three flooring of a lodge and host within the lodge rooms. Folks host showcases and you then form of bop round so everybody’s sharing songs and operating round until, like, three within the morning. It’s fairly wild.

That sounds enjoyable, although.

Jay: Yeah, it’s gonna be a loopy time. I hope I can discover naps in between. I’m a reasonably sleepy particular person.

Your cowl of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” is out. It’s the primary single you’ve got put out in over a yr. Why this tune to reintroduce us to you?

Jay: I believe I actually have a private reference to this tune. I sang it in choir in highschool. The actual choir association, but additionally the lyrics are actually poignant and hit me deep, at the same time as a pubescent teen.

I keep in mind singing that tune and getting emotional, and I used to be listening to Billy Joel’s Biggest Hits, however I used to be like, “Oh, my God, I ought to cowl this tune.”

I’ve by no means executed a canopy earlier than. I’ve been a bit intimidated by covers due to the rights and all the pieces, and ensuring that the accounting goes to the fitting events, and never eager to ruffle any feathers or do something unlawful. However it’s quite a bit simpler now lately, and I used to be like, “All proper, I believe if I’m gonna do a canopy, this must be the one as a result of it has private which means to you.”

It’s form of revisiting like my childhood self, um, which is a part of a theme, really, for my album at massive that I’ve been engaged on. I wished one thing in between the album and my final launch to form of reintroduce myself. Form of sluggish, like, “Hey. I’m nonetheless right here.” But additionally do one thing that felt significant and, um, additionally… I didn’t have to jot down. (Laughs) So yeah. Nice!

There’s an exquisite piano that is operating within the distance in your model of the observe. Inform me a little bit bit about that.

Jay: My buddy Andrew Freedman, he’s insane at not simply skillfully enjoying the piano, but additionally emotionally enjoying the piano and feeling it. It’s virtually prefer it’s an extension. If my voice is clearly part of my physique, the piano is part of his. He’s so into it. He was very a lot studying my indicators and there was lots of synergy — form of hate that phrase, however for lack of time period — whereas recording, so he captured that feeling.

I used to be like, I’ve to succeed in out to him and see if he needs to do that as a result of it appeared like an ideal matchup.

While you’re listening to the observe, you do not instantly catch the piano at first. it’s there, however then about halfway by, I actually began to concentrate to it. It’s a little bit hypnotic, and also you do really feel that synergy of the 2 of you working collectively.

Jay: The timing could be very stretchy, and that’s the wonderful thing about the piano and the consequences. You may add to the piano as a result of it could actually create that ambiance, that house, and you may make it’s percussive and likewise atmospheric, which is a extremely stunning steadiness for one thing that wants that dynamic arc.

It’s an extended tune with repetitive melodic phrases and it may have gotten form of boring or mundane, however the piano helped construction it and provides totally different textures to every part.

There are such a lot of good traces on this tune. Do you may have a favourite?

Jay: “But when my silence made you permit, that may be my worst mistake / However I’ll share this room with you and you’ll have this coronary heart to interrupt.”

Would you say it is a love letter to your youthful self, or Billy Joel? Or each?

Jay: I believe it’s a testomony to nice songwriting and when you may seize a uncooked human emotion, that turns into timeless. I believe that goes to point out when he wrote it, versus when he launched it, versus how many individuals are nonetheless singing his songs.

I don’t really feel personally related to Billy Joel. I believe my introduction to him was that tune, really. I’ve all of the respect for his songwriting due to it. Heartbreak is a common feeling, however what he was going by, what I’m going by, all of it is conjuring up one thing very private in me. It’s a really heavy woe that I can’t even put phrases to the sensation.

What do you are feeling are distinctive variations between the unique studio model, the choir association, and your model?

Jay: My model is way more easy. There’s nonetheless shifting elements, positively some textural stuff taking place, but it surely’s actually voice and piano. And so I wished to seize the stretchiness and the emotion of the choral piece. But additionally, Billy Joel’s a pianist, so utilizing piano made sense. Usually, I’m focusing extra on the guitar, so it was a little bit of a change for me to do one thing piano based mostly. They every have their taste.

Inform me concerning the cowl artwork.

Jay: I used to be taking pictures for my album and I did need it to be a transitional tune between my final venture and this one, as a result of my final venture was a bunch of singles after which this one is one other album. So we did just a few outfit adjustments at my house, and it got here time to do the one artwork, and I used to be trying on the Billy Joel cowl and I used to be like, “Oh, that is fascinating.”

It’s easy, it’s monochromatic. I used to be trying on the pictures that I had, and I used to be carrying a black gown. It’s a bit monochromatic after which utilizing this prismatic plate that I discovered at a random vintage retailer.

My buddy Brittany Buongiorno was the photographer, and he or she was like, “Maintain it as much as your face,” and I used to be like, “Certain?” and we form of experimented with it. And so yeah, I messed with the crop to see what felt proper and balanced, after which it form of appeared like Billy Joel’s art work, and I used to be like, “That is good.”

There’s lots of white house, and it’s extra of his head and he’s carrying sun shades. I’m carrying a glass! Like, I’m actually utilizing a glass dish.

Have you ever studied design or something?

Jay: I’m a graphic designer.

I’m listening to you describe issues and I am like, “You’ve got data of design vocabulary.”

Jay: I fell into design due to music. I used to be working in music publishing after school, and that was like a little bit bit soul-sucking doing administrative e mail based mostly duties. I appreciated working with individuals, and my shoppers have been cool, however I used to be like, “How do I make extra time for music, as a result of I believe I need to do music?”

I appreciated doing graphic design with my different initiatives, so I went to this intensive program and switched careers. I labored in an workplace for a short while, however this yr is my first yr going completely freelance.

Congratulations.

Jay: Thanks. It’s essentially the most I’ve devoted to music-focused creativity in my entire life.

You stated this was a transition between two initiatives. Is that this going to be included in your subsequent album?

Jay: It’s not included on my subsequent album, however it’s utilizing kind of the identical branding. It’s from the identical photoshoot that the album may have, together with all my press pictures. So it’s form of like the beginning of the subsequent chapter, however form of a gentle begin.

In 1989, Rolling Stone critic John McAlley wrote of the tune, “Joel proposes emotional vulnerability and reconciliation to life’s uncertainties as a path to secular redemption.” If any, in what methods are you, or is that this tune, serving to you discover redemption in life’s uncertainties?

Jay: Yeah, I believe this entire complete yr has been a journey by myself, refining myself once more. I spent lots of the final decade discovering who I’m, however now it’s proudly owning who I’m. I really feel like I’ve executed lots of self work this yr specifically to essentially lean into what I’m feeling and being okay, and ensuring that’s one thing price honoring, and it not being or a foul factor.

I’m sustaining that feeling that I’ve a spot on the desk. I’ve a voice that’s price listening to and an allowance to take house. It’s actually anti-my-nature. I don’t like being the focal point, I don’t like taking house. This entire subsequent album is that this exploration into that, which I’m form of unraveling and peeling again the layers of like, “Oh wow, I’ve possibly felt invalidated and must validate myself once more.”

I say all this as a result of so as to face life’s uncertainties and so as to grapple with issues that won’t have a decision, the questions that won’t get answered, issues that such as you really feel you need like an endpoint to however won’t have an endpoint, these varieties of issues are actually exhausting to sit down in, however the one method to sit in it’s to seek out your individual sense of safety inside your self, and that comes with honoring your voice. It’s been, truthfully, a extremely lengthy journey.

When can we count on a tune penned by Amy Jay?

Jay: Yeah, I hope to begin releasing stuff in February subsequent yr, if it goes based on plan. Then the album itself, summer-ish, possibly early fall of subsequent yr.

These items take a very long time, and I need to stretch out. I put lots of work into this course of, so I would like to have the ability to stretch it so long as attainable. But additionally, to provide me time to maintain engaged on different issues. (Laughs) There’s all the time one thing brewing.

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