Jacquie Joy is an award-winning music composer. She is the creator of the song โYouโll Feel Nothing,โ which showcases the vocal prowess of Californian singer Nomi Abadi. Dance-pop track โYouโll Feel Nothingโ contains elements of EDM and cyberpunk (as was originally conceived for a sci-fi film). It functions as an eclectic dance anthem/call to arms and has โaplentyโ hooks. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
JACQUIE JOY: Hi and great chatting with you.ย I come from Australia and started teaching myself electric guitar and taking singing lessons when I was at Uni.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
JACQUIE JOY: Apart from some early singing lessons, Iโm self taught and I spent alot of hours playing live gigs which helped hone my instrumental skills and I learnt alot from other musos.ย Then many hours spent reading Computer Music Magazine helped guide me with how to get into the world of music software and music production.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โJACQUIE JOYโ?
JACQUIE JOY: Early strong musical influences/inspirations were and are female singer/guitarists like Suze DeMarchi, Joan Jett.ย The Eurythmics, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Goldfrapp have also influenced my musical path and sound.ย More recently with this EDM single, Iโve been studying Kylie, Jessie J, David Guetta, Armin Van Buuren and Avicii.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
JACQUIE JOY: My sound is like a chameleon but usually has โboldโ elements, is โhookyโ, has catchy chord progressionsย and elements of sound design mixed in too.ย ย ย Because I mainly write cinematic music, my music often tells a story.ย I always aim to make my music have a โpersonalityโ.
JACQUIE JOY:
For me the bigger picture was that I started out writing pop songs, then progressed to writing corporate music, then cinematic music and now back to pop/EDM songs.ย Also along the way, I sung and performed many dance/pop songs and got familiar with some great songs/artists and their arrangements/sounds.ย Its been a full circle and Iโve learnt so much about arrangement, instrumentation, and learnt how to mix/produce a song and have a great toolbox now of sounds/techniques up my sleeve.ย
My latest EDM song โYouโll Feel Nothing (feat. Nomi Abadi) actually started out as a cyberpunk style song written for a movie scene, then I added elements of pop, dance and retro EDM, and a โhybridโ sound was born!
6. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
JACQUIE JOY:
My music usually accompanies other peoples narratives so my music usually helps tell a story and is purely for entertainment.ย However my latest EDM track does touch on the โspiritualโ elements, and tells a story of overcoming hardships and a journey of โself discoveryโ then furthermore celebrates self empowerment.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
JACQUIE JOY:
Yes, I do but I work hard to keep this in balance as most musicians/composers struggle to find this balance, as being creative in this space can be draining and abit disheartening at times.ย There is a huge amount of work put into each track/project.ย How I keep this balance is that I make sure I work with people that I enjoy working with and that give me back that creative energy and professionalism. ย Also I make sure I take on a variety of music/film projects that are fun and that I think I can really do a good job with.ย
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
JACQUIE JOY:
I dont have any structure with my creative processes but usually Iโll start with brainstorming afew key sounds and rhythms and melodies. Iโll get a bunch of reference tracks together as well and that can sometimes help when trying to sort out musical arrangements/direction.
9. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
JACQUIE JOY: I had a challenging time in 2011/2012 due to life circumstances and I had to wrap up my โotherโ professional career as a result as I had to find a way to work from home. It was a tough time but at the other end of it, this actually allowed me/pushed me to start a professional music composing careerโฆ
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
JACQUIE JOY: Proudest point of my career was being nominated for 2 Hollywood Music in Media Awards โ in 2020 and 2021.ย That was a time in my career when I knew all of that hard work over the years was really worth it and I had achieved something that I really thought was out of my reachโฆ.
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