Aperture

Description

Fresh out of high school, Hannah Jadagu released her debut EP, What Is Going On?, a collection of intimate bedroom pop tracks recorded entirely on an iPhone 7, which was, at the time, Jadagus most accessible mode of production. An off-the-cuff approach to music making and instinctive ability to write unforgettable hooks belied the intensity of Jadagus subject matter. In a short run time, What Is Going On? confronts some of the nations most urgent struggles all through Jadagus compassionate perspective. I want my songs to be both super intimate and still universally relatable, Jadagu says. With the EP, so many people told me that the songs resonated with them on a personal level, and thats what Im always hoping for.

Resonate it did; What Is Going On? is Jadagus first Sub Poprelease, but shed been putting out music on SoundCloud for years, garnering a small online fanbase as she settled into an aesthetic, and recognition from a broader audience was overdue. It really took off when I became a percussionist in my middle schools band, she says. Writing songs started as a hobby and quickly became a passion to the point that I spent all my free time recording.

On May 19th, 2023 Jadagu premieres Aperture, her first LP and most ambitious work to date. Written in the years between graduating from high school in Mesquite, TX and her sophomore year of college in New York, Aperture finds Jadagu in a state of transition. Where I grew up, everyone is Christian; even if you dont go to church, youre still practicing in some form, Jadagu says, laughing. Moving out of my small hometown has made me reflect on how embedded Christianity is in the culture down there, and though Ive been questioning my relationship to the church since high school, its definitely a theme on this album, but so is family.

As a kid, Jadagu followed her older sister a major source of inspiration who she refers to as the blueprint to a local childrens chorus, where she received choral training. I hated it, Jadagu admits. But it taught me how to harmonize, how to discover my tone, how to recognize and write melody. The aching single Admit It is dedicated to Jadagus sister, whose boundless love and impeccable taste has been a constant for Jadagu ever since she was a kid. At home, the siblings were raised on moms Young Money mixtapes and the Black Eyed Peas (to whom she credits her love of vocoder) but it was in the sanctity of her sisters car that Jadagu discovered indie artists who would go on to inspire her work.

Lose showcases Jadagus love of contemporary indie auteurs as it weaves a spare and unpretentious guitar riff with barebones piano chords all while Jadagu sings about the thrill and underlying fear that comes with beginning a new relationship. It is, in her words, a classic pop song. The things we havent done/ Play out in my mind/ Would you just give me time? she sings, nearing the end, as the skittering drumbeat propels the song from a place of contemplative yearning to defiance. Every track on this album, except for Admit It, was written first on guitar, which is an instrumental throughline, Jadagu says. But the blanket of synths I use throughout helps me move between sensibilities. Theres rock Hannah, theres hip-hop Hannah, and so on. I didnt want any of the songs to sound too alike.

Emblematic of this ethos is the single Warning Sign, which starts out as an acoustic, R&B slowburner before a muscular electric guitar enters the mix and the song morphs into something akin to psychedelic. I knew I could make another album on my phone, but I wanted to make sure that I was leveling up, especially for the debut, Jadagu says. So she began the difficult process of searching for a co-producer capable of complementing her work without dominating it. Enter Max Robert Baby, a French songwriter and producer who captured Jadagus attention with his take on Apertures lead single Say It Now. The duo worked together remotely, sending stems to one another via email, before eventually meeting in-person for the first time at Greasy Studios on the outskirts of Paris.

When I recorded my EP, it was all MIDI, but in the studio Max and I worked with a ton of analog instruments, Jadagu says. Theres some Glockenspiel on the album, calling back to my percussionist days, and some synth warping that adds texture. While What Is Going On? was heavy on layered reverb, making Jadagus vocals feel shy, she took what she calls a more intimate, up close approach while recording her voice for the LP. That experimentation is best heard on the rousing What You Did, which leverages crushing accusations against the songs unnamed subject. Screaming static and a crunchy guitar part softens under Jadagus calm delivery as she sings: Act like its best if we make amends, but I dont wanna talk to you again.

An aperture is strictly defined as an opening, a hole, a gap. On a camera, its the mechanism that light passes through, allowing a photographer to immortalize a moment in time. For Jadagu, the word perfectly encapsulates the mood of her debut album. In the years it took her to complete, she faced moments of darkness, sure, but the process of making it, her first ever in a professional studio, was ultimately a cathartic experience, one she now shares with you, the listener. Let the light in.

Track listing:

1. Explanation
2. Say It Now
3. Six Months
4. What You Did
5. Lose
6. Admit It
7. Dreaming
8. Shut Down
9. Warning Sign
10. Scratch The Surface
11. Letter To Myself
12. Your Thoughts Are Ur Biggest Obstacle