Just Jaded
November Podcast Summary: Happy Accidents
Written by Zaylee Bell
Carla Jay describes her career in the music industry as a happy accident. Her intentions were set on working in film when she entered community college, but now she has a strong career in radio that she loves.
On this month's episode of A Little Jaded, Jade and Joanna talk to Carla Jay, a social media producer and digital marketer for the station 99.7NOW in the California Bay Area. On top of that, she has gained a large social media following where she shares industry insights.
Jay loves to say she got her start at community college, and how she intended to work in film. It stresses and demonstrates how the music industry may not be a career consideration until later. You don’t have to take music industry-specific classes in college to get into the industry, because at the end of the day, connections and exploration are going to take you to amazing places even without formal knowledge.
As a social media producer and digital marketer for 99.7, Carla has a lot of different tasks. Some days, she is sitting at a desk doing work, and others, she is running around creating content. She is the mediator between many different departments and works for four different stations. So when it comes to content creation, making sure everyone is on the same page is a must. Jay’s time at her desk is when she is working on sales, crunching numbers, and attending meetings.
One aspect of working at 99.7 that Carla loves is being able to give back to other fans. At the start of her career, she struggled with being attached to the perks, saying they made her “the cool kid.” After COVID started and she lost her job she became aware of that, and now at her new station, she is able to give those perks to fans. It’s like a full circle moment for her, giving fans the experiences she wanted as a fan.
On the other hand, Jay claims that the work she is most proud of is the work the public does not see. Both on social media and at work, she is an advocate for queer women of color like herself. One project she specifically cites is an internal magazine she worked on that celebrated all the women at her station during Women’s History Month.
Jay also discusses her struggles as a young female in the industry, and the overall lack of representation of her demographic. She cited a time she was refused entry to an event her station was running because of her age and gender. She also adds that there is a lack of representation of women and colored women at the top of the music industry.
As always, there was a good bit of advice shared. Carla mentions no job is too small and you should try to be open to doing (or at least trying) everything. There is no set path to working in the music industry, and with a strong work ethic and the right connections, you have a chance of making it.
To hear more advice and learn more about Carla Jay, check out the November episode of A Little Jade, wherever you listen to podcasts, or on the Jaded Productions Website.
Tired of Christmas Music? Song Recommendations for a Winter Playlist
Written by Jessie Strickland
As we approach the holiday season and the weather gets colder, especially if you’re in
Northern California like I am, having the right playlist makes all the difference with how
you experience this time of year. However, you’re probably tired of all the Christmas music
being played on TV or in stores and might not want to listen to it outside of those contexts.
So, then, what do you listen to? Here are some of my own personal suggestions for a great
non- Christmas winter playlist!
Before diving into my picks, I want to quickly discuss what makes a song “winter-y” in the
first place. When we think of the season, what comes to mind in terms of imagery? The cold,
the snow, warm lights, and the sun that sets too early in the day. How do we translate this
imagery into sound? Tickling pianos, soft guitars- perhaps even some melodic string
instruments like violins- and twinkling brasses. These are often used in traditional
Christmas songs and as we have grown accustomed to hearing those sounds during this
season, we tend to relate this music outside of the Christmas “industry” to the feeling of
winter as a whole. It’s also important to recognize the importance of lyricism and tone in
addition to instrumentation when it comes to picking the perfect songs for any mood or
situation.
Winter as we know it is the time of year where seasonal depression starts to kick in for
many, and in this mood, we want to both wallow and be uplifted. Sometimes, a song might
not have the same instruments used in traditional Winter or holiday music, but the themes
conveyed through the lyrics and expression give us an outlet for those feelings that the
colder months bring out. On this note, allow me to dive into my picks for a winter- adjacent
playlist!
In no particular order:
1. Real Love Baby- Father John Misty
Picture this: You’re on a trip to the mountains and there is snow everywhere. You’re gazing
out the windows, staring at the blinding snow, and feeling the love you have inside of you
manifest into your chest- whether it be for a romantic partner, your friends, maybe even
just the beauty of nature. This song captures that feeling beautifully. It’s folky in influence,
and with Father John Misty’s vocals evoking a deep but loving sense of pining, this song
becomes a warm log cabin in the cold of the season.
2. cardigan- Taylor Swift
Continuing with the folk influence, I feel it would be almost detrimental to not include this
song in a winter playlist. The piano in this song is reminiscent of the type of jazz you hear in
a hotel lobby while the Christmas decorations are twinkling in the corner of your eye. The
song itself, however, is much more humble than that and feels almost intimate. The imagery
of a cardigan, symbolizing feeling used and tired yet loved for what you are, feels on the
nose for the season as by this time of the year, most of us are exhausted. We feel worn by
the passage of time and we seek the solace and intimacy that this song provides.
3. Flowers in December- Mazzy Star
Just based on the title alone, this one was a bit of a no- brainer. While not explicitly
depicting any Winter themes, this song represents winter in an indirect way. With themes
of love and heartbreak, this song feels like closure, similar in the way that winter serves as
closure to a yearly cycle. This song feels like an ending, like the moment you close your eyes
before finally falling asleep, or shutting the door behind you in a new room. “Flowers in
December” follows a similar guitar pattern to “Real Love Baby”, evoking the same feelings
of romanticism, but offers an almost opposite perspective of Misty’s, reflecting on the pain
within a relationship, rather than yearning for one.
4. Sextape- Deftones
Deftones is probably the last band you’ll expect to see on a winter playlist, but the iconic
introduction to this song is what sells the Winter atmosphere of the track. Heavy on reverb
and bass tones, the echo and depth gives a feeling of emptiness and isolation. “Sextape” is
the sun setting earlier and the darkness of night coming sooner. In a coming- of- age kind of
way, this song evokes walking home alone while your hands are shoved in your pockets and
your cheeks numb from the cold. While very non- traditionally winter in most aspects, the
atmosphere alone is enough for it to be granted onto a list of this caliber.
5. Bambi- Clairo
Moving from the folk/ rock influences tracks to the more jazz- inspired, Clairo’s “Bambi” is
gentle and soft in its delivery, like a fresh- out- the- dryer blanket. The gentle piano and
brushed drums combined feels classic and timeless, reminiscent of the typical dinner party
scene in a holiday movie. This song offers a sense of quiet, with Clairo’s almost whispery
vocals and simplistic production- perfect for the background noise of a winter day.
6. I’ll Be Seeing You- Billie Holiday
A true jazz song, the croony vocals with the soft horns in the far background of the track
makes “I’ll Be Seeing You” feel like the fuzz of consuming a warm drink. This feeling also
comes simply from the age of the song, as it still has the “record player crunch” which gives
us that beautiful warm, tickly feeling. With a classic jazz song like this one, we can envision
the type of holiday environment that would suit this song perfectly. On a personal note, this
song reminds me of the “Peanuts” holiday specials, particularly the background songs as we
would follow the cast on their slice- of- life shenanigans.
7. Love to Keep Me Warm- Laufey and dodie
A modern take on the jazz genre, Laufey and dodie execute that “dinner-party vibe” in a
smooth and soft approach with “Love to Keep Me Warm”. This song is perfectly on the nose
with the winter (but not Christmas) theme as it is very explicitly about the winter weather
and the loving feeling the season makes a lot of us crave. While the song is not about
Christmas, a detail in the song I love is during the instrumental break where we can hear a
small ode to the Christmas classic “Let it Snow” as the lyrics finish off with that same line.
Laufey’s an on the rise jazz musician who has been growing more and more on TikTok, and
dodie has been a staple in the indie singer- songwriter genre on the internet for years now,
so this combination for this track makes this an incredible find for your winter playlist!
8. Only- Lee Hi
Lee Hi is an established artist in the still- young realm of K-r&b, or Korean r&b, and this
track off her latest album “4Only” has boosted her even further. When the track “Only”
trended on TikTok last year, her notoriety in the genre and industry skyrocketed, making
her an essential element to the scene. “Only” is a grand and romantic track, feeling almost
cinematic in how romantic it is. The sweet and plucky synths in the introduction that later
meld with sweeping violins in the chorus give the song an innocent air, like falling in love
for the first time in the quiet months of Winter. Lee Hi’s voice is soft, sweet and melodic, but
deep at the same, giving a well- rounded complexity to the theming of the track.
9. Doughnut- Twice
Twice is a Korean girl group that has absolutely taken the world by storm, and their
Japanese release “Doughnut” became an instant classic within the Korean and Japanese pop
fanbases. Fans, such as I, fell in love with the retro- inspired yet fresh sound of “Doughnut”,
and how much it reminisces of winter without really having anything to do with the season
at all. In fact, the cover for this track features 8 of the 9 group members in a snowy scene
with coats on, which then tells me that this track was intended to evoke winter. “Doughnut”,
for this reason, is incredible in how well it is able to convey the season intentionally while
still being so far placed from western holiday music, the main hitter of the song being the
twinkling chimes that mimic the sensation of falling snow.
10. Last Christmas- Wham!
Now this song is a bit of a cheat, which is why I included it last. Does this song mention
Christmas? Yes, but is it really a Christmas song? I am here to debate that. When we look at
the lyrics, not much of Christmas is really mentioned outside of the line “Last Christmas, I
gave you my heart...” or the line about wrapping a gift with a note saying “Merry
Christmas”. If we really look at the context of the song, it is simply about a broken heart that
happened to be around Christmas. What really sells this song as a holiday staple, however,
is the instruments. Similar to “Doughnut”, the synths and retro sound add a sparkly effect to
the track, along with the very blatant “Christmas music shakers” and bells that are
sprinkled in throughout the track to add the holiday feel.
This concludes my top picks for a winter- adjacent playlist, but there are so many other
songs I had trouble picking from! If you want to see some more picks, this post will be
accompanied by a playlist consisting of these songs along with some others picked by Jaded
Production’s Head of Playlisting Kelly Carciente! You can find this playlist on the Jaded
Spotify, our Instagram as well as on the main feed of the Jaded site.
Fall in Love with Mỹ Anh’s “Mỗi Khi Anh Nhìn Em”
Written by Taman Khuc
Following her rendition of “Nhìn Những Mùa Thu Đi” earlier this year, Vietnamese artist Mỹ Anh has returned with her new single “Mỗi Khi Anh Nhìn Em” on November 15, 2022. She continues to prove her musical talent and creativity through this track as it depicts a blossoming, intimate love story.
Mỗi Khi Anh Nhìn Em
The song is passionate, beautiful, and delicate as starts off with a gentle, dreamlike instrumental with angelic backing vocals, setting the tone for the rest of the song. In the music video, you see Mỹ Anh along with her love interest dressed in beautiful outfits, with Mỹ Anh wearing an all-white outfit and her partner wearing an all-black outfit. In a sense, they are opposites of each other but they are drawn to one another. They start off circling each other on pedestals, building tension between them, but as the music video progresses, they gradually become closer in proximity and more intimate with one another. Just like the music video, the instrumental also builds up, and at the end of the track, horns are introduced, creating an amazing live outro that encapsulates the blossoming feelings of love they have. The neutral color scheme and hazy visual effects of the music video further add to the dreamlike state that one is in when they are in love, with a cool-toned deep blue permeating the video.
A Look Into Mỹ Anh
Debuting at 18, Mỹ Anh has had an unique musical journey thus far. Her start to music came naturally having been born into a family with deep roots in the music industry. She is the daughter of Diva Mỹ Linh and famous Vietnamese producer Trương Anh Quân. Having grown up in a musical environment, Mỹ Anh developed her singing and musical talent early on. Her love of music and all things creative has persisted as she grew up, leading to her pursuing a music career.
In 2020, Mỹ Anh released a self-composed and self-produced English single called “Got You”. Although this was not her first musical project released, this song was a benchmark in creating her identity as an artist. This Alternative and R&B single was a new sound in the Vietnamese music scene at the time, and it caught the attention of many listeners. Mỹ Anh is a young and fresh artist in the industry, one that isn’t scared to experiment with different sounds and explore the waters. There is no limit for her when it comes to creating music. Being authentic and free when creating is important to her, and it shows through her work.
We cannot wait to see what Mỹ Anh has in store for us in the future. Check out Mỹ Anh’s music on YouTube and Spotify, and follow her on Instagram for the latest updates.
Check out Jaded Productions for more music related content.
