Amie Jay returns with new single ‘Unashamed’. Her first single of the year brings with it a new sound and a new attitude. I’ve followed Amie’s career ever since ‘Ricochet’ blew our emotions apart and have been utterly bamboozled by this change of direction. Gone are the days of feeling sad. Now’s the time to start feeling BAD. (Have I used that right?) I’ve also had the fortune of speaking with her about all these new things, which you can read below!
In the past we’ve been used to hearing more atmospheric and down tempo tunes from Amie, but ‘Unashamed’ throws all those aside to deliver something that’s immediate and PUNCHY. Gone are the acoustic chords of ‘Brand New’ and in come a fresh deliver of RIFFS that tear the speakers apart. The intro hits hard with a driven beat and grooves that sink in deeply. It sets the tone for the lyrics nicely, as they discuss a breakup in defiance than sadness.
There are so many layers to the song that allows it to sound fresh with each listen. The chorus is full of guts, complete with vocals that fill the room alongside riffs that continue to drive the momentum forward. Hooks are in abundance, with so many elements happening at once to illustrate the anger that emits from the song. Colour me purple because I did not expect to hear this.
‘Unashamed’ is superb and showcases an upbeat tempo and a heavier direction for the first time in Amie’s discography, and it’s one I hope carries over into future material. Goodness me.
INTERVIEW
Hey Amie, how’s it going? Wassupppp Dead Good (I haven’t said ‘wassup’ in years but I’m rolling with it). All is well over here, and it’s so nice to chat to you guys again. I’m finally writing and recording music after a long gap so I’m feeling super inspired and excited! I feel like the multiple lockdowns in the UK were so draining mentally, especially for artists and creators, so I’m currently riding the wave of serotonin from getting back in the game with some new material. The past year or so has been rough to say the least, as it was for so many people, so I’m just working on writing, navigating new musical styles, healing and getting back to normal.
What can you tell us about your new single ‘Unashamed’? WELL… ‘Unashamed’ is my favourite song ever (which of course, I would say, but I’m honestly obsessed with it). It’s a really catchy, aggy pop/punk/rock/electro hybrid that worms its way into your brain and doesn’t leave.
The track is a classic Amie Jay break up tale, but this time she’s not sad, she’s MAD. It is (of course) a true story in which I was heartbroken by somebody who couldn’t handle being in a relationship, then begged for me back and told me to wait, only to appear with a new girlfriend. I wrote the track months ago when the news was fresh and I was feeling pretty bitter, and now it’s coming out, I’m in a place where I’m grateful for that situation because it spoke volumes, and I got an absolute BOP out of it.
It comes with a brand-new sound that came as a surprise but is proper good. What inspired you to go in a different direction with this song? Thank you, I’m so glad you like it! I teamed up with some incredible new producers by the name of Marble Empire, and the song was almost entirely finished in our first session together. I was planning to do an edgier, punk-infused song but I didn’t know this would be the one when I wrote it. It was quite downbeat and melancholy (shocking, for me) when I wrote it but I’m so glad it didn’t stay that way. I went into the studio and met the guys for the first time, expecting another sad bop to come out of it, and all of a sudden, electric guitars were out, I was rage whispering into the mic and I realised it’s exactly what the song needed. And the rest is history!
How was the recording process like for this song compared to past material? Speedy and smooth. Matt & Tchen (Marble Empire) are so talented and work super fast, plus they really lifted the song in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. They kept saying ‘are you sure we’re okay to go this way with it?!’ and I was like ‘THIS IS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD, MAKE IT EVEN ANGRIER!’. I wrote the song in a really sad and confused place, so I was expecting writing and recording it to be somewhat cathartic – and it was, but in a totally different way than I imagined. The process was so much fun and since the day we recorded it, I’ve been dreaming about it being out because I really think it’s awesome.
Could we expect to hear more of it on your upcoming EP? There will definitely be elements of it on the EP, we’re still working on it so I can’t say for sure but everything will be a lot poppier, professional and with more edge than my previous music, which was more folk-acoustic inspired. We’re playing around with darker pop sounds, layering in more harmonies and packing out the production, so whichever way it goes, it will definitely be more full production-wise than my previous stuff!
Speaking of the EP, what can you tell us about it? I am the absolute worst for keeping in things that I’m excited about so I’m really going to be strict with myself here. There’s a theme for the EP, and I think it’s going to be titled after one of the tracks (which is almost finished). All I will say is that each song explores a different side, attribute or trait of a bigger concept. That probably makes no sense but you’ll see ASAP, I promise!
Finally, what’s your favourite fruit? Is garlic bread a fruit??? Jokes aside, I’m truly a banana / watermelon stan. And grapes. The red ones are cool.