What were you doing in high school?
For Texas native Hannah Jadagu, she was being courted by record labels after catching their attention with her DIY songs she uploaded to her SoundCloud account. And when I say DIY, i truly mean do-it-yourself.
Jadagu famously recorded and produced her bedroom pop EP What Is Going On? on her iPhone 7 using GarageBand and the versatile iRig portable audio interface. She signed with legendary Seattle label Sub Pop in 2021 at just 18-years-old.
Jadagu evolved from the bedroom pop offerings of her early work when she collaborated with producer Max Robert Baby on her 2023 debut studio album Aperture, recorded at Greasy Records in Paris. She took full advantage of the expanded production resources at her disposal this time around, releasing a record full of indie-pop/R&B gems.
Listen: Hannah Jadagu talks new album ‘Describe,’ activism and more
The consistency continues with her latest studio LP Describe, released last October. “My Love” keeps the shoegaze pop candle burning bright fueled by Jadagau’s ethereal vocals. “Gimmie Time” sees Jadagu asking her partner to give her — well, time — as she sorts her emotions out to improve their relationship.
Releasing an EP and two studio albums on Sub Pop, as well as touring the world, in a span of four years are incredible accomplishments. One couldn’t blame Jadagu for taking a step back and maybe feeling overwhelmed at the pace she’s been going. However, the New Yorker since 2020 is too ambitious to let that get in her way.
“I think I’m fortunate enough to just be surrounded by a lot of people that just don’t do music,” Jadagu told me before her opening set supporting Del Water Gap at the Royal Oak Music Theatre earlier this month. “All my friends don’t really do music. I also don’t think I’ve had that moment because in my head I’m always like, ‘How can we level up?’ So yeah, I’m still hungry.
“I don’t think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m like, ‘Oh my god, this is so crazy.’ Because…getting to even tour with Del Water Gap — or all the people I’ve been fortunate enough to tour with — I see the stuff that they’re doing and the great heights that they’re reaching.”
As for what’s next, Jadagu thinks any future projects could be heavily influenced by current events here in the U.S. and abroad — from ongoing protests against ICE to controversial decisions carried out by the Trump administration, including the removal of a slavery exhibit in Philadelphia just days before Black History Month.
“It might be time to start making…art that is reflective of the world that we’re living in today, because my art is usually a lot of very just personal, vulnerable, introspective stuff,” Jadagu shared. “I think this time is definitely influential in how I’m thinking about the new record — because I’ve already started thinking about the sonics of it, but I haven’t started thinking about the lyrical stuff of it. So yeah, that’s something I would definitely be open to and something I would explore and something that I want to be more intentional about, and more present with.”
Listen to the entire interview using the media player above, where Hannah and I also geek over our love for Imogen Heap and more.
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