A homecoming show for Jessica

Jessica Leigh has been busy studying towards a Batchelor’s degree and producing songs that have reached the country’s pop charts. This proud Nelson musician is now getting set to play in front of a home audience for the first time.

You’ve just released your third EP LIGHTBEAM, what inspired this project?

LIGHTBEAM was inspired by the experiences I’ve had over the last two years after moving from Nelson to Wellington. It chronicles my transition from a small town girl to a city girl and my subsequent experiences with heartbreak, friendship, self- discovery and falling in love.

Who is in your team? Why is their support important?

My team consists of my amazing, hardworking manager Jane and the Nelson-based team at StudioBox Creative as well as my indie label Antipodes Records. We started working together early this year and their support has meant the world to me. It’s an incredible feeling to have people who aren’t my family believe in my music and take it so seriously. I feel so, so lucky.

How did you discover your love of music and writing/performing music?

Music has always played a significant role in shaping who I am and how I understand the world. From a really young age, I was exposed to a huge range of music and artists through my parents who treasured music and had it on all the time. I think music really influenced my emotional development as a kid when I discovered how it could connect with whatever I was feeling. Writing my own music has been such a powerful form of self-expression and I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to get to do it for a job!

What inspires you?

Over the last few years I’ve found the most potent inspiration in romantic interactions and relationships. I’m such a hopeless romantic and I feel like it really shines through in my songs and lyrics. However, this year I was really inspired by my other types of relationships - such as my female friendships - and wrote one of my favourtie songs GIRLFRIENDS as a result.

How does it make you feel when your music gets added to a playlist or played on radio?

It feels incredible! Hearing my songs on national radio is so surreal and I think it always will be. Earlier this year, a song I wrote, produced and created all on my own ended up charting on the national hot singles chart, which was unbelievable!

What can audiences expect from your New Year’s show?

I will be featured in the later part of the New Years Eve Countdown to 2024 at the Church Steps and will be performing a 45 minute set with my trio featuring Wells and Chris Phillips. Fans can expect to hear all of my latest releases.

You’ve just returned to Motueka after completing a bachelor of communications in Wellington. What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I am so excited to spend summer at home! All of my high school friends are coming back from their different universities so it’s going to be so much fun catching up and spending as much time as possible with them. I’m also really looking forward to being with my family again, I miss them a lot when I’m away especially my Burmese kitten Squiggle! Nelson is my favourite place in the world to spend summer; it’s so endlessly beautiful and I always feel so happy. My second EP Summerland was all about falling in love in Nelson over a summer and it has lots of outside sounds recorded in Nelson like the birds and the ocean.

Where is one place you would love to perform? And who is one artist/musician/producer you would love to work/perform with?

I’ve been really lucky to spend a lot of time in beautiful Sydney this year, so I would love to perform at the Opera House. Sydney has started to mean a lot to me as a city this year because of all the special things I get to do there for music so I feel like performing there would be really magical. I would love to work with producer Jack Antonoff. He’s made a lot of my favourite music with Taylor Swift, Lorde, The 1975 and Lana Del Rey. He’s such a genius and it would be incredible to see his processes.