We had a chat with rising UK alternative pop artist Chloe Jessica about her personality-filled new single ‘Bitch in a Dress’
Building on the acclaim that met her well-received debut single ‘The Middle’ earlier this year, emerging Birmingham artist Chloe Jessica pushes her sound into more alternative-tinged territory with the release of her sophomore effort ‘Bitch in a Dress’, a track that is packed full of sardonic humour, pounding rhythms, and a real sense of identity and personality from the artist.
While the artist takes clear influence from artists like Olivia Rodrigo who opt for the same kind of narrative-driven, impactful writing that melds crunching guitars with open-hearted honesty, the distinctive sense of personality and character gives it a distinctive edge that keeps things feeling personal and exciting. We love this new release, and had a chat with Chloe to find out a bit more about how it came together and what else she has planned for the future.
Hey! We love your new single ‘Bitch in a Dress’, what more can you tell us about it?
Thank you so much, I am so beyond pleased that you loved it! ‘Bitch in a Dress’ is a really special and intimate track to me as it is the first track I have created that feels authentically ‘me’. It’s witty, sarcastic and honest, qualities I value in myself and it’s incredible to see this immortalised in music. The song itself is about being torn down by somebody else’s victim complex, when you do the right thing yet are painted as the villain to disguise the truth you have spoken. This song is about taking someone’s malicious words and harnessing them into self-empowerment.
What was the process like putting it together?
The creation of this track isn’t dissimilar to my other tracks. It was originally written acoustically in my bedroom before sending it to friends for feedback before bringing it to my band. The loud lyricism did not match the singer-songwriter style I had intended for it, so we quickly turned this into a 2000s pop-rock, tirelessly tweaking it until it was perfect to us. My band is insanely talented, so I trust them implicitly when composing.
What were your biggest influences when creating it?
I drew a lot of inspiration from Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts’ album and, more specifically, the melodic development in Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ and the cutthroat lyricism in Taylor Swift’s ‘Better Than Revenge’, all songs I feel are befitting of the 2000s pop-rock style I was reaching for. Instrumentally, I would say there is an undercurrent of McFly, we all collectively listen to McFly as a band, so their style will undoubtedly take root in our playing and ‘Better Than Revenge’ was actually our reference track for the production goals.
How does the track differ from your debut single ‘The Middle’?
Aside from the obvious genre switch, I would say that the song is more ‘on-the-nose’, the lyricism is sharper and more refined, I didn’t rely on metaphors to speak for me, I just said it how it is. The instrumental is more refined, despite it feeling more free. Whilst ‘The Middle’ holds great sentiment to me, ‘Bitch in a Dress’ is current and raw, it encompasses the inner turmoil I have been through recently. I’m over the subject of ‘The Middle’ but I will always hold animosity towards the situation causing ‘Bitch in a Dress’ to be created.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I plan to continue to release music, we have a fountain of original music reserved for live shows but I would love to curate them into an EP and a few singles. We have gigs booked across the summer, throughout June and, hopefully, some more in July. With finishing university on the horizon, I cannot wait to throw myself fully into the band and continue to provide some catharsis for my listeners.
