After scandalizing booktok with her single “Morally Grey,” alt-pop artist April Jai had fans begging, some might say groveling, for more.
The Scottish native is continuing to soundtrack every book girlies’ ultimate fantasy with her fierce anthem “GROVEL.”
In this exclusive Q&A, April Jai is an open book about all things “GROVEL,” going viral, and mental health.
What inspired your new single “GROVEL”?
I LOVE when fictional men grovel. I eat it up every damn time so it was a no brainer for me to write a song based on that fact.
Your boyfriend is also your production partner. What was the process like creating the song with him?
I wrote “GROVEL” really quickly, the idea came to me and I sang pretty much the whole chorus into my voice memos on my phone. After I wrote the rest of the lyrics I brought it to him and we started to put chords to it and workshop the structure of the song. Once the writing was finished I put together a production sample playlist for him and we got to work on finishing the full song.
Creating music with him is always a dream though, we know each other so well at this point that it’s a very organic process.
This is your first follow-up to your viral single “Morally Grey.” What about “GROVEL” made it the perfect follow-up?
“GROVEL” definitely has a similar vibe to “Morally Grey” and I felt like my listeners were really hungry for more badass book inspired songs. Once I finished “GROVEL” it was a no-brainer that it should come out next.
If you could set up the booktok girlies in the perfect environment to listen to “GROVEL,” what do you imagine it looking like?
Omg obsessed with this question! I would love to create an event in a romance only bookstore where we have book recommendations that fit the song, a live performance and a bunch of snacks and drinks. Honestly the perfect music lover x reader evening!
You’ve been really open about your own struggle with mental health. How has music helped you navigate that?
I’m a really emotional person so music has really helped me navigate all of my feelings and made it possible for me to get them out of my own head. It’s the entire reason I started writing songs in the first place.
What are you most excited about this year?
I’m excited for so many things this year! It’s already shaping up to be the craziest most exciting year yet. Mostly I’m looking forward to playing more shows, releasing more music and finding more ways to interact with my fans and growing this community that we’ve created.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
“Never give up unless it no longer lights you up inside”. This is the quote I live by and I can’t even remember if I heard it somewhere or if I came up with it myself! I truly believe my biggest asset is my tenacity and that those who never give up on their dreams are the only ones who will ever succeed. On the other side of that though, there’s nothing wrong with giving up on something if it no longer makes you happy or is no longer something you want.
Featured Photo Credit: Debbie Burnett