I’m screen recording as well, I can put myself on mute now. - ok - I’m going to
submit someone in. 3. 2.- hello?- Hello - Hello! Nice to meet you - hi - dodie nice to meet
you too - firstly, what is your name. - I’m ChiChi - August - My name is Vinícius - my
name is Robin - Jenna - Jenna nice to meet you. Is it Jenna or Yenna? - Jenna - Jenna,
I thought you said “Yenna”. I was like cool - You can call me whichever one you want
but *Laughs* - “Yenna!” * Laughs* - Where are you in the world? - Right now I am in
Eugene, Oregon - I am in California, Highland, California - I am in Ithaca, New York at Ithaca
College - You had
a question for me so if you would like to ask it. I’ll try and answer it. - I was
curious about your ideas for err Build A Problem, that you wanted to tie it all together. - Honestly
I tried to write it with a theme in mind. I just realised it’s behind me It looks
really placed. I don’t think I’m very good at planning music, I think it just like
falls out if you know what I mean? - How do you view story telling as a songwriter? - I
have a lot friends who are like film nuts. They know how to like structure something,
you know, they always talk about like Act 1, Act 2, Act 3. My camera keeps going askew
it’s quite funny. It’s a Dutch angle that’s what I learned from them. When I’m writing
songs I imagine things very visually. I imagine like a scene maybe in my life or like or a
life I imagining towering over me or behind me or i’m carrying them. There is naturally
like a rise and fall and like a tension and release. I think every single element can
like add something different umm whether that’s like a string rumble or like harmony or or
like the softness of playing. Great question I loved talking about that.
- what is your favourite part of the process of recording a song/album and what is your
least favourite? - There is sometimes like a clash between what I want to write and what
I have to compromise. Radio guidelines are like it has to be a few beats per minute faster.
i’m like I don’t want it to be a few beats per minute faster. That’s why it’s really
frustrating also sometimes my vocals are not as good on a particular day i’m like I can’t
get it wrong. String days are always fun, percussion days are always fun. Usually when
we’re recording drums I’ll like act it out and then Ross, my drummer Ross, will like
copy and also when we’re doing percussion days we’ll usually do like a vibe take which
is where everyone who’s in this studio gets in the room and like claps along and like
sings along like that kind of thing so that’s always really fun. Now that I am older and
I am Woman I get to communicate what I want - I personally think that like every single
artist has like their particular way of how they envision their audience listening to
the album especially for the first time. In a car on a rainy day staring out the window.
You know like * laughs* What is your ideal way of us experiencing the album? What do
you have in your head when you’re like I hope they listen to it and they’re in this
place - I remember that question it’s such a good question! It’s like a way to kind
of like unlock a feeling you know? Maybe just lying in the dark with some good headphones
or something. There is also like some visual stuff coming out with it. umm - oooh - and
that was really fun to like watch along umm so probably in that way as well. - I love
to listen to albums in my car and i’m like going on this journey and like I have to go
though it. You’re re-releasing ‘When’ This is not one of the questions I submitted
but I’m so excited, that’s one of my favourite songs of yours I - Oh my God *music plays*
Oh I’m so gonna cry to this. This is so good. *Laughs*
- How does music effect you because you like you suffer from derealisation or disassociation.
Cause you say music is really good for your mental health. So i’ve always wondered how
it effects you if it helps in any way. I would say like maybe if i’m at a gig. Obviously
like if I’m anywhere at all now i’m just constantly spaced out and that really does
effect it. Music helps me process in a really important way I think. It just kinda helps
like cleanse me In whatever way I need. Yeah access like corners of my brain and really
like pinpoint what I’m feeling and yeah I think like gigs for me are honestly are
like a spiritual experience I think I’ve had so many incredible moments umm at shows
it lets me be present not in like a non-derealisated way but more in like I dunno a way where I’m
allowed to feel whatever I need to feel in that - Yeah yeah I get that - Umm I have some
questions for you if that’s okay - yeah sure - okay so you seem to love music like
you love music like in the way I love music and I am very curious what does your music
library look like? - It’s absolutely chaotic right now - nice - Umm i’ve been listening
to a lot of hyper pop especially at work I also like a lot of sad indie stuff *laughs*
I love The Cure, The Frontbottoms, Umm America’s Pleasure Club, So I either like to be really
happy or really sad *laughs* - Umm I’ve been listening to a lot of Phoebe Bridgers,
Orla Orla Gartland a lot of Orla - Yeah! - err Mitski, Frank Ocean, R&B and Pop, SAD music
but really lush sounding, Sufjan Stevens, like sad music with a lush production vibe
- yeah great taste! - Of course I love your songs of course - Ahhh! - Everything from
like Your music I have gospel music I have Hip Hop, Megan Thee Stallion, Country, you
know Tennessee Whiskey *laughs* All over the place and that’s exactly how I like it.
I listen to music for the feeling not for the genre or whatever
- Oh my god, I, it fluctuates last night I was listening to Sleeping At Last’s Astronomy
Playlist. I love Sleeping At Last so much. Motion Sickness because who wouldn’t? I
love Phoebe Bridgers and Bill Wurtz’s new song Money- Yeah I love that! - I love Bill
Wurtz - Me too! - Oh I love Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae - I love your music taste
- Such a compliment and of course you’re on there too I think you’re one of my top
artists so - Oh my god wow an honour to be among those guys - Ever since Punisher came
out umm yeah that whole album that’s kinda just been on repeat I have to say and OBVIOUSLY
Build A Problem *laughs* The other day it was snowing and I was playing Hate Myself
and I felt like I was in a snow globe it was just a really fun experience
- Okay I have another question. Will you tell me about someone in your life who’s very
important to you - The friends that I have in my life now are the best friends that i’ve
ever had, the cliche answer is my mum is too I think my friends have really helped me become
the person that I knew I could be but didn’t realise it could become with the right kind
of support and what not. I love them so much - I think my girlfriend *laughs* - Oh yeah?
- Umm yeah we’ve been dating for about a year and a half now, I could gush on about
her for like hours on end. She’s very sarcastic, quippy, kind of the joker of the group - My
friends first and foremost for sure because being queer can be so can be such an alienating
experience having a bunch of trans and bisexual friends. They’re my rock - My mum and my
two brothers and they’re my unit like we are a package deal you get me you get them.
Like my mum is my best friend I’m surprised she has not called me since we’ve been on
the phone - The first person that came to my mind is my mum I love my mum and she’s
been so supportive of me studying music and doing all that so. Umm she is like the most
generous giving loving person like she’ll drop anything for anyone and I love that about
her
- My next question is will you tell me about something significant that happened in your
life it can be good it can be bad it’s up to you - I used to live in California and
I decided after High School to just move to Oregon living my own like indie life and going
out on my own *laughs* - My mind set in life in a way it’s not good at all but I’ll
talk about it briefly so my dog my childhood dog just recently passed away in December
and there was this thing on his certificate of cremation and it said something like “you’ve
never experienced true love until you’ve been loved by a pet” and I was like ooh.
Oh that’s, that hit, that hit real hard. I knew he wasn’t gonna live forever but
in my mind he’s kind of immortal because he’s been with me through my whole life
really and I had no doubt he was gonna make it through college. I’m about to be a senior.
I just realised how how fragile life is and I miss him but I thank him for what what happened
to him and what he taught me. - I lost my family cat like maybe even a few years ago
now and I still forget and like wake up in the middle of the night and i’m like wait
Tufty’s gone? yeah I’m grateful to kind of like have had him to teach me about you
know time moving on and change and growth and going through a grieving process
- I mean this is like semi-recent but I kind of like discovered what I want to do with
my life I recently last year changed my major to Sound Recording Technology so umm just
like actually doing what I I want to do in the future and like kind of seeing that has
been really exciting. I also play the clarinet as well also - *gasps* I thought I had it
next to me but I put it away - Yeah like recording in like studios doing live sound reinforcement
- that’s so cool - Any studio that’s really what I want to be doing - I really like respect
anyone who can just make a decision and just change their life course that’s a huge thing
to do i’m really inspired by that
- It’s probably the worst night of my life but I remember going to a party when I was
like 18 or 19 it was such an uncomfortable place it was very dark there were too many
people and at the time I didn’t realise I was very hyper sensitive to stimuli so it
overwhelmed me. It was a perfect combination of mental health issues I got a little psychotic
I didn’t make a lot of sense I was erratic so yeah it was bad i was just waiting for
my ride to pick me cause I couldn’t fucking handle being there anymore and I saw this
kid who was having a panic attack sitting there in the corner and it was very clear
to me what was happening so I sat up by him and I remember asking him questions and I
asked him if I could hold him he gave me his phone because he couldn’t type that’s
how much he was shaking. So I could text his sister I waited with him until she showed
up and made sure he was safe throughout the entire night in my mind I was being very mean
to myself for having mental health crisis during a party because everyone else is enjoying
themselves and I’m the one that’s like losing my shit - yep! - and it helped me realise
if I can be kind to this stranger having a mental health crisis I should be kind to myself
and I was also proud of myself looking back because I had nothing in me I was so exhausted
- wow that’s beautiful thank you so much for sharing that - that’s why I’m going
to university for psychology cause I realised there’s nothing that helps me as much as
helping other people through mental health
- Last year was probably one of the worst years of my life if not the worst year of
my life. It allowed space for me to get to know myself a little bit more. I thought for
so many years that my favourite colour was blue and purple just like what I stuck with
so many years ago. My favourite colour is pink and yellow and I just I love bright colours
and I’m into like fitness a little bit? - You seem so like bright, yeah you took the
time to be in tune with yourself and - yeah! - and if you have a hard year but it takes
a lot of strength to be like but I’m grateful for it
What would you love to achieve over the next few years - oh boy that’s a lot umm I wanna
study abroad like spring board into the career that I want which is something to do with
literature, getting on my own and being more independent that’s something that I’ve
always wanted, I really really want to do something with books - I just would like to
be happy and err try and figure out where my place in the world, I’d like to crete
more, just kind of be happy with myself and explore the world, I’d love to explore the
world
- I would like to graduate from university so that I can become a therapist, have enough
stability and money to like medically transitioning because I’m trans masc, take testosterone
and Brazil is a very transphobic country, to travel and visit my online friends because
I love them very much so if this pandemic could be over so I can see them soon that
would be amazing. - I’m getting my degree in law and social work - wow - I love to,
you know, graduate in the next couple of years and just start helping, it can be anywhere
from you know child custody battles all the way to foster care and adoption - I’m trying
not to fangirl I think I’ve been following you since I was like 15 - wow - *laughs* - I
don’t know how much will go in the video I’m trying to interview like a lot of people
so I’ll probably just use a snippet but really it was mostly just to like get a chance
to have a chat and say thank you umm yeah I don’t know in what way you know me at
all or like you might just know me on the side but I just wanna say thank you so much
for like letting me be a part of your life in any way it’s an honour and I wish you
the best
- I think I’ve been listening to you since 2018 I went to your LA concert, both your
LA concerts recently so yeah I appreciate you very much - Thank you! Genuinely I don’t
know if you realise the impact that you have on people like me who have watched your videos
for years and I mean you’re a part of my daily life this is like it’s like meeting
an internet friend for the first time ever - It’s only right that I get to I get to
say hello, pop into your life a while - Thank you so much my college roommate actually like
showed me who you are and I like ever since I heard you doing like I hear like clarinet
in your songs and I have just thought that was just so cool because you don’t hear
that in a tonne of pop music or like in any mainstream type music and it was just so cool
to like see the instrument being used and the way that you use it is so beautiful. I’ve
recorded a couple of your songs on my clarinet for funsies - oh my god! - Thank you so much
thank you for being a part of my life through your art and through your videos cause I follow
you for so many years when you were reacting to your 20 year old self like answering her
questions i was like I was there when you uploaded that video! * Laughs* - I wish you
so much luck - thanks for answering my questions - what is my camera doing?! *laughs* We’re
gonna be like okay bye! see you later. Okay I’m gonna love you
and leave you - okay bye! - bye!