header image: courtesy of jèricho
words: aggy kazlauskas
boy meet world, world meet boy
to quote troye sivan’s profound words, “music meet body, body meet music.” well, actually, jèricho already has. the rising star, who currently resides in the city of angels, isn’t a novice when it comes to penning risqué earworms, nor is his determination to build a pop legacy. his sound and identity, however, have both blossomed from novelty into a direction that feels way more authoritative and self-assured.
having wiped the slate clean (bar one extremely catchy song that he had previously dropped under a different moniker), he once again finds himself in pursuit of stardom – and to gear up for the journey ahead, he is ready to accept and explore all facets of his creativity. as it turns out, a fresh start is sometimes all you need to keep moving forward.
all there’s left to do now is for jèricho to meet the world… and for the world to meet him, too. naturally.
below, the twentysomething singer-songwriter talks to me about his new single ‘d&g’, dating guys, and the things that have inspired him recently – a list which, as he later reveals, is a charming blend of his personal observations of the mundane life that surrounds him as well as innermost introspection.
a few things have changed since we last spoke. introduce me to jéricho the popstar.
jèricho: [it] is me at my truest form. fearless yet soft, full of ambition, hungry for stardom. the name came to me a couple months ago and it kept floating in my mind.
one day i researched what it meant and it actually was the name of a historical city nicknamed the ‘city of palms’. i had just moved to la and grew up always relating la with its palm trees and dreamed of moving here.
i thought to myself about how i’m in my dream city and pursuing what i’ve always loved, and the name felt like it was encapsulating my dreams and wants.
what steered you towards this change?
j: sometimes i feel like stage names can be costume-y. of course, they are until they aren’t, but i really wanted something as versatile as what my artistry is going to be and that can transform with me. i am a pop star and i love making fun pop music but there’s also these sides of me that aren’t always in that mode.
sometimes i am avoidant, hard to reach, masculine, feminine. i know my art is going to be explorative of all of these facets of myself and i wanted a name that could travel with me through all of it.
‘#d&g’ is your first release under the new identity. talk me through it.
j: i honestly feel amazing knowing that ‘#d&g’ gets to be the introduction to this chapter that i want to be the start of the rest of my career.
before the name change was official, i already knew the song would be out first – but putting [it] out as jèricho is very special and feels right in the soul. talking about that song makes me really happy, i’m very proud of her.
what’s the inspiration behind the track?
j: i was dating this guy, it was so on and off and he was spending this money on me to keep me around yet always disappointing me. but i realised there was nothing holding me there and if i wanted these things i could just go get them myself, even if it wasn’t in my grasp then.
i was listening to a lot of pop that had a lot of rhythmic talking/borderline rapping and was so inspired by tracks like ‘baby pink’ by camila cabello featuring eem triplin, ‘k-tips’ by cami bear, a lot of jae stephens. i wanted something punchy and fun because everything else i was writing was so down in the dumps.
it also shows a side of my versatility that i haven’t shown yet, and i want to explore more. i feel like i suck at writing lighthearted fun songs, so i needed to let loose and these songs gave me the format that i wanted to transfer into my writing. you can hear the ups and downs in the verses and the realisation of like “i can spoil myself, im that b*tch” in the chorus.
‘#d&g’ is built on quite an intimate foundation. how did you approach the songwriting for this song in particular?
j: i actually freehand wrote the chorus one day back in april with no music. usually what happens is lyrics written like that rot in my notes app forever, but the chorus was just too good and i knew i wanted to find music for it. a week later, the beat kind of fell into my lap and i was able to write around that chorus, which was so fun because it’s so bold and in your face – you can’t help but have fun with the rest of the song.
did you have a hand in producing the song?
j: i did not produce on this song actually! i recently have been using a lot of youtube beats when feeling inspired, because i think it’s a good exercise. writing to no music, you get to do whatever you want. i feel like people don’t give enough credit to being able to write in a box with the music laid in front of you. i ask myself, ‘how do i match the song’s personality?’, ‘how do i sprinkle myself onto what this artist (the producer) has built?’, et cetera, because at the end of the day, i am breathing a life into this piece of music and approaching in a way that nobody else will. it’s a talent!
if you could ask anyone to hop on the remix, who would you reach out to?
j: i’d wanna ask roro or kim petras. i love roro’s music, i think he’s mega talented and so good at the sector of music that i channeled for this song. kim is obviously a beast and i think she’d like the song actually.
what things have inspired you recently?
j: recently i have been mood boarding and picking up inspiration for the next project to come after i release the one ‘#d&g’ is on. los angeles as a city has been ultra inspiring. the bright lights and stardom of it all mixed with the normalcy of everyday lives. tutu’s and over-accessorising. slouchy hats. experimenting with my physical, aka bleaching my brows. interesting fonts. myself and my determination to make this happen for me, and the people around me, is all super cool, i would’ve never guessed i’d be where i am right now a year ago. i am finding it [inspiration] everywhere.
You have teased that more music is on the way. Anything you’d like to share?
j: more music is coming!!! so much of the project came to life shortly after my last single and things took a 180. but i am deep in the mixing and mastering of the last couple tracks.
i’m putting bows and ribbons on her. the next song is coming out sooner than people expect and it’s my favorite i’ve ever written, and i think it’ll find a good home in a lot of playlists. it may, or may not, be a jèricho january. ;)
‘d&g’ is out now. ⋆˚꩜｡
