- 2021-10-02
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ JoJo Releases New EP “trying not to think about it”: Streaming
American singer-songwriter JoJo released her new EP “trying not to think about it” as R&B capsule project on October 1, 2021.
The EP follows the 2020 album “December Baby” and comprises of 12-track.
Produced by Cardiak, carobae, D'Mile, DZL, JoJo, JordanXL, Nikki Flores, NoiseClub, Rob Grimaldi and WU10.
“Trying Not To Think About It is a result of feeling sooooo lost, scared, and confused at the end of 2020 – desperate to believe in/find my light once again. Sometimes we feel like we're the only ones. But we NEVER are alone in our darkness,” JoJo said of the project. “If you listen, I hope this project makes you feel seen, validated, not crazy, and hopeful that you won't feel bad forever. You're more in control than you think.”
She created the EP during the COVID-19 pandemic. She told verywellmind, “I wanted to make something that reflected how I was feeling at that time and that might help some other people feel less alone.”
She continued, “I was really struggling to do things that I knew would help me feel better—like going out in the sun and exercising, eating a plant-based diet, or engaging with people. I was so confused, and that's where the thought of writing through it came from. I realized that I was trying to push through and not think about the things that were eating me up, thinking about my concerns for my family, my fears, the state of the world, my personal accountability. All these things. I try not to think about them. But I realized that was probably making it worse. So then, through writing, not only for the albums but journaling and starting to talk to my therapist again. That's where all these songs came from.”- JoJo explained track-by-track for the EP.
“World of Sunshine *intro*”
“'World of Sunshine' is literally the first thing I recorded for this EP. I truly had no idea what I was going to do. But I felt like maybe I needed to write through where I was at if I wanted to hopefully speed up getting to the other side of it. Seeing as I was depressed af, I thought it'd be ironic to write a song called “world of sunshine”. So I went into the recording booth and asked BooBoo, the engineer, to give me a click- and then I just started letting sounds out. He must have been like “what the fuck is going on here”- it was our first session together lol. Creating a bed or a wall of voices first- things started coming together in my mind- I then freestyled a few words on top. idk if anyone else would notice but I can hear how sad I was on this recording. I was on the verge of tears trying to convince myself that I am still good enough to make and release music. To keep trying. To love again. To trust myself. To get out of my head and back into the world and start living- not to please others but to be fully expressed and in my purpose.”
“Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)”
“Somewhere over the years I became someone who wore all my fears and anxieties and hang ups and negative self-beliefs like armor. This song is about wanting to break up with your anxiety- talking to it like it's an abusive relationship. CUZ IT IS. It can keep you small, isolated, unhappy, afraid, unable to perform to the best of your ability and reach your potential. If you're reading this and you relate: I GET YOU. Someone once told me that naming your depressed/ anxious self and keeping it separate from who you really are can be helpful. So I named mine Burlinda 🤷♀️ sorry to any Burlindas reading this 🤪. I haven't conquered my anxiety… but slowly but surely… I'm learning how to work with Burlinda… and let her know she is not needed and can take a fucking seat. cuz I GOT THIS. Bitch.”
“Dissolve”
“Relationships are nuanced. add any combination of shame, guilt, embarrassment, fear, and confusion to the mix and you've got yourself a shit show. This song is about feeling so low at the end of a tumultuous era with someone to where you wish you could just disappear til the confusion and pain subsides. Asking one last time if the love was ever really real for them, cuz at the moment you're questioning everything. But at the heart- things are not adding up and you both have to move on. Even though it's something you've been trying not to think about…”
“Good Enough *interlude*”
“life is a trip. sometimes it feels like my self- esteem exists on a sliding scale. One day feeling confident, capable, resilient and another day feeling broken, unworthy, and small. these limiting beliefs are so painful and are accumulated over time… rearing their head sometimes perhaps to try to protect us from getting emotionally bruised by putting ourselves out there. and that's part of the catch 22.” -
“B.I.D.”
“We all need someone to listen to us and help bring down the intensity of life from time to time. This song is about being that person for somebody else… assuring them that no matter how they feel, they can let it all out with you when they are in your presence. You can be a place they can rest and find peace. tag who that person is for you.”
“Feel Alright”
“This song is about getting to a place where you'll do just about anything just to FEEL OKAY. Even if it's selfish or harmful or takes you a few steps back. Even if it means staying somewhere familiar because it's comfortable- even though it's not right. I've tried many different ways of dealing or not dealing with my emotions and thoughts over the years. Avoidance and/ or burying myself in the wrong relationship is definitely among the least productive. 🤷♀️🤒👀 what's the farthest you've gone to try and FEEL ALRIGHT?”
“Fresh New Sheets”
“I've adopted this ritual of getting a fresh set of sheets when a relationship comes to an end. There is so much energy in intimacy, so getting new sheets helps the process of clearing space for a next chapter, whatever it might bring. This song is about letting someone new know how terrified you are of opening yourself up to love and getting it wrong again. Feeling like a confused mess who is not ready to have someone new lay in these sheets. And admitting that you're better than how you've been acting. That on the other side of these dark stormy feelings is a fuller, bigger, brighter version of you.”
“Spiral SZN”
“You know that time where it's just one thing after the other ? Like, when it rains it pours and u just keep getting more and more underwater and out of control? Welcome to spiral SZN. Seems like ALL the damn planets are in retrograde (like literally rn) and you just can't keep your feet on solid ground. This season won't last forever.”
“Lift”
“Last track on TNTTAI is an ode to getting help. whether it's talking to a friend and sharing what you're going through/ thinking about, starting therapy, getting a course of medication from your doctor, or diving into your faith- we all need a LIFT sometimes when we're struggling to stay afloat. No one can make it through this journey alone. This song was me realizing that I could not keep doing the same thing expecting different results. I needed professional help to processes the trauma/ grief/ disappointment/ shame/ fear that i had accumulated over the years that had built up walls of defense, tightness, and fakeness for the sake of “keeping the peace”. Otherwise I feared I might keep repeating the same self sabotaging patterns that reinforced deep rooted lies I had taken on over the years. honestly, as I type this I'm about to dive into a day of emotional work with an amazing psychologist whom I'll probably tell you more about when I'm done and it's all settled and embodied. Typing this from a cabin in the woods right now (sounds kind of spooky) lol… Trying out a form of therapy called brain spotting which helps process emotions and beliefs that have been locked away and held in the body for a looooong time. It allows the subconscious mind to open up and release as opposed to the conscious analytical mind which tries to make sense of things logically.” - source : Apple Music
