Someone Get This Girl A Rolling Stone Cover.
I’m loading into a Sunshine Coast studio, listening to JaZZella tell me about her ‘genre’ while she’s leant deep into a mirror, energetically adding the last of the glitter to her makeup look.
“Some people say it’s soul, but like pop and a little bit of reggae and…” the list continues.
“It’s so hard to define a genre, huh?”, I say offering a summary to JaZZ’s haphazard attempt to confine herself to just one. And then she plays me a track off of her upcoming album…
There’s no stretch of the imagination taking place anymore: the track floats through each of the genres she’d just rattled off with ease and grace and I’m caught off guard by how the hell it makes perfect sense.
”A lot of the judges mentioned you sound like Amy Winehouse” I offer, immediately linking the depth and passion and grit of the two women’s vocals.
Winehouse is somewhere on my lengthy mental-list of important artists I’m obliged to eventually binge the discography of, for all the impact and influence they’ve contributed to the culture.
Dolly is currently taking up that space, it’s a blast.
JaZZ is swooning over a Winehouse vinyl she’s brought along to the shoot, accompanied by other records to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and my lord and saviour, Lana.
”She’s my favourite!” JaZZ remarks. I move the Winehouse discography to next-in-line.
Just a few weeks ago the judges involved in our Young Artist Sponsorship were in the final hour of deciding on a recipient for the program. JaZZella Coogan’s application left us all conflicted. The sponsorship, intended for young artists with barriers to accessing equal opportunity, saw JaZZ submit an unfortunately strong application. And then, if you read her self-written bio, the PR friendly one she uses to promo herself as an artist with commercial viability, you’re going to leave with stars in your eyes; she is all sparkling success, all energetic drive, the owner of a burning-hot career that has sustained for many years now. The bio that we instead were offered to deliberate over made broken glass of those rose-coloured specs. Both accounts, however - the unabashed potential, and the days of unjust trial - are phenomenal, and true in spite of the other.
During our shoot, there’s an atmosphere of creative control; JaZZ has a personal brand and it’s so polished, despite her insisting she has no idea what she’s doing in front of a camera. She’s changing outfits every 15 minutes like it’s a sport. I’m energised to edit this gallery quick-stat, and entirely to her credit the next day I’m sitting in Lightroom thinking, “this girl could pull off a Rolling Stone Cover”. The guitars are sexy, the hair is huge, the influence of America’s best has infiltrated the aesthetic and the musicality of this young Australian artist, and it’s exciting to witness.
You won’t find her on Spotify… yet. Her debut album, ‘StarZ and GuitarZ’ is shortly making its entrance.
“I have written/composed this entire album myself and co-produced alongside StoneWax Productions and the incredible ARIA winning producer Paulie B at Yama-Nui Recording Studio during Covid 19”, JaZZ says of the impending album.
So, while you’ll have to wait to fully appreciate the picture I’ve painted in this post, you can get a taste for what she’s capable of here and here. Follow her on Instagram here.
All photographs captured within a Jazmyn Produces x JaZZella Standard Shoot.
