Jessica Wilde Explores the Escapism of Drug-Misuse in New Single “Head’s in The Roses”

Jessica Wilde Explores the Escapism of Drug-Misuse in New Single “Head’s in The Roses”

London soul-pop artist Jessica Wilde is proving to be one of the UK’s hottest new talents now. With a string of singles under her belt, regular ‘PxSSY PWR’ playlists and IG Live series, and collaborations with Rudimental, Emeli Sande, Tough Love, Kizzo and renowned K Pop Label SM Entertainment, the rising London star is quickly making a name for herself.

It’s not always been an easy ride for Wilde though as she documents on her new single, “Head’s In The Roses”, a dark slice of soul-pop inspired by the singer’s exploration of escapism through drug misuse.

Listen to the single here:

About the track, Jess explains, “I found love in this escapism… I was fully caught up in the fantasy and wanted that captured in the video which re-enacts a true romance story between me and another girl.”

The track is taken from Wilde’s upcoming debut album, Sober, Wasted, Wasted, Sober which will see release on March 11, 2022, and will be followed by the return of Wilde’s PxSSY PWR night to the Brixton Hootananny stage on April 7th, a night presented by Wilde’s pink wigged, biro smoking alter ego ‘Ya gurl Charlene’.

Ahead of the release of the album, we had a chat with Jessica about the inspiration behind the song, lessons learned and her own sobriety…

Thanks for premiering your new single with us, is the track a good indication of what fans can expect from the rest of the album?

“Yes! I brought back my spoken word and rap for this project and it’s something I haven’t done for years… It makes it that much more authentic because when I write rap / spoken word everything pours out, no holding back, it’s as raw and honest as I can be.”

“Escapism in drug misuse”, what prompted you to write about this period in your life?

“I bumped into my first love and she was in a really bad way, I felt thrown by what I’d seen so had to write to process it because writing songs is literally my medicine… that relationship was the beginning of my drug misuse and where the story of my album begins.”

What did you learn from it and any regrets?

“I spent a lot of time in regret, and what I learnt is that all it does is waste precious time! What’s done is done and true acceptance of where you are at is sooo freeing and the first step to creating change… every mistake has a gift if we allow ourselves to see it… ying and the yang baby!”

What about the album title, again, is it inspired by personal events in your life?

“Yes. The album is inspired by my journey to going sober, it’s been two years now! Whoop!! I wanted the title to be a mini-story in itself for people to read between the lines before they’ve even listened to the music.”

Going off the inspiration behind the new single and the album title, recreational substances play a big influence on your material. What do you get out of writing about those experiences?

“Writing music is my therapy, it helps me to process my emotions and now I’m sharing my personal story with the world I just hope it can help anyone else who may have gone through similar situations and need to know it is never too late to change it all up!”

Sober or wasted – everyone has had good and bad nights in both states, what about you? Any good times in London you want to tell us about?

“Wow, where do I even begin… I’ve had many crazy wild nights that ended up in days of partying, no sleep until I completely burnt myself out and then was faced with the dreaded comedown… I’m just loving my new way of being, raving sober, sometimes I get so lost in the vibes I feel like I’ve taken ecstasy [laughs]! But there’s no hangover, it’s a whole new world… trust me.”

Being part of the London scene, how hard is it to stay level-headed in what is quite a wild scene?

“Something shifted in me over the last year and I looove to go out again but sober. It took me a little while to find my confidence without being able to reach for a drink but now I’m often the last one on the dance floor.”

The album is out in a few weeks, will there be a party to celebrate?

“Yesss! 7th April at Hootananny Brixton, it’s gonna be a BIG night and it’s in collaboration with my PXSSY PWR event, which is a night I created to support female artists, so expect a line up of incredible guest acts joining me and it’s hosted by my comedic, pink-wigged, biro-smoking alter ego Charlene who is allll about the PXSSY power [laughs].”

Just to finish then, good luck with the album, what are your plans for the rest of 2022?

“I’ve got some really excreting collaborations in the pipeline which I will be revealing soon and a new project I’m working on which I’m gonna be doing something extra special for…”