Australian songwriter and artist Jaksyn presents a fine example of authentically original, uninhibited creativity. Jaksyn’s repertoire to date features an impressively eclectic range of themes and musical styles, and the stories within captivate in uniquely interesting ways.
We were blessed with the chance to interview Jaksyn, to find out more about this creative approach, what inspires it, how the music comes about, and plenty more. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Jaksyn – excited to talk music, thanks for the chat! To introduce things, where are you based, and how would you describe the style of music you make?
Thanks for having me!
I’m based in a little old mining town called Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, a city mostly known for its discovery of gold during the mid 19th century.
Stylistically, my music is a kind of a hodgepodge collection of ideas and themes that I’ve been working on for the last 10+ years. I’m very big on bending genres and pushing the boundaries so as not to be confined within any one definition. That is to say, I like to write and make music based on feeling and exploration, rather than just saying to myself “I’m only making rock, or pop’.
I guess there’s a part of me that knows I could just stay in one genre/lane, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s something so invigorating about crafting a song in a way you’ve never tried before!
You post live acoustic clips but also wholly produce the likes of a punk-infused ‘Cumbleweeds’ – what’s the driving factor, is it concept over genre, or do you just like to have fun with music?
A bit of both really!
Something that I’m beginning to explore further is writing albums in conceptual form, especially regarding specific sounds, themes and ideas.
Some of my favourite artists (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Queen, Kirin J Callinan) have been highly influential in my journey, and as such, I’m not afraid to step outside into the unknown and make a fool of myself haha!
But as you may notice, my music, videos, and persona are built upon free expression and ridiculousness. I am inherently extremely introverted, which is so fascinating to me, as I decided to choose a very extroverted thing to do, which is music and performing.
In a way, my performances and creations are a way of breaking that barrier I had set for myself for many years. So it is very freeing to, I guess, throw caution to the wind and write the silliest lyrics I can muster up.
How did Cumbleweeds come about – which section came first, and what’s a live performance of this one like?
Cumbleweeds was a funny one actually – specifically relating to the in-your-face wordplay…
I remember creating the guitar riff from the verses on the spot and just sort of mumbling away as I do. Just saying the most ridiculous stuff, enhancing the feeling of unease and dystopia that was being made. Then I starting saying “Aruba, Jamaica, a gunshot to the face-a” a la ‘Kokomo’ style. As much as I knew it was silly, I just had to keep it, I knew it would confuse, and I loved that. Especially when contrasted to the western-like chorus with padded harmonies talking about cumbleweeds rolling away.
Although I haven’t done Cumbleweeds live, I can very vividly imagine having 5 backup singers to belt the chorus across the walls of the unsuspecting audience, and some gnarly fuzz pedals I’ve got on my board, for sure a good one to do live!
How important is the visual side of what you do?
The visual experience is extremely fundamental to me.
I’m a very visual person, and as such, from the first conceptualisation to release, I usually have a fairly clear image in my head of what something is going to look like.
As a small, independent artist, I obviously don’t have the big budget to make highly polished works, however that’s actually completely okay. The green screen in my home studio along with some costumes and a weird idea is all I really need to make it happen, for now at least.
Tell me about Wild Vile West – what inspired this, and what does it represent for you?
Wild Vile West began as an idea in September 2022 to make an entirely conceptual album about a lonesome gunslinger in the old west, but with unconventional sounds and ideas.
Prior to this album, which comes out November 3rd ’23, I had written two albums which had mostly lived experience baked into the heart of them. So to write about characters and themes which had mostly no relation to myself or my life, was definitely exciting. There’s a lot of freedom in what you can do, where you can go, and wondering what’s going to happen to these people that have come to life in your strange little story.
What was one of the most impactful albums for you when growing up or learning your craft?
This is the single hardest question I’ve ever been asked haha, I have so many!
Although it is a recent(ish) album/project, I genuinely think Bo Burnham’s Inside has had such a profound and lasting impact on my music, and myself.
Its as funny as it is depressing, and its relatability has created such inspiring feelings for me.
I remember I was actually kind of late to the Inside party, I had only fully watched it/experienced it about a year after it came out. I was at a really vulnerable and raw point in my life, and I just remember feeling the out-of-body, soul-crushing, mind-boggling moment that was All Eyes on Me and just breaking down. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before, just pure derealisation.
(Honourable mentions go to Lily Allen’s No Shame, Ball Park Music’s Every Night The Same Dream, NIN’s The Downward Spiral, Vampire Weekend’s Contra, and Jeff Buckley’s Grace and thousand more!)
Do you get the chance to perform much around your part of Victoria, and what’s the scene like there at the moment in terms of both genre and audience interest?
I have performed somewhat extensively as part of my other band ‘Apex Bloom’ as a guitarist, but as ‘Jaksyn’ I’m about to launch myself into the world live and see what happens!
Unfortunately live music still isn’t where it should be (in my humble opinion), I’m not sure if its returned to what it was pre-pandemic, but I certainly hope to see more venues and opportunities.
Do you have a longer project on the way, or a different kind of action-plan for 2024?
I’m planning to start performing live, get my name and experience out there to the masses, or at least what masses care to listen haha!
I also have 2-3 albums in the woodwork usually at all times, I just have a lot to write, and until I run out, I’m gonna keep on keepin’ on.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting to post your original music and clips online as an independent artist?
The need to express, and express some more.
I’ve been writing and quietly making music for 10+ years, and until 2022, didn’t post or release anything. Some of it was, frankly fear, most of it was, “I need this to be PERFECT”, but it also just wasn’t the right time I think.
Now that I’ve got an abundance of confidence, and I have no fear in releasing my monstrous and beautiful creations to the abyss, it just feels freeing.
“Music is my vice, it is my release. Therefore, making it and being surrounded by it is what I just need to do, nothing more, nothing less.”
What does the song Ballad of a Cowman bring out in you emotionally when compared to the more upbeat songs of your repertoire?
I am inherently a very morbid and nihilistic person. I love writing about some dark subject matter,
I think that the part of us that suffers, is also the most beautiful. We don’t give enough credit to ourselves, our bodies, our minds for being so strong and resilient.
Ballad of a Cowman is just that. What would an average man feel in a morally ambiguous position such as our ‘cowman’? How does he cope? Would he even admit there’s a problem? It’s all confusing yet equally fascinating to me.
What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
‘If it sounds right to you, if it feels good, it’s ready.”
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Find Jaksyn on Instagram & YouTube.
