An Interview with Hannah Jadagu

After releasing her debut album, “Aperture,” in May, Texas-raised genre-blender Hannah Jadagu has become one of 2023’s most promising breakout artists. While headlining the WERW Fall 2023 Launch Party, Jadagu spoke with 20 Watts Magazine.

Words By Harry Sutton / Graphic by Maxine Moses

Hannah Jadagu grew up in the bible-thumping suburbs of Mesquite, TX, quickly fleeing to study at NYU as soon as she graduated high school. After releasing her earliest music on SoundCloud, she signed to Sub Pop Records and made her first official release in 2021 with the EP “What Is Going On?.” After time at college and a year of touring with the likes of Faye Webster and Frankie Cosmos, Jadagu released her debut album, “Aperture,” this May 19th. The 38-minute record led to features in The New York Times and NPR, as well as her first headlining tour, which concluded in October.

The debut album’s 12 tracks put Jadagu’s pop appeal at the forefront, with scintillating melodies and animated guitar lines, but also show off a captivating complexity as Jadagu melds influences like grunge, dream pop, trip-hop, and more. While “What Is Going On?” showcased a promising vocalist and guitarist, “Aperture” saw Jadagu become an envelope-pushing musician, entirely in control of her unique and dynamic sound.

Before her headlining act at Schine Underground on November 16th, Jadagu spoke with 20 Watts about her creative process, life on tour, and multifaceted sound.

Your first EP, “What Is Going On?,” was recorded on your iPhone and released shortly after you signed with Sub Pop. What was that experience like having just graduated high school?

I recorded a lot of [the EP] before Sub Pop and then they reached out to me about doing a record deal. So I took a lot of that EP, mixed it, tweaked it, and then that came out with Sub Pop.

You had been making music for years, but was it a surprise when Sub Pop reached out?

Yeah, I had been speaking to only a few labels, but it wasn’t a big thing. I was surprised when anyone reached out but especially Sub Pop, because they had acts like Yuno and Fleet Foxes that my sister and I love. Then you have Nirvana and the Seattle scene. It’s legendary.

Your music melds so many influences, but remains cohesive despite being completely eclectic. How long did it take you to find this natural blend of genres that appears on “Aperture?”

I’m not sure how long it took, but something that really helped create that cohesion was that I had a process where I demoed everything myself and produced it as much as I could. Then I brought it to just one person, my co-producer, Max [Robert Baby]. We were just in the studio all day together, hashing it out and bringing our influences together. That’s what made it cohesive.

A lot of the songwriting on the album centers on your transitional experience from Texas to New York and your life in these past few years. How would you describe your songwriting style now and how it’s changed?

Since high school, I’ve gone on tour and I think I have more to reflect on. I’ve experienced life a bit more. For my process, I’ve just been trying to start on new instruments. I’m just more open to trying to start in different places, whereas I used to be only focused on the guitar and introspective lyrics.

So many genres shine through in a listen to “Aperture,” and it’s clear that your art synthesizes a vast range of modern influences. I was also born in 2002 and I think that you are one of many Gen Z musicians who shows a tendency to break down genre walls. Why do you think so many young artists attempt these ambitious blends?

I think we’ve just been so fortunate because we have so many more outlets to consume music than previous generations. With streaming services, social media, and just going to school with my friends, I’ve been introduced to so many different genres, and trying to mesh my favorite sounds has always felt really organic. I think, at our age, we have a better understanding of not feeling confined and not sticking to whatever the societal norm may be. A lot more young people are less scared to just do whatever they want and whatever they love.

Last month, you finished your first headlining tour in America and you’re heading to Europe in March. What has been the best part of your first real tour?

I think my favorite thing is that now, I’ve gotten some rest. This recent tour was my first headline tour and that in itself was really cool because I got to play to my own fans. I’m used to doing support shows, but even tonight at Syracuse I’m getting the headline. There are people in the crowd who love the album, which I’m getting to experience for the first time and I’m really happy about.