Jozzy’s debut album was cathartic to make.
Born Jocelyn Donald in Memphis, Tennessee, Jozzy first rose to prominence as a co-writer on Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and has since lent her pen to everyone from Beyoncé, SZA, Summer Walker, 21 Savage and more.
Mentored by Missy Elliott and Timbaland, she has a deep reverence for music, especially in the R&B space. Her solo debut, Soundtrack 2 Get Her Back, is a reflection of that.
The body of work also comes from a deeply personal space for Jozzy.
The inspiration behind ‘Soundtrack 2 Get Her Back’
“It was a purging process for me, because, like even with the girl that I lost, like I literally really lost somebody dear to me,” she told Blavity during a recent interview. “I would never try to go back into a girl’s life that I don’t deserve to be in, because I know I f**ked it up. So I got to give her time,” she continued, adding she has to give her time to want to take her back or never take her back “because I f**ked that s**t up.”
“That’s a harsh reality of everything,” Jozzy said, mentioning that the music is her therapy, and the album is the end of that moment.
“I may never get that girl back, you know what I’m saying? But this is a part of my life that I had to get out because it’s like now I’m at peace with whatever happens.”
How her favorite rom-coms play a role in her artistry
A huge fan of romantic comedies from the 1990s and 2000s, Jozzy, leading up to her debut album, held a one-night-only theatrical musical stage play in April as a tease to the vulnerability that would come forth through her new album.
An immersive experience, it was also her theatrical debut, inspired by the project titled StagePlay 2 Get Her Back.
“It ain’t even about showing up, making music, it’s about showing up how to be in a relationship,” Jozzy said. “I was taught from soundtracks and movies how to be in love. Like, that’s the type of relationship I want. I want Monica and Q from Love and Basketball, you know what I’m saying? ‘You Made a Fool of Me,’ like oh man, Meshell Ndegeocello, when I hear that, I’m like ‘Oh man,’ like that feeling provokes so much, like, ‘Yo, I don’t want to ever make a fool of somebody.’”
She continued that soundtracks subconsciously shaped her, and with the recent lack of musical complement, “Movies don’t touch me the same.”
On making R&B expensive again
While her vulnerability and heartbreak were the catalyst for Soundtrack 2 Get Her Back, so was her love for R&B music.
“2000s music was expensive R&B,” she said. “That was when the R&B kind of hit the charts. The ’90s was the street era of underground R&B. Jodeci, Mary [J. Blige], but when the 2000s hit, Ashanti, B2K, that’s when the s**t hit the charts, TLC’s Fan Mail, al that s**t.”
She added, “This is putting R&B back into an expensive category. I feel like R&B has been such an underground, alternative state, and it’s like R&B is expensive. R&B can match up to pop. You can put R&B in the Sprite commercial and go crazy if you really want to. And that’s how I want to do my music. I want my music to be used in commercials and sync [licensing]. It’s expensive R&B, that’s my whole energy with this album.”
Featuring Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Jeremih and even a staple in mid-1990s to early 2000s R&B, singer Jon B, Jozzy’s debut album, Soundtrack 2 Get Her Back, is now available.
The post Jozzy Says She’s Making R&B ‘Expensive’ Again With ‘Soundtrack 2 Get Her Back’ Release appeared first on Blavity.
