Interview with Jasmine Marceau.
“We’ve got no manager, no booking agent, so to be in this position, I feel like I’ve won the lottery, genuinely.” Jessie Powell
We chatted with Dream State vocalist, Jessie Powell, on the last day of 2000Trees.
You’re playing The Cave stage, have you checked out the stage yet?
Jessie: Yeah, I did, I went to see Modern Error. It’s a really great stage.
Have you been to 2000Trees before?
Jessie: I came here last Summer. Aled brought me along, and I loved it. I’m really grateful to be here.
Do you have any pre-show rituals before you go on stage?
Jessie: Yes! I have to go and warm up, I have to do my vocal warm ups and stretches. Just try to release a load of anxiety that’s built up. Everyone usually gets irritated by me on the run up to a gig, because I just get really nervous. So just stretching and vocal warm ups, and just breathing!
It’s a new line up for Dream State, including yourself as the vocalist, how did you get together?
Jessie: The guys approached me on Facebook saying they were looking for a new singer/screamer. They had seen my previous bands, I’ve been in bands since I was about 14. I heard White Lies and thought it couldn’t be more suited to my vocal skill set. So I went along to audition, and the rest is history! I feel like I’ve been with them forever. Me and Aled, it’s like we’re brother and sister.
You recently released a single Chin Up Princess, and the production sounds amazing, do you have full control in the mixing process?
Jessie: Yeah, in terms of the song, I write predominately, with the music, all of the songs. All of the melody and the lyrics are predominately me. There is obviously input from the guys, Aled does all the instrumental, and I’d do the tracks. Chin Up Princess is actually a song that I wrote in my early teens, I recorded it with Dan Lancaster when I was 19, and we just massively re-worked it, it feels like it’s really evolved. And to get to work with Dan Weller, Enter Shikari’s producer, that feels dreamy as hell!
I take a lot of pride in what I write. I might hear one of Aled’s songs, and then I’d try a melody over it, then I’d see if these words I’d written fit. Once I get going I can’t stop.
You’ve been pretty busy this year with shows!
Jessie: Yeah, we just did Teddy Rocks, we did Lume Fest. This month is nuts, next week we’re headlining Rock City in Nottingham, before we’re a main support for Trashboat. We’re touring with Heart Of A Coward… I can’t wait to see Periphery and Sleep Token, then in August we’ve got Burn It Down. So I just feel really lucky to be on these, we’ve got no manager, no booking agent, so to be in this position, I feel like I’ve won the lottery, genuinely. A lot of people think I’m being insincere, but even if we’d just done a few shows this year I would have been grateful.
Do you like to be busy and jumping from show to show?
Jessie: It really does depend. I do prefer live shows to the writing, writing can be quite stressful, but it’s also really rewarding when you hear the finished product.
Are there any more releases on the horizon?
Jessie: Well you’ll hear Chin Up Princess live now that that’s out. We’ve got such a busy schedule, we’re always writing, but because our Summer is so stacked, for now we’re just concentrating on the festivals, then you never know! Wait and see what happens.
Do you have any bucket list collabs?
Jessie: Oh yeah, the list is endless! I’d love to sing with Sleep Token, back in the day I sung with Jason Butler when he was in Letlive. I’d love to do a collab with Fever 333, Funeral For A Friend – just to name a few. I think they’re my top.
Where do you see Dream State in the next three years?
Jessie: I wanna be on Download, SlamDunk, Reading and Leeds. I want to be touring America. Obviously, I’m a woman in my 30’s, so I need this to really take off in the next year or so, and I really hope it does. I’d love to do this as a job for a little bit, I’ve been chained to the corporate world since I left school. It had been 8 years since my last band, and when they approached me I wasn’t looking for a band. Everything happens for a reason, and within that 8 years, I’ve bought a house, got married, travelled the world, so if anything I think I’m more emotionally and mentally stronger now than I was in my 20’s touring. I truly think my time is now to shine, we’ll see!
You can catch Dream State later in the year on tour, tickets available now.