Jeremy Williams-Chalmers, Arts Correspondent

Interview With Juni Ata

‘Saudade’ (sow-da-day), a Portuguese word loosely translated as “a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing”, is the work of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Daniel Edwards, who records under the moniker Juni Ata. Edwards was raised in a small mountain town in Southern California in a loving and deeply religious home, with minimal exposure to secular music. Edwards didn’t hear his first Dylan song until his early 20’s, yet music was all around the house. As he grew older, he performed in a duo with his brother both in clubs and busking, but that
eventually ended followed by a stint in the Los Angeles area. Edwards decided to relocate to Nashville, where John Prine’s late manager Al Bunetta took him under his wing and became a friend and mentor before his untimely passing in 2015. The loss of his mother fed in to a loss of motivation, however, the Covid pandemic fed a need for creativity, which resulted in a stunning debut record. We caught up with Edwards to learn a little more...

First and foremost, hello and how are you?

At the exact time of this writing (Sunday, 9th of August, year 2020, at ten to eight US Central Daylight Time), I am feeling (in descending order):
-Hungry
-Slightly light-headed
-Tired (from driving to Nashville from West Virginia in the rain)
-Slightly irritable and dehydrated (see above)
-Worried about not having enough time do do everything this week
-Worried about all the weird insect bites I've gotten lately
-Mildly lovesick and forlorn
-Lightly hungover, and buzzed on 3 Olives vodka and tomato juice
-and lastly, moderately prepared to discuss the album that is coming out in a couple weeks

I realize I should just write, "good, how are you?"

Tell us a bit about Saudade:

Saudade is a record that chronicles a decade in my life. It's mostly personal stories of losing the love of my life, losing the dreams of my childhood, losing my mother (cancer), losing my mentor and friend (also cancer), and ultimately losing my way in a truly abhorrent and pathetic manner. Thanks to the coaching of my colleague Jacob Rosswog who convinced me to record the album one night in Charleston, the record does not end there - in the darkness. Instead, my grim narrative presses on to discover the meager glimmerings of hope and personal redemption (though they be mere shadows and question marks) that exist beyond heartbreak.

How do you feel about releasing your debut record?

In descending order, I feel:
-Old and out of touch
-Cautiously optimistic
-Fulfilled
-Grateful
-Exhausted
-Embattled
-Dubious
-Shy



What inspired the record?

I merely brought the words, music, and melodies to the table. Jacob Rosswog (producer/friend) then expanded on his vision to include lush string and horn arrangements, jangly percussion, duets and triets, features of other artists, and some lovely harp as well.

I guess, my stories. I guess my losses. I guess my hopes and dreams as they have evolved now that I'm through my 20s. I guess all the groovy, eclectic sounds I admired in formative years (too many to recount), and some of the sounds I was into at the time (too forgettable to recall). Returning to Nashville after many years away. Returning to music after even more years away. The prospect of glorious Love, leaning out of the nebulous obscurity of the void to shine on me again. Above all, Love.

I realize I should have just written, "the colour periwinkle."

Tell us a little about your creative process:

I learned to work very hard at music, and the crafting of songs when I first arrived in Nashville. Understand, this was in 2007. It may as well have been 1807. It was a different world in every regard. I was a humble street musician accustomed to busking outside noisy bars, sleeping in my car, less than $50 in the bank. I was scooped up by my mentor Al Bunetta who taught me the trade, as he understood it. So many profound lessons in those moments! Learning not to tamper with something that is imperfectly perfect (albeit, a cassette tape demo version on a living room couch), learning to dedicate the hours to writing- in light and in spite of the absence of waiting for fickle "inspiration" to make an appearance. Honestly, learning to be true to thine own self. He had me sit in with staff writers in Music Row offices, people that had never picked up a musical instrument in their lives, and watch as they performed the sacred duties of "Tastemaker" and "Trend Setter" - clocking in, and out, while churning out the big songs of the summer radio playlists, seemingly with one hand tied behind their backs. He taught me to stand up for myself as an artist, even if it meant being unpopular, even if it meant having to rewrite the playbook. He taught me professionalism as the ultimate currency.

When I write now, that is still all in there in the mix. Now I fight to create space so that inspiration may come in, timid as she is. I seek out little truisms that I can wrap up with a bow and yell at people with from a stage or an icy cold, sterile studio tracking booth. I seek Nature, and romance. I seek simplistic thrills to stave off the monotony of life (the paying of rent, the striving for a wage, the unwrapping of endless plastic piles of shit from the supermarket, the drivel of video blurbs and electronic dance music).

If the record were an animal, what animal would it be?

Hippo Bear, hands down. Powerful, amphibious, soft underbelly, motherly, ferocious, primal, big hands, playful, offensive, cowering, towering, and rarely seen in the wild or in captivity.

Or possibly a skink. I'm into those lately. They're slick!

Define your sound in five words:

Purple/periwinkle, asphalt, hippo bear, the number 3 or 11, and definitely not Americana.

What was the first song that caught your attention?

"The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round", most likely. I was age 2. I remember thinking. "jeezus golly don't the wheels ever fall off??"

What was the first song you bought?

I purchased the sheet music of Handel's Messiah for piano (Overture) at a thrift store with my mother when I was in grade school. There wasn't a terrible lot you could buy for $3 back then, but that was my allowance, such as it was. I should have waited twenty years, to when all music would be free for everyone all the time!!

And the first album?

The Chipmunks Rock the House, by Alvin & the..., on cassette tape, it was $3.99, used, and it sucked. But I thought it rocked. Maybe it rocked, and I thought it sucked. One or the other. Thank you for the reminder, let's all take a moment to revisit Alvin and his eunuch pals.

What was the best concert you have ever seen?

Al Green at Radio City Music Hall, 2019. Backed by Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was fucking INCREDIBLE.

What did the experience teach you that you have translated to your own shows?

Honestly, you should never fear the high notes. Reach for the sky, my son - reach for the sky.

If you could work with any artist, who would it be and why?

Gilbert & George, because I think I look rather fetching in a tweed suit.

Someone is making a film of your life, who will play you?

Oh! That's an easy one: someone younger, better looking, with better hair, less shitty tattoos, and someone more charming...definitely someone more charming, who's taller, tanner, tamer, and more talented.