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LOCKING IN WITH HANNAH JADAGU:
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN COLLEGE FRIENDS
STORY_BY: POPPY SMALLMAN
There are two months left in the semester. Half the class is playing the LA Times Daily Crossword, the other half is playing the NYT Games. Hannah Jadagu is sending notes to her producer, Max Baby, for her second studio album coming out later this year.
Born and raised in Mesquite, Texas, Hannah started writing songs in high school, using her phone to record in her bedroom and uploading music to SoundCloud. She signed with the label Sub Pop after high school and moved to New York to attend NYU’s Music Business program. Throughout college, Hannah lived a double life as a full-time student and pop artist, opening for artists such as Bartees Strange, Faye Webster, and Slow Pulp, and released her debut album Aperture in 2023 and embarked on her first headlining tour. A month after graduation, Hannah met up with her friend and fellow NYU Music Business graduate Poppy Smallman to talk about her thus far unnamed LP2, working with her best friends, and her favorite venues in NYC.
PS: You said you hadn’t interviewed since you were in campaign mode for your last album.
HJ: Yes.
PS: You’re back in campaign mode now, how is that?
HJ: It’s good. It feels very liberating. It’s also super chill. A lot of people ask me, ‘Are you nervous? You’re about to release music again!’ I’m like, ‘No girl. I’m excited.”’ This has been in the vault for way too long.
PS: Starting from the beginning, what was it like getting signed to Sub Pop while you were still in high school?
HJ: I put out one song on Spotify. This was the Spring semester of my senior year of high school, and then I put out another song. Since I only had two songs out, I put up a SoundCloud link in my Spotify bio. I didn’t give a fuck. I was like, ‘You can find all my demos there.’ I had enough up to where you could get a feel for what I was inching towards or what I was trying to do at the time. I think what happened was somehow my A&R, Tony, found me on Spotify and then clicked the SoundCloud link in my bio, went through the deep dive and hit me up. I know online it says I got signed in high school, but I think somebody’s milking it. I got signed my freshman year of college. But he hit me up after I graduated and was like, ‘Yo, my name’s Tony. I work at Sub Pop if you ever want to talk.’ I thought he was a scammer so I ignored it for weeks. But then one day I googled him and saw his interviews online and saw he was a real person. We started doing Google Meets. I wasn’t connected to the industry at that time, really. I mean, my sibling was doing stuff in publishing, but that was about it. I just loved talking to Tony and talking to Sub Pop so much that I was like, I just want to sign with Sub Pop. So then I signed to Sub Pop in the Fall, early in my freshman year at NYU. It was cool, but I also never realized how rare it was. One thing I do realize, though, is how lucky I was to get signed before the big TikTok boom. I always thank my lucky stars that people were doing real A&R work then. I’m so fortunate.
PS: Did you start working on this new album right away after Aperture? How much space was there between the two?
HJ: I was literally going through my project files in Logic today and I saw My Love, 06/04/2023, my latest single. But there was Project one, Project two, Project three, so many different versions. After Aperture, I was like, “I’m going to write again!” But honestly girl, it didn’t work. I definitely attempted, but it wasn’t until 2024, June and July, that I actually started writing full length compositions and songs. But yeah, it took a while. And then in July, I got in the studio with my friend Sora [Lopez]. That’s when we really started recording the record. I said, ‘Let me lock in,’ and it worked.
PS: After Aperture came out, you went on your first headlining tour. How was that? What was your favorite stop?
HJ: Ooh well, I love playing in DC I’m sure you know, just the hospitality, the production, everything is always really nice. Everybody’s very excited about music there. It’s like an artsy ass city low-key. We stayed with my friend Monica after that show which was beautiful. My van had broken down the day before in Philly, so I was not having a good time, but DC was a good morale boost. Of course I love to play in New York. I’m more of a sentimental gal. If there’s a sentimental attachment there, then that’s gotta be my favorite.
PS: What is your favorite New York City venue?
HJ: I love Webster Hall.
PS: Okay, Fuck, Marry, Kill; Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge.
HJ: Girl. Okay, I’m gonna marry Webster. Webster Hall is my girl and I love playing there. I think it always sounds good. It’s got such a classic look that I don’t think people realize because it’s so dark all the time, but when the lights are on, it’s extremely beautiful. I love to open for people there, I hope one day I could headline there. I’m going to have to kill Mercury. But girl, we love you. My first show, actually, was at Mercury Lounge. I opened for this artist called Bartees Strange. He’s so fire and he’s just a whiz. He gave me my first ever proper New York venue opportunity when nobody knew who I was. Mind you, this was like 2021. And then I might fuck Bowery [Ballroom] because I played there. And I’m always indebted to it because, you know, it’s just like the one that got away. No, I’m kidding. It is not that. But yeah, I played there at the end of my U.S. tour for Aperture and I loved it. It was beautiful. I think it sounds great there too. I played there for an abortion benefit concert series. So, you know me, it’s sentimental. I’d like to play there again.
PS: I forgot to put Baby’s [All Right] on there.
HJ: Honorable mention Baby’s. Also, love all the venues, for the record. Cause my agent’s gonna text me, why would you say that? Me and Poppy love you guys. Hire us.
HJ: I was literally going through my project files in Logic today and I saw My Love, 06/04/2023, my latest single. But there was Project one, Project two, Project three, so many different versions. After Aperture, I was like, “I’m going to write again!” But honestly girl, it didn’t work. I definitely attempted, but it wasn’t until 2024, June and July, that I actually started writing full length compositions and songs. But yeah, it took a while. And then in July, I got in the studio with my friend Sora [Lopez]. That’s when we really started recording the record. I said, ‘Let me lock in,’ and it worked.
PS: After Aperture came out, you went on your first headlining tour. How was that? What was your favorite stop?
HJ: Ooh well, I love playing in DC I’m sure you know, just the hospitality, the production, everything is always really nice. Everybody’s very excited about music there. It’s like an artsy ass city low-key. We stayed with my friend Monica after that show which was beautiful. My van had broken down the day before in Philly, so I was not having a good time, but DC was a good morale boost. Of course I love to play in New York. I’m more of a sentimental gal. If there’s a sentimental attachment there, then that’s gotta be my favorite.
PS: What is your favorite New York City venue?
HJ: I love Webster Hall.
PS: Okay, Fuck, Marry, Kill; Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge.
HJ: Girl. Okay, I’m gonna marry Webster. Webster Hall is my girl and I love playing there. I think it always sounds good. It’s got such a classic look that I don’t think people realize because it’s so dark all the time, but when the lights are on, it’s extremely beautiful. I love to open for people there, I hope one day I could headline there. I’m going to have to kill Mercury. But girl, we love you. My first show, actually, was at Mercury Lounge. I opened for this artist called Bartees Strange. He’s so fire and he’s just a whiz. He gave me my first ever proper New York venue opportunity when nobody knew who I was. Mind you, this was like 2021. And then I might fuck Bowery [Ballroom] because I played there. And I’m always indebted to it because, you know, it’s just like the one that got away. No, I’m kidding. It is not that. But yeah, I played there at the end of my U.S. tour for Aperture and I loved it. It was beautiful. I think it sounds great there too. I played there for an abortion benefit concert series. So, you know me, it’s sentimental. I’d like to play there again.
PS: I forgot to put Baby’s [All Right] on there.
HJ: Honorable mention Baby’s. Also, love all the venues, for the record. Cause my agent’s gonna text me, why would you say that? Me and Poppy love you guys. Hire us.
PS: After the tour, what was it like to walk back into a classroom?
HJ: I toured in September 2023 and took that semester off. I came back in Spring 2024 and I did probably 16-18 credits. That was crazy. I still had a 4.0, though. One thing I loved about coming back to school after touring was the structure. But I got nervous every time. That’s what I get nervous for – coming back to school, not touring or putting out music or whatever. I think when you’re 19, 20, and you see your friends are graduating but you’re still there, you’re worried. I was wondering ‘Will I make new friends? Will I still have a good time?’ But I did. I enjoyed it.
PS: Did it feel by that point that finishing your degree was more of a means to an end? Did you love it or did you reach that point where you were like, all right, let’s wrap it up?
HJ: Bro – I reached that point where I remember telling my team, ‘I’m going back and you’re not going to see me until I’m done. Please don’t book me for stuff.’ I just felt like I owed it to myself. I’m a nerd. I like to learn, I like to go to class. I mean, we all have those days where we’re like, ‘Man, fuck this class,’ but secretly, I think I like that. I found that when I was in school I could feel myself becoming smart again, and I didn’t want to lose that. I really matured between 19 and 21, where I realized what a blessing it is that I get to go to school and I don’t have to pay the 80K that a lot of people are paying. My mom came to the States for this shit. I just wanted it. And also…I’ll say it, like, I didn’t want to be that girl who didn’t have a degree and ended up being, like, super, super jobless and lost. Like, that was a very big fear I always had. Because I feel like when you have a degree, that’s something to fall back on, even if it may not be what you want to do, you know, like, it’s something to fall back on. It’s important, especially with the way this economy is going, girl. I had no business only having my high school diploma.
PS: My dad did always tell me, don’t accept a tour before you finish, because you’re not going to want to go back. So, I commend you for literally going across the country, living your dream, and then sitting right back down in Principles of Financial Accounting.
HJ: That’s hilarious. I will say, Spring of 2024, when I came back from the Aperture tour, I was still traveling for the European and UK leg that semester. But I just made it work, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I think it’s so funny because I’m always like, ‘Oh, I need a break. I need a vacation,’ and then I get that, and I don’t like that feeling – I guess I’m a little bit of a busy bee.
PS: I feel like you had one foot out the door from the moment that I met you.
HJ: Yes, by the time we met - that is so true. I physically, literally had one foot out that door. And before I met you, I kind of had a few toes out. Before I met you, I used to be like, ‘Man, I’m leaving school, and I’m never coming back.’ And then I came back twice. You know, I dropped out twice? Every single time I would come back, people would be like, ‘I thought you were gone. Aren’t you supposed to be on a tour?’ But I just came back in between tours, guys. Sometimes I was touring while in school. Y’all wouldn’t know. I’m quiet.
PS: What are you still taking with you from Aperture, and what are you leaving behind?
HJ: I’ll try to hint at some stuff that people will definitely hear when they hear the record, but one thing I’m leaving behind is that indie rock sound. I mean, my song “My Love” came out yesterday, and you can hear the guitar is still there, but it’s really only there to be a lead guitar and to do a little riff that I wrote. Don’t get me wrong, guitar is still there, but it’s there in a different way on this record. I’m excited for people to see, because we’ve hinted at some stuff with “My Love,” but we have a lot in the works and I feel like we took our time with it, and there’s just a lot more intentionality. Aperture was beautiful because I made that when I was, like, 18, whatever, 19 and it was just kind of like, that’s what it felt like to be that age, just spontaneous. You think you know everything. But this record, I surrendered to the fact that I didn’t know everything and I wanted to try to figure out what I really wanted to do.
HJ: I toured in September 2023 and took that semester off. I came back in Spring 2024 and I did probably 16-18 credits. That was crazy. I still had a 4.0, though. One thing I loved about coming back to school after touring was the structure. But I got nervous every time. That’s what I get nervous for – coming back to school, not touring or putting out music or whatever. I think when you’re 19, 20, and you see your friends are graduating but you’re still there, you’re worried. I was wondering ‘Will I make new friends? Will I still have a good time?’ But I did. I enjoyed it.
PS: Did it feel by that point that finishing your degree was more of a means to an end? Did you love it or did you reach that point where you were like, all right, let’s wrap it up?
HJ: Bro – I reached that point where I remember telling my team, ‘I’m going back and you’re not going to see me until I’m done. Please don’t book me for stuff.’ I just felt like I owed it to myself. I’m a nerd. I like to learn, I like to go to class. I mean, we all have those days where we’re like, ‘Man, fuck this class,’ but secretly, I think I like that. I found that when I was in school I could feel myself becoming smart again, and I didn’t want to lose that. I really matured between 19 and 21, where I realized what a blessing it is that I get to go to school and I don’t have to pay the 80K that a lot of people are paying. My mom came to the States for this shit. I just wanted it. And also…I’ll say it, like, I didn’t want to be that girl who didn’t have a degree and ended up being, like, super, super jobless and lost. Like, that was a very big fear I always had. Because I feel like when you have a degree, that’s something to fall back on, even if it may not be what you want to do, you know, like, it’s something to fall back on. It’s important, especially with the way this economy is going, girl. I had no business only having my high school diploma.
PS: My dad did always tell me, don’t accept a tour before you finish, because you’re not going to want to go back. So, I commend you for literally going across the country, living your dream, and then sitting right back down in Principles of Financial Accounting.
HJ: That’s hilarious. I will say, Spring of 2024, when I came back from the Aperture tour, I was still traveling for the European and UK leg that semester. But I just made it work, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I think it’s so funny because I’m always like, ‘Oh, I need a break. I need a vacation,’ and then I get that, and I don’t like that feeling – I guess I’m a little bit of a busy bee.
PS: I feel like you had one foot out the door from the moment that I met you.
HJ: Yes, by the time we met - that is so true. I physically, literally had one foot out that door. And before I met you, I kind of had a few toes out. Before I met you, I used to be like, ‘Man, I’m leaving school, and I’m never coming back.’ And then I came back twice. You know, I dropped out twice? Every single time I would come back, people would be like, ‘I thought you were gone. Aren’t you supposed to be on a tour?’ But I just came back in between tours, guys. Sometimes I was touring while in school. Y’all wouldn’t know. I’m quiet.
PS: What are you still taking with you from Aperture, and what are you leaving behind?
HJ: I’ll try to hint at some stuff that people will definitely hear when they hear the record, but one thing I’m leaving behind is that indie rock sound. I mean, my song “My Love” came out yesterday, and you can hear the guitar is still there, but it’s really only there to be a lead guitar and to do a little riff that I wrote. Don’t get me wrong, guitar is still there, but it’s there in a different way on this record. I’m excited for people to see, because we’ve hinted at some stuff with “My Love,” but we have a lot in the works and I feel like we took our time with it, and there’s just a lot more intentionality. Aperture was beautiful because I made that when I was, like, 18, whatever, 19 and it was just kind of like, that’s what it felt like to be that age, just spontaneous. You think you know everything. But this record, I surrendered to the fact that I didn’t know everything and I wanted to try to figure out what I really wanted to do.
PS: Tell me about the song of the Summer, “My Love,” how did that song come to be the lead single?
HJ: I met up with my bro Sora [Lopez] in LA. We got in the studio and we wrote some songs together and we tried to do “My Love,”. It was one of those songs that would not work. In August of 2024 I returned to LA - and really was locked in and we got the basis for “My Love.” We had our references, something 80s pop leaning or Lorde Melodrama leaning, something that felt like it had a strong identity and could really groove with what I had written. We laid the groundwork for it, and I came back to New York, but the song still wasn’t done. I hit up my guy, Max [Baby,] who’s in Paris. He was the producer for Aperture. I said, ‘Max, I think I need some new drums on this, I need you to play the lead guitars over what I played already, just kind of double some things and give me your light on this.’ And so he did that. It wasn’t until this year that we got it mixed/mastered. And then when we were choosing the single… it ended up being “My Love,” because everybody felt it was perfect for summer. Everybody also felt that it was a good tie to Aperture. Setting a new tone, but not scaring people off, you know? I always try to be conscious because I really respect everybody that was rocking with me for Aperture. I want to give you something that feels fun that you can groove to, but isn’t so scary. The song is really just about being in love. I love love. I’m grateful that I get to experience it this early in my life.
PS: What are your musical references?
HJ: Right now, well, for this song, it was Lorde, her Melodrama era. It was Blood Orange. We listened to a lot of Michael Jackson while making, like, everything. He’s so iconic. I love Twigs, but she wasn’t really a reference for “My Love,” but the album in general, yeah, we were playing Twigs a lot, Rosalía a lot, of course. I mean, those are two iconic girlies.
PS: In that vein, do you have dream collaborators, whether it’s producers, artists, or even visual artists, stylists?
HJ: There is one person I want to work with one day. Imogene [Strauss.] She does stage design for Dominic Fike, Clairo, Charli XCX. That’s actually, like, the one person. She’s so fire. She’s like a mastermind.
PS: In terms of the “My Love” music video, I was watching the credits for it and you’ve got the roommates, you’ve got bae, you’ve got your older sibling. What’s it like working with a team that is so close to your personal life?
HJ: It’s my favorite thing ever because they get me. I think when you work with people that are so close to you and your personal life, there’s always a risk of, ‘what if this, what if that,’ but I don’t worry about those risks. What I focus on is, ‘Will this person get me? Can I say less words for them to understand the vision?’ ‘Cause I don’t like to explain myself too much. That’s what you get when you work with bae, when you work with your sis, when you work with your roomies, your besties. You just get people that intrinsically know you, value you, and they show up for you. It’s not always the case, but, sometimes, I’ve worked with people in the past – and no shade – but you can just feel that they might not care as much as you do. And that’s okay, because everybody has a lot of shit going on and a lot of different goals than you. But when you work with people you love, you share the same goals. So that’s why I love to do that. I always say if I get money and do a big tour, I’m just bringing everybody I know. I’ll find you a job.
PS: How do you define success for yourself?
HJ: Well, for myself personally, success is knowing that you did everything you could to be great, to be XYZ; you put everything into it and you are happy with the outcome. I think as long as you intrinsically are happy with where you are, to me, that is success. There are other metrics that I think you can use that I honestly don’t knock because it’s valid. Like, I’m able to pay my rent now. To me, that is success because I grew up at the poverty level. Not to say, you know, woe is me, but that can be success, knowing that you’re the reason you keep your lights on. To be able to make art, to me, that’s low-key success. But also, at its core, success is knowing that you put everything you could into it and you’re satisfied with the outcome. I feel like I have gotten to experience that over and over and over again, so I feel like I’ve had success that I’m content with, but I am always hungry for more. I think we’re always going to be chasing something, so just lock in on something that you love.
HJ: I met up with my bro Sora [Lopez] in LA. We got in the studio and we wrote some songs together and we tried to do “My Love,”. It was one of those songs that would not work. In August of 2024 I returned to LA - and really was locked in and we got the basis for “My Love.” We had our references, something 80s pop leaning or Lorde Melodrama leaning, something that felt like it had a strong identity and could really groove with what I had written. We laid the groundwork for it, and I came back to New York, but the song still wasn’t done. I hit up my guy, Max [Baby,] who’s in Paris. He was the producer for Aperture. I said, ‘Max, I think I need some new drums on this, I need you to play the lead guitars over what I played already, just kind of double some things and give me your light on this.’ And so he did that. It wasn’t until this year that we got it mixed/mastered. And then when we were choosing the single… it ended up being “My Love,” because everybody felt it was perfect for summer. Everybody also felt that it was a good tie to Aperture. Setting a new tone, but not scaring people off, you know? I always try to be conscious because I really respect everybody that was rocking with me for Aperture. I want to give you something that feels fun that you can groove to, but isn’t so scary. The song is really just about being in love. I love love. I’m grateful that I get to experience it this early in my life.
PS: What are your musical references?
HJ: Right now, well, for this song, it was Lorde, her Melodrama era. It was Blood Orange. We listened to a lot of Michael Jackson while making, like, everything. He’s so iconic. I love Twigs, but she wasn’t really a reference for “My Love,” but the album in general, yeah, we were playing Twigs a lot, Rosalía a lot, of course. I mean, those are two iconic girlies.
PS: In that vein, do you have dream collaborators, whether it’s producers, artists, or even visual artists, stylists?
HJ: There is one person I want to work with one day. Imogene [Strauss.] She does stage design for Dominic Fike, Clairo, Charli XCX. That’s actually, like, the one person. She’s so fire. She’s like a mastermind.
PS: In terms of the “My Love” music video, I was watching the credits for it and you’ve got the roommates, you’ve got bae, you’ve got your older sibling. What’s it like working with a team that is so close to your personal life?
HJ: It’s my favorite thing ever because they get me. I think when you work with people that are so close to you and your personal life, there’s always a risk of, ‘what if this, what if that,’ but I don’t worry about those risks. What I focus on is, ‘Will this person get me? Can I say less words for them to understand the vision?’ ‘Cause I don’t like to explain myself too much. That’s what you get when you work with bae, when you work with your sis, when you work with your roomies, your besties. You just get people that intrinsically know you, value you, and they show up for you. It’s not always the case, but, sometimes, I’ve worked with people in the past – and no shade – but you can just feel that they might not care as much as you do. And that’s okay, because everybody has a lot of shit going on and a lot of different goals than you. But when you work with people you love, you share the same goals. So that’s why I love to do that. I always say if I get money and do a big tour, I’m just bringing everybody I know. I’ll find you a job.
PS: How do you define success for yourself?
HJ: Well, for myself personally, success is knowing that you did everything you could to be great, to be XYZ; you put everything into it and you are happy with the outcome. I think as long as you intrinsically are happy with where you are, to me, that is success. There are other metrics that I think you can use that I honestly don’t knock because it’s valid. Like, I’m able to pay my rent now. To me, that is success because I grew up at the poverty level. Not to say, you know, woe is me, but that can be success, knowing that you’re the reason you keep your lights on. To be able to make art, to me, that’s low-key success. But also, at its core, success is knowing that you put everything you could into it and you’re satisfied with the outcome. I feel like I have gotten to experience that over and over and over again, so I feel like I’ve had success that I’m content with, but I am always hungry for more. I think we’re always going to be chasing something, so just lock in on something that you love.