Last year was a good one for Jagga. He toured with Katy B, signed to Sony and went to LA to record with Odd Future producer Matt Martian - an experience that has had quite an effect on the artist. Jagga is determined to carve out his own singular niche in the UK scene and his new track 'Love Song' is a very good start. He spoke to IDOL about his plans for the next few months.

Tell me about your single 'Love Song' and the thought process behind the much-hyped video?

I started out writing the song at home, and it came as a backing track and the vocal melody first. I slowly worked the lyrics into it. It's kind of about this kind of thing when you spend the night with somebody, and you're like, I'm not going to hang around and try and be in your life and be around you all the time. I understand what's going on here and I'm going to move on. From my point of view, that's how I felt about the song.

Then, we farmed it out to some people to see what they thought about it as a video and the group who ended up doing the best treatment had this completely different take on it, and it had this kind of menace to it. It was about different kinds of love, and a situation where there's a crazy relationship between a father and son in the house, the father blaming the son for the break up of the family. We thought it was a really interesting twist, and when I listened back to the lyrics and the sentiment of the song it all fitted together.

 

How do you feel about the response that the video has received so far?

It's been amazing! I really didn't expect it at all. It's my first real single since being signed, but I've put tracks out before and you get a nice level of response, but I just checked and its 370,000 views on YouTube after a few days. It's the biggest response for anything that I've done so far.

 

What would you say to those who have deemed the video too provocative?

Too provocative? (Long pause) I don't care. At least some people are making daring videos.

 

"It's good to have struggles, nothing good ever comes easy"

 

You wrote the song, and then it was produced by Mark Tieku, is that right? 

I wrote the song and I took it to Mark as I had a session with him. It was the first time I met him so I thought, just to be on the safe side I'd bring this track along. We started working on a few other bits and pieces and I said we should look at this, and he had a little play with it.

 

Have you finished your album now? 

Yeah man, I've kind of come to the end of the road. It's been a really difficult last year, but I think the struggle is good sometimes. Mark, in fact, said that it's good to have struggles, nothing good ever comes easy. I'm in production on the album at the moment, getting tracks produced up and pulled it together in some kind of coherent package.

 

What can our readers expect from it?

Ah boy! The sound is a mix of everything that I'm into and vibes that I'm into. There are a lot of cross-over tracks, a little bit rock and a little bit dance-y. I think free man, unhindered by boundaries.

 

You were a model before you became a singer, is that right?

Not really. I was always working with music and I got spotted one day by some guys in Central London, and they said would you like to do some work for us, and it was the heads of Levi's UK. They gave me a couple of jobs.

 

"I never did modelling out of interest in modelling"

 

Is fashion important to you? 

I never did modelling out of interest in modelling, it was always about getting some money so I could support the music that I was doing. I really appreciate fashion and nice clothes. Maybe less brand names, but good colours and cuts.

 

Do you think it has been easier to succeed in music because you're good looking?

I don't know. I don't really think about it. I can't really divorce who I am from that... that was such a strange question.

 

I bet it has helped with your fan base?

I don't think so. Only now are people starting to take notice.


Do people sometimes confuse you with the other famous Jagger?

Oh no. My friend gave me the name, I'm not going to say why. When I started working in music it just stuck, with people calling me Jags or Jagga.

 

"It's a different buzz really"


Last year you toured with Katy B - how was that? 

It was really exciting man. She's a really cool girl. She's having a lot of success but is a very humble, down to earth professional.

 

Do you enjoy performing live? 

Um - it's a different buzz really. It's always kind of weird because I did my first show a couple of weeks ago at The Nest in Dalston. I'd been off stage for 8 months, I was a little bit nervous and jittery before.

 

But you'll be performing in some festivals this summer?

I've got Leeds and Reading festivals this summer. And another one called Lounge on the Farm. I'm around this summer - if you want to find out where I'm playing look on my Facebook page.


Is your live set quite acoustic?

No, nothing is very acoustic. I haven't got anything acoustic on the album.

 

So what can we expect to see?

I've got a guitarist, drums and keyboards.

 

What advice would you give to any of our readers who are trying to make it in the music industry?

Decide from the point where you are, what you want to achieve and where you want to go.

 

Would you ever recommend it as a career path?

Oh, my one has been super difficult man, it's been quite a tough journey. Very tough. I wouldn't recommend it. But if it's in you and you think you have the talent, or you don't have the talent at that time but you feel that you can grow the talent and it can grow in you, then I think there's nothing that can stop you.

Stick to your guns and be original. There are so many people in record labels who want you to do one thing and another person wants you to do another thing - once you start doing that, you begin to lose who you are. It can put your creativity in a weird place when you don't know what you're doing anymore. For some labels that is their intention.

 

"It can put your creativity in a weird place"


Finally, who are you IDOLs?

I really like Hendrix, David Bowie, Prince. No instead of Prince, I'd say Sizzla. There's a guy whose book I'm reading - Erich Fromm. He's a philosopher and psychoanalyst.

 

Why does he interest you?

He wrote 'The Sane Society' in 1955 about accepted levels of reality in society and whether what we accept as sane and sensible in society is actually the thing that is destroying us as a people.

 

'Love Song' is the new single, released 15th July on Epic

 

 

Interview: Holly Rubenstein