Exlusive Interview - Jada

Jada is a four piece girl group straight out of Bostson. These girls have been on the edge of fame for years, and are ready to break through onto the major pop music scene, armed and ready with a brand new EP entitled "Supersonique". Recently, the group and I were able to chat about who they are, both as a group and as individuals, and about the adventure that is Jada.

Introduce yourselves and tell us something completely random about you.

[Jacyn]
This is Jacyn. I'm the one with short dark purple hair. And I like to bake. [And talk in accents]

[Lauren]
I'm Lauren. I am the shorter Blondie. I'm from outside of Philadelphia Pennsylvania and I love cheese steaks!

[Elle]
This is Elle. I'm the tall blonde. I am sarcastic on and off the stage, and my first love is my little dog peanut.

[April]
This is April the redhead. I was the last member to get into the group. I have a big dance background and like to plan a lot of our choreography. I also like candy necklaces.

How did the four of you come together?

[Jacyn]
We came together through an audition. There's a place in Boston where we are out of called Bristol Entertainment, an artist development company, and we all ended up here studying voice. They had an audition for a new group and all four of us made it. It's kind of like a greenhouse for artists. They help you hone your skills in singing, songwriting, dance, promotions, recording, and everything else.

[Elle]
And what Jacyn has failed to tell you is that she is the original member. She is the original Jada.

[Jacyn]
And I have a nickname!

Lay it on me!

[Jacyn]
The Commander.

I've been following you guys since "American Cowboy". My favorite part of that song is "Put my name on your house title."

[April]
When Red One and Akon came in with the song, the bridge wasn't written yet. They wrote the bridge right in front of us, so it's funny that after meeting us for the first time that was their impression. "Gimme your house title!"

There was a similar line in "This Party's On Fire" about hoping yourcleaner comes today. Is that for laughs or the real Jada?

[April]
Honestly it's a party song, but we wanted to have fun with it. Not to sound bratty, but we were parodying that Paris Hilton type lifestyle where everything is "So hot!"

[Lauren]
Like when people try to sweep it all under the rug and pretend everything is fine when there's stuff going on behind the scenes.

[April]
So we were half making fun of it, half just partyin'.

I also liked the group's more serious tones presented in "Goodbye" and "Mercy Killing." Which would you say is more the real Jada?

[Lauren]
I would say "Goodbye" is one of our most intimate songs. We all really dug deep for that one, about either a love lost or a hard relationship. It was a really hard song to write because it was so emotional. I feel that this song is totally Jada -- all about emotions and having your heart on your sleeve. It's so difficult to listen to it even now.

[April]
It was really tough when I was writing my verse. I kept telling myself I wasn't going to cry. We are very emotional people. Especially Elle. She lets everyone know her emotions. (smirk smirk)

You said earlier that Red One and Akon came to you with "American Cowboy", did you write more of this EP?

[April]
Yes! We wrote every single song.

[Lauren]
Every song on the EP is either completely or co-written by us Jada girls. We also had a lot of help from our producer, RIO.

Did you find it was a better experience to write the songs yourself?

[April]
It really depends. Sometimes people can come in with a song you just know is going to be a smash, it can be really fun to put our Jada stamp on it. They usually have a vision and know exactly how they want the song so they can direct you. I do feel that when we write our own material, however, that we get a more real sound. The vocals we get are more raw and show our personalities.


Everybody had been waiting for a long time for new music from you guys! Why go for the smaller EP format instead of a full banging album?

[Jacyn]
We want to keep people wanting more all the time.

[Elle]
This business is a very single driven business. When my friends and I hear a great song on the radio, we want to go out and buy it right then on iTunes or Amazon. We felt that we had a group of songs that were single ready so we released them all at once. We are working on some new amazing tracks, so there might be another EP on the way soon, or even a full album.

"This Party's On Fire" was the lead in single. Are there plans for another single on the horizon?

[April]
"Supersonique" is what we are pushing as the next single. We've gotten a great reception from it, and we had spent a long time preparing the song. That's the single right now. We are riding the "Supersonique" train right now, so we'll give it time to shine before we decide on what's next.

[Lauren]
We are actually preparing two new songs with a big name producer Joe Bermudez and he is really going crazy on the scene right now. He was recently touring with David Guetta is South Africa! We are writing two songs with him that should be finished very soon.

"Supersonique" is one of my favorites for the EP. Why did you release "This Party's On Fire" as the lead in single in place of Supersonique?

[April]
It hadn't been written yet.
[Laughs]

Your official website has quite the long list of people you have shared the stage with. When would you say was the first time you were really starstruck?

[Lauren]
I know! We had the opportunity to record with Wyclef. When we met him, I was so starstruck. I was in the booth trying to sing, and I couldn't get this part. We were all a bit nervous, and then I hear him say "Oh, I'll just leave. This happens all the time." It was funny because after he left I was able to sing better. He was really cool!

[April]
Fun fact: I'm a huge, I mean HUGE Celtics fans. We've sang for them a ton of times, but this most recent time something changed. We were standing on the court doing our sound check, and as Kevin Garnet was walking towards me he actually almost stepped on me! I was freaking out. It was the first time I felt nervous ever in my life. I could only say "Wow. Kevin Garnet almost stepped on me. I kind of want to thank him for almost stepping on me."

[Elle]
I get starstruck by myself. [Laughs]. I don't think I have gotten starstruck. The one time I did feel nervous, having a "Wow I can't believe we are here" moment, was when we performed at Boston KISS 108's big summer concert. Growing up in this area, that was one of the biggest things to go to. To be on that stage and be on the roster with such amazing and huge talent was a good 'ol time and a huge accomplishment for us!

[Jacyn]
For me, when I get starstruck, it's kind of like an out of body experience. The first time it really happened in Jada was at that same KISS concert. We were backstage after our performance, and out of nowhere Fergie from The Blackeyed Peas walks up. It was intense! I remember saying hi and then having to check myself. She complimented us, too. She said we were amazing and reminded us of her girl group she was initially in called Wild Orchid.

Have you noticed people being starstruck of you?

[Lauren]
We were going to LA to record one time, and we got to LAX at around midnight. While we were waiting for a rental car, this little girl walked up to us and asked if we were Jada. She even showed us she was listening to"American Cowboy" on her iPod! It was such a cool experience!

Check out Jada's debut ep "Supersonique" available on iTunes! Follow them on Twitter for be the first to hear news straight from the girls themselves.