Meet Jade Bates of Costa Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Bates

Hi Jade, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up going to Catholic School, where I was not the most popular kid, and didn’t have many friends, so I tried out a few extracurriculars and sports, which didn’t work because I am the most un-athletic person alive. I eventually joined my schools show choir, which ended up being so much cooler than you would expect from a Catholic School; performing some songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show, which was the first thing to truly catch my eye. I started auditioning for every single solo, which I did not get, until I eventually decided that I’d have to go a different route. I joined a rock school, which was an after school program, where I learned guitar, took voice lessons, and joined a band that would perform all the time called Free Pizza. Tell me thats not the smartest idea for a band ever. You come for free pizza, which doesn’t exist and then stay to not hurt the hearts of small children. I started getting experience performing with Free Pizza and other bands within the Rock School, which I fell in love with and eventually started writing my own music. In 2021 I released my first song, called Kissing Strangers and have now released 17 songs, with many more on their way. With my songwriting, I believe I’ve always used it to cope with the things that I’m going through in my life, whether they be small or monumental. It’s like my journal that I’m sharing with the world (I’m sorry to the people I’ve dated.) With my future projects, I’m working on opening up on deeper subjects, that have been harder for me to write about and I’m excited to be able to step into a more genuine direction lyrically.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel very blessed to know what my dream is and to be so fueled to follow it, but it is very interesting to be living the reality of a musician trying to make it. It honestly feels like an episode of Hannah Montana. For a while, I was driving an hour and a half to go to sessions multiple times a week, going to University full time, and working in a diner, all while trying to also have a social life to give me musical inspiration. Being an independent artist means doing it all, and you better love it because man, it is HARD.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist and a songwriter. I would say that I release mostly alternative pop music, but honestly, when I’m writing on my own, I can never stick to a specific genre. I’ve only been releasing music since 2021, but I feel like I have learned so much since then. I have been able to meet amazing people that I have had the privilege to work with, I’ve been able to write for other artists, I’ve been able to play some shows and gain some really awesome experiences that I’m excited to talk about in the future. I started posting silly videos and music covers on TikTok and started gaining some followers, which motivated me to keep posting. I eventually made a series of singing songs that I wrote in middle school, which started getting millions of views for each post. Obviously, my marketing mind said “post your new song,” so I did! I posted my song “my therapist calls you a douchebag” as a part of this series and it has gained 4.6 million views. Can you imagine 4.6 million people standing in front of you? ‘Cuz I would throw up. This is what gave me opportunities to work with more people and gain fans that have continued to listen since and honestly, this is what showed me that I could really do something with my music. A song that I angrily wrote in 20 minutes MAX about a man that I never even dated gaining 4.6 million views is so crazy and also so hilarious. I am proud that I feel like the work that I have been putting in is finally starting to pay off and that the music that I put so much effort and heart into is being heard. Of course it would be amazing to be playing in stadiums, but the fact that I know 20 people by name that listen to my music, interact with my posts, and send me the nicest messages makes me feel just as special.

I think something that sets me apart from others is that even though I have tried, the music I write is never going to all sound cohesive. Sometimes I’ll write a song like “my therapist calls you a douchebag,” sometimes I’ll write a hyper-pop song, and sometimes I’ll write a sad ballad. No matter what I write though, it always comes from me, from my experiences, or from something I’ve seen. I’ve had so many people tell me that I haven’t found my sound yet, but I think that people are ever changing and the music should change with the people.

What matters most to you? Why?
There are two things that matter most to me. Firstly, the people in my life that have supported me through thick and thin. From the love and support my parents have given me, my friends coming to every little show in the corner of some bar, or them streaming my music down my ex boyfriends street. The love and support my friends and family provide to me on a daily basis makes me feel the most grateful.

Releasing music honestly takes a lot of guts, especially when you’re writing music about people that live 5 minutes away from you. I write music that helped me through a time in my life where I needed it. I needed someone to say these things to me, or to feel seen, and I want to provide that for people to don’t have that. I want to write about things that people don’t feel comfortable talking about or that they don’t feel anyone can relate to. I share my life experiences because I want to be someone that can make others feel like they’re not alone, because when I was going through a lot of the hard parts of my life, I had to do them alone. This is what matters to me. Always creating music that is genuine because of the people it could impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZyAZFLPaS9v88JaP4yfhm
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjadebates/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsjadebates
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsjadebates?lang=en

Image Credits
Austin Cieszko