10 QUESTIONS: GETTING TO KNOW JARED NEVO


How did you get your scar?
A dog bit me when I was a kid, I've got a dog myself though, so it's not as if it put me off or anything. She's called Porkchop... you know, like the one from Doug? (laughs) I love the dog that did it though, I've really come to love it, I'd feel lost without it now. Plus, it helped Arianna give me the cool nickname. I still get some people tweeting me though, thinking I'm some sort of Scarface movie fan account. They're disappointed when they find out it's just some ugly bastard who makes music. (laughs)

Favourite Hey Lolita song?
I'm a music geek who's more into the album cuts... which is always the case, even when it's not my own music. I really like "Slow Dancing" though, it's the kinda song you'd hear in a classy porn video.

Celebrity crush?
Nova is a beautiful woman. I always thought so, but when I met her in the studio, you realise that it ain't just make-up and shit. That's the best kinda woman.

Best thing that's ever happened to you?
When Hey Lolita made it big and I saw my first amount of money from our music. It wasn't a lot, obviously cause artists earn fuck all for their own music these days, but it was enough to excite me at the time cause I was skint. (laughs) I thought it was pretty insane how I was getting paid to make music that people were actually listening to.

How did you meet Arianna?
We both met in a recording studio, it was just a bit of luck, really. We bumped into each other, she was a singer, I was just a producer at the time, we decided to mess around a bit in the studio and we ended up making our first EP. Things just seemed to get bigger and bigger from there and we carried it on for a little bit. It was always a project, nothing permanent. I wouldn't say no to another album one day, though.

What did you think of her debut album?
It was good, like really fucking good. I'm not just saying that because we're good friends and worked together in the past, she's a rare talent. She knows how to write a song and captivate you throughout it all, she tells a story with her songs and knows how to capture a certain mood on her records. I think she deserves every bit of success with it, I'm glad she was able to make the music she wanted to in the end. That album is the real her.

Solo or duo?
Being a duo was great, but I'm also enjoying being solo for the first time in my young career, it's kinda rewarding to start putting out stuff solely done by myself. Plus, I think there's a real lack of quality music being put out by solo male artists right now. I dunno if that's entirely true, but I don't half hear some shit on the radio these days. (laughs) Maybe I'm just adding to that? Ah well.

What can we expect from you in 2015?
I plan on putting out the Lungs EP in the first quarter of the year, then slowly start crafting some more songs for an album. I'm a bit indecisive of my own stuff half the time, it's even worse when you're the one writing and producing it all, cause this is all coming out independently and I don't really have any help. With Arianna, it was a lot easier cause there was another voice to guide you. So yeah, it'll come when it comes, I guess.

What sound would you describe your own music?
I think that's the hardest thing for me to say, cause when we bring genres into it, you're suddenly putting your own stuff into some sort of box. It's either shit or it's good, ain't it?

Most awkward moment?
When I was noob to the States, I walked into a store and asked the woman at the till if they had any fag papers, she gave me a very confused look, thinking I meant... well, you know.

---

Jared's debut single "Lungs" is out now.

"Roads" (Album Version)

Sounds like:

Caught up in this cruel twist of fate
Now we travel down these open roads
As everything turns to nothing
And we lose grip of something
Now at the end of the long day
This heavy heart gets comfort from the silence
No more screaming sirens
I turned my back to all the madness

You said to keep on fighting
I thought you meant for us
Cause now we're shoutin' from the top of our lungs
All we do is come to blows, so I let go
Now I'm lookin' down them open roads

And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads
And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads

Where I lay is a little colder than normal
Too much peace for a man too used to war
Now I listen to the raindrops
Almost missin' the chaos
In your voice and the fire in our hearts
At least we still had a passion for something
Now there's nothing
Oh, now there's nothing

And I could say I woulda fought on through the worst
Turn a blind eye to the bad times
Embrace a little more of the good life
But this storm weren't one willing to back down
Maybe I just didn't want it to

You said to keep on fighting
I thought you meant for us
Cause now we're shoutin' from the top of our lungs
All we do is come to blows, so I let go
Now I'm lookin' down them open roads

And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads
And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads

And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
But I keep running red lights
Speeding till it's all outta sight and outta mind

You said to keep on fighting
I thought you meant for us
Cause now we're shoutin' from the top of our lungs
All we do is come to blows, so I let go
Now I'm lookin' down them open roads

And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads
And the further I go, the less I forget
And the further I go, the more I regret
Oh, oh, open, open roads