Singer-songwriter Jamala has released the album “My Movement”, which has become perhaps the most personal in her career. vogue.ua asked the artist about working on the album, internal and external changes, as well as why Jamala dared to be sharp and frank in her new music.
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About how “My Movement” was created
“My Movement” is Jamala's eighth studio album, released after Qirim (2023), an exquisite and large-scale LP dedicated to Crimean Tatar culture. Jamala admits that “My Movement” is one of her most personal albums. In particular, in it, the artist talks about how she fell in love with her husband Bekir, about the formation of their relationship, her own fears and loneliness.
“For me, this is a huge chapter in life. With each album, you seem to open the door to your soul, to your world, even deeper. And it's always a little scary to trust. But at the same time, I understand: this is the only honest way for an artist to be real, to sing about what you really feel, and not create something artificial. And when I read now that “the album is sincere, fresh, inspiring” – it seems to me that this is exactly what I put into it.”
Three sound producers worked on the album at once: The Maneken (Evgeny Filatov), Aniel Arin, and Lucas Bird. Together with Jamala, they created a sound that combines indie pop and art pop, interspersed with electro-soul, R&B, and synth-pop. The album consists of 10 stories and one bonus track. Some of them have been waiting for their time since the pandemic. According to Jamala, she worked on the lyrics mostly on the road — while touring and traveling. “I even finished some lines at sea when I was in Turkey last summer with my sister by the sea.”
“Usually I write demos, music, and lyrics at the same time. For me, it's a single process: the rhythm immediately dictates the word, and the word dictates the rhythm. For example, the phrase “words matter” already has its own natural tempo and sound. Therefore, it's quite difficult to change something in the music later – because you have to change the lyrics along with it, and they are very closely related.”
About personal
The most striking thing about the album is how openly the artist allows herself to talk about her personal life – in the songs “Flirt”, “Solar System”. It seems that Jamala – a star of modern Ukrainian music, a laureate of the Shevchenko Prize, a member of the jury of the National Selection for Eurovision – allows herself such openness for the first time. “It is impossible to create music without experiencing pain or joy,” she says. “My songs are often ahead of their time – like “The Way Home”, which took 10 years to become a hit. I write, knowing exactly what they are about. These are my experienced thoughts. There is a lot of tenderness, a lot of love, but at the same time – a new me, more sharp. “Flirt” or “Solar System” is a way to remain yourself. To talk about the feelings that are inside, right now.”
Yes, the track “Solar System” is dedicated to the relationship with her husband Bekir. “It's a metaphorical song where love is revealed through images of space. It sounds like sunny electropop with a nu-disco pulse. It's music about a connection that can't be fully understood — but can be felt.”
“Flirt” is one of the central tracks of the album, which has a special history. This song was born as a demo 10 years ago – on the day Jamala met her future husband. “It was just a demo that I wrote right after we met. I came home and made a sketch. This is a very personal moment that has stayed with me all these years. This is a composition about the first impulse of feelings – subtle, honest, defenseless. It sounds like a fixation of a moment, which later grew into a real love story.”
About working on the images for the album “My Movement”
The album is complemented by a playful image in which Jamala appears in a bright Ksenia Schnaider dress and resembles an exotic bird.
“The album turned out to be very springy — light in mood, but not frivolous in content, with many deep themes — I wanted to convey this in the images. On the one hand — lightness, on the other — multi-layeredness. I didn't choose the dress for the cover by chance — it's Ksenia Schnaider from a collection inspired by the theme of a forgotten mosaic. And I really liked this idea, because the album itself is like a mosaic of different feelings: from the flirtatious “Flirt” to the confession of love in “Solar System”, to reflections on “Loneliness” and the inner states when you are left alone with yourself. And about what can pull you out of this state — for example, “I Will Survive”, which at first glance sounds easy, but in fact is much deeper: “I will survive to your detriment” — and this is also about each of us.”
Jamal worked on the images together with stylists Marina Martynov and Olga Dmytrenko, and Yulia Kost worked on the photos. Jamal's portraits are complemented by illustrations – peculiar icons for each song. “The cover hides the plots of the tracks: these are 10 separate stories that seem to be woven into a single photo portrait. It was created by Daniel Skrypnik, who has worked with The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons and other famous artists – and, in my opinion, it turned out very cool.”
In a conversation with Vogue.ua, Jamala, known for her love of fashion and collaboration with Ukrainian designers — from Ivan Frolov to Katya Silchenko — admits that she now wants to look more feminine. “Now I want to be light, so skirts that I didn't like and avoided before have appeared in my wardrobe. My stage experience gives me the opportunity to choose myself even more and more confidently, to trust myself. Fashion is a game, and you need to play with it, to combine it. When we spoke with Vogue shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion, I said that at that time there was a lot of black in my wardrobe: both trouser suits and a lot of oversize in general – I wanted to hide behind clothes. When you go out to represent a country at a meeting with diplomats and politicians, for example in Washington, and talk about your country, which was attacked, you want to not emphasize your appearance as much as possible. Now I feel completely different: there is a desire to be frank and light.”
The album “My Movement” can be listened to on all platforms
Photo : Julia Kost