Darla Jade blows up electro-pop music with "Disconnect"

The singer from Stoke On Trent has a two-sided feel as she writes emotional darker ballads or switches into a lighter electro-pop. The new artist sensation just released her first EP, "Disconnect," and all we want is to reconnect with it.

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Origins, childhood, influences, and first steps

Darla Jade is an emerging electro-pop artist. Her songs put out an underlying electronic 80's feel into her productions. Several artists with distinct genres influence her, including PVRIS, Sigrid, Chvrches, and Fickle Friends.

The 22 years old rising star was born in Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, UK. Since only 2019, Darla Jade featured on "New Pop UK" and "New-wave pop" playlists on Spotify, had support from BBC Radio 1, Rolling Stone India, and The Line Of Best Fit, to name a few, and she has gained a massive following on social platforms.

Musical theater helped her passion for music to grow. Before becoming an artist, she trained in musical theatre at The Jill Clewes Academy For Performing Arts and experienced acting and dance. "I've always been into music, but I started off thinking I wanted to do musical theatre, so I trained doing that at college. But then I started performing all around the country doing gigs in pubs, etc., from 15", she said to "My Sweeter Place."

But then she thought that maybe singing other's people songs all the time isn't that satisfying anymore. (...) So I started writing music. In September 2018, I went to a songwriting camp in Thailand, and it was such an incredible experience; it really opened my eyes to how much work needs to go in if I wanted to make this my career, so I've really been working hard since then!" Then she went again for a month in 2019, where she recorded the tracks "Overcrowded," "Frenemy," "Two Of You," "Forget You Not," and "Disconnect."

Darla Jade's career includes various singles so far. The debut one is called "This Time," released in 2019, written along with Rhys Fletcher, Alexandra Hosking, and Barry Maclean. Others followed: "Overcrowded" (2020) feels like a private diary entry as it talks about the Obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD), "Frenemy" (2020), it's all about friendships that have turned sour, "Two of You" (2020) addresses those moments of deja vu, and "Forget you Not" (2020). There is a deep sadness, and yet it's ultimately uplifting in the last one. "(...) It's the hardest track to sing at gigs, as it means so much to me. It is about my nan, as she has dementia, so it's an extremely personal one for me to sing."

These singles helped her create a fanbase before the first EP, "Disconnect." "One-off singles give a place for experiment and development too, and they are much better received by an audience."

Photographer: Emilia Drag

In addition to her songs, she adds some features and songwriting credits in tracks from other artists. In 2020 and 2021, she collaborated with Nico De Andrea (Monster), Leftwing: Kody (Deeper), Tom Staar and Ferry Constern (Glow) and earned credits on Gordon City's song. "Burning." She declares that there are more to come. The last one, "Colours," was released on August 13 with Dj Crvvcks, an enthralling emerging electronic music artist.

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"Disconnect", the EP

"Disconnect" EP came out on July 30, 2021, and the body of work started in Thailand in 2019. "We were actually in the lounge area, and we were playing music, and the Bluetooth disconnected, and the title literally came from there, and the next day we wrote this song! (...) The EP explores themes of struggle with emotions, love, disillusionment, friendship. But let's detail each one of them.

"Slow Motion" showcases moving lyricism while silky production. The main message is savoring the moment with loved ones and never worrying about anything else. "Sometimes, because I'm scared of running out of time, it means I'm not always present in the now, so I wrote this song as a little reminder for myself to live in the moment! Also, because I'm very career-driven, I don't feel I spend enough time with my boyfriend, family, and friends as much as I would want to. (...)"

"Problems" is one of the strongest songs in lyrics and underlying theme. It talks about mental health, how we are never entirely well but can always help others, even if we are also going through a difficult situation. "(...) My boyfriend and I have struggled over the years, and it's about accepting and helping one another push through the rough months."

Speaking on the EP title "Disconnect," the track is captivating not only for the production but for the break-up/make-up cycle analogy of young romance to internet pressure. "I called the EP "Disconnect" because I felt it fitted for the whole light and dark separation, and also, "Slow Motion" is about disconnecting from the madness and living in the moment, so I just felt it was the perfect title."

It talks about the fallings in and out of a relationship – the lyrics are very Gen Z with internet-related phrases. The way that the UK pop singer sounds the words "Dis! Connect! Re! Connect!" on the chorus gets fixed in your head before the song's end.

"Pretty" takes some interesting musical directions. It wasn't written to be part of the EP. It was written for another possible artist. However, it ended up on "Disconnect." "Pretty was a song that I and a couple of co-writers wrote for pitch. We hadn't placed the song anywhere for a while, and we all knew it was a good song. One of my co-writers joked and said, "Darla, you may just have to release it," but then it got me thinking, and I started to take it out of the pitching emails." Then she realizes that it could be a good option for the EP especially placed after "Disconnect" "(...) as it starts with "So much noise, can't hear you through the static," which is another electrical reference."

"Pretty" is all about the feeling of pressure from today's society and not wanting to fit into this aesthetic mold. It's also about not holding it together all of the time and letting yourself accept that.

"Ghost In Me" talks about the grief/bitterness after losing someone and how this taints the good memories. She also made a collaborative remix with Parisian Dj and producer Nico De Andrea.

The last one from the EP, "Drag Me Down," is about self-sabotage and self-doubt.

Darla Jade confirms that she's just finishing the writing of the next project, and we are holding that. The young artist is creating her path, and it's one to look out for.

Check out the dates of the following concerts:

• September 10 - The Underground (Stoke) - Supporting Megan Dixon Hood

• November 11 - Legends Live Lounge (Oldham) - Headline

• November 13 - The Underground (Stoke) - Headline

• December 8 - The Green Door Store (Brighton) - Supporting Reyko

• December 9 - The Servants Jazz Quarters (London) - Supporting Reyko

• December 10 - The Exchange (Bristol) - Supporting Reyko