“I was shaped in college into a performance artist. I never really thought of myself as being one singular thing. I think of myself as an artist and I feel no restrictions when it comes to how I want to portray what I want to portray.” ThinkingWantFeelsArtistCollegePerformancesRestriction Author:Jillian Hervey
“I tend to write about love because I'm always thinking about it. I think a lot though and struggle with overanalyzing. Way over. That's the thing, I feel like I do that a lot and then finally when I stop thinking, that's when it happens.” ThinkingWayFeelsWritingHappensLove IsStruggleAlways Thinking Author:Jillian Hervey
“I'm not looking to be the greatest pop star of all time. I want to be an artist. I want to influence people and I want to get people to think about the world, to think and talk to each other and connect. To challenge one another.” PeopleThinkingWorldWantArtistStarsChallengesInfluencePopsAll TimePop StarsInfluencing People Author:Jillian Hervey
“This world is going in all sorts of directions, but I think all you can do is get people to think about things in a different way, because sometimes people aren't even thinking.” PeopleThinkingWorldWayDifferentSometimesCan DoThis WorldDifferent Ways Author:Jillian Hervey
“Once you train you develop your own aesthetic and your confidence. So, I think as I grow I'm learning how to be a singer. I'm training my voice and being on stage and singing and dancing.” ThinkingGrowsVoiceStageSingingTrainingDancingTrainSingersAestheticSinging And Dancing Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think just being a '90s kid - I was not a Backstreet Boys girl, I was definitely into NSYNC.” ThinkingKidsGirlBoysJust BeingBackstreetBoy GirlBackstreet BoysNsync Author:Jillian Hervey
“I'm a diehard animal lover - I've always loved animals - but it was just one of those trips that I felt like I was going back to the beginning of where earth started. At the time, where a lot of stuff was brewing anyway, to be in such a beautiful and barren land, and just looking at how life began with all these creatures, I just started to really think about animals and time and just all of it.” ThinkingEarthBeautifulFeltStuffAnimalLandLoversCreaturesJust OneBarrenAnimal LoveBrewingAnimal LoverDiehard Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think the lion, besides the elephant, was the one animal that I just started thinking about so much.” ThinkingAnimalLionsElephants Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think my life dramatically shifted when I met Lucas [Goodman] and it wasn't even planned. I had a very clear vision of what I was going to do.” ThinkingVisionClearMetsClear VisionGoodman Author:Jillian Hervey
“I saw myself traveling with a company or making my own work and being a little weird. I wasn't thinking about the business side of anything, I just knew that I loved dancing.” ThinkingLittlesSidesMy OwnCompanySawsDancing Author:Jillian Hervey
“Back then, it's weird, because I wasn't consciously thinking about it and I think that's why the doors opened and I had the opportunity. It was a big shift and I realized that you can plan and think your life is going somewhere, but you also have to surrender to what opportunities present themselves and really go for those as well.” ThinkingWellsBigsLife IsOpportunityPlansDoorsI RealizedSurrender Author:Jillian Hervey
“What kind of art do I want to make? What do I stand for? What inspires me? And then to have people in return respond to that... I think that's the greatest thing because throughout dancing, I'm always looking for that.” PeopleThinkingWantKindArtInspireReturnDancing Author:Jillian Hervey
“More than anything, it's been a transition into embracing my destiny. I have everything around me to be able to do this properly. Whether or not I was hiding from that early on, I think now it's great to feel that way. It's just the journey.” ThinkingWayFeelsAbleDestinyJourneyHidingTransitionMy Destiny Author:Jillian Hervey
“There's been so many, I think [Lucas Goodman and I] share this, but for us, Afropunk was a really big moment just because it was in New York.” ThinkingMomentsBigsShareNew YorkGoodman Author:Jillian Hervey
“It was like I couldn't even begin to tell my mom I was singing. I didn't want anyone to think that she was trying to get me to sing. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it on my own. I really wanted to do a completely different thing.” ThinkingWantTryingDifferentWantedMy OwnMomProveSingingMy MomDifferent Things Author:Jillian Hervey
“I love the creation process [of music] of it and then sharing it, so I think that was the shift. I never thought I was going to be on a label in general, I was like 'Oh, I wouldn't do that,' and then we ended up on the same label basically.” ThinkingProcessCreationLabels Author:Jillian Hervey
“[My mom] has a few choice words to calm me down. I think it's beautiful that I sometimes, weirdly, see myself in a photo and I'm like 'Omg, that looks like my mom.' It freaks me out and all that stuff, but it's also just a part of my legacy.” ThinkingLooksSometimesBeautifulChoicesStuffMomCalmMy MomLegacyFreak Author:Jillian Hervey
“My mom is one, but there have been performers in my family since as long as we can trace them back, so I think it was kind of inevitable to be artistic and to have a force. We're leaders; we're a family of leaders, so I think it's just part of my genes.” ThinkingKindLongHas BeensForceLeaderMomMy FamilyMy MomArtisticInevitablePerformersGenes Author:Jillian Hervey
“It's so important to embrace what you have because if you don't, that can be the root of very self-destructive habits, which I think people waste a lot of energy on.” PeopleIfsThinkingImportantSelfEnergyHabitWasteRootsEmbraceDestructiveSelf Destructive Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think growing up, you just deal with 'I'm ugly,' or 'I don't look right,' or 'my hair is wrong,' and it's such a distraction from what can really elevate you.” ThinkingLooksDealsGrowing UpGrowingHairUglyDistraction Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think the world tries to put people in a box, like this is the only appropriate way to be beautiful.” PeopleThinkingWorldWayTryingBeautifulBoxesAppropriate Author:Jillian Hervey
“The main thing I like to do is have a mix of the '70s glamour and emulate a lot of ladies I love, like, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Donna Summers. I remember thinking that as a young girl, they were so cool and iconic. I missed that!” ThinkingRememberYoungGirlSummerGlamourIconicEmulateDiana Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think having wild, huge hair, is me being my own version of a lioness.” ThinkingMy OwnHugeHairVersionsLioness Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think with the '70s style, you can do a bigger curling iron, so you get those long swirls. If you want it natural-natural, you can also just brush your hair out and tease that. So, it varies on what kind of thing you want to do, but it's nice to have a couple more hands in there to help me or else it takes really long.” IfsThinkingWantKindLongHelpingHandsCan DoNaturalNiceStyleHairCoupleBiggerHelp MeIronBrushesVaryTeaseReally LongSwirls Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think when we were starting off, I picked a group of women to represent me. The top tiers of everyone that I've worked with are women. It felt more comfortable because they can relate to me.” ThinkingFeltGroupsComfortableStartingRelate Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think also, obviously, having someone like Lucas [Goodman], and the people around me are very, not gender-driven or any of that, so when we come in as thing, that's what it is. You can work with us or not work with us and I think that has been helpful. I don't try to put myself in a vulnerable position in that way. I won't just sit quietly.” PeopleThinkingWayTryingHas BeensPositionGenderDrivenVulnerableHelpfulGoodman Author:Jillian Hervey
“I think, more importantly, it's about who is your core team? Who are the people around you that are going to fight for you and make sure that's all protected?” PeopleThinkingFightingTeamCoreProtected Author:Jillian Hervey
“In general, I think the best thing to do is to connect with other females. I love meeting other female artists and feeling like we're all rooting for each other. I think that's shifted even more.” ThinkingFeelingsArtistFemaleMeetingsBest ThingsThings To DoFemale Artists Author:Jillian Hervey
“I find that the quest to be perfect and make perfect music is like a black whole. I realize that you can come with the intention to capture a vibe and use a formula, but you have to accept that most of the time its not going to be what you envisioned and you might manifest something better. I think that's been the hardest thing to wrap my head around that most ideas we go for ends up sounding different. I think art in general should be about enjoying the process and the experience. All that matters is if you feel the music and it captures the element your going for.” ThinkingArtDifferentEnjoyBlackRealizingPerfectAcceptingMusic IsIntentionManifest Author:Jillian Hervey
