JJ Lovegrove: Q&A on ‘History Is The Struggle of Becoming’ – Part 2
I reached out to JJ Lovegrove right as she released her latest record and asked how I could help promote the release. We decided on a Q&A article, and this is Part 2. Check out part 1 here.
Please note – this is is a very engaging record, and I highly recommend grabbing a copy and taking a listen. Thanks to JJ for taking the time. – Scot Apathy
Physical Releases, Packaging & Formats
Your physical releases are known for being highly considered—what was the concept behind the packaging for this album?
Because I had one foot in the literary world for this release, I really wanted something to feel almost timeless. Like someone could pick up the deluxe edition of the CD & have no idea when it was made. As a result there are no dates on the artwork or CD at all & the thank you page is blank, meaning I can write my own hand written thank you to the person purchasing, or someone will find a copy in future that is dedicated to someone they’ve never met. I wanted something nice to put on a book shelf or CD rack, something that felt feminine but not in a soft sense, more like the fabric of life or of the home, something tactile to hold & hopefully to cherish.
What physical formats is History Is The Struggle of Becoming available on (vinyl, CD, cassette, special editions), and how did you decide on those formats?
It is currently available on standard eco gatefold CD, Deluxe Handmade Bookbound CD & Duo tone pink/blue cassette, which have all been made right here in the Midlands & where Olivia Rodrigo also had her tapes manufactured too, which is quite a circular moment for me in lots of ways, as Ed recorded with Olivia at the same time as producing my record for the War Child album & given my tricky decisions about trying to edit the tracks to fit on the album, only this week Olivia has sadly had a lot of bad press & reviews about doing just that, so overall I’m happy I ultimately chose not to go down that route.
Did different formats feature unique artwork, sequencing, or design variations, or is the visual identity consistent across all editions?
There a visual thread running through them all, each with different elements for the specific format, but they all have the same artwork & photographs that were designed & shot entirely by me.
Are there any limited runs, hand-numbered editions, or collectible variants tied to this release?
The deluxe edition is limited although have been so popular that I might consider hand making a different version in the future if demand is still there.
What materials, print techniques, or physical design choices did you insist on—even if they added complexity or cost?
I decided to screen print the labels & take all my own photos, it helped me use the small budget I did have in the most cost effective way, that not only allowed me to ensure the money was put back into local business & creative communities that I want to help flourish here in the midlands, but also allows me to use those skills in the future to print my own merch or do more runs for extra stock for tour’s & distribution to record stores in the coming weeks, while keeping the initial outgoings small by comparison.
How important is tactile design to your storytelling as an artist?
So important. My albums definitely don’t belong to the digital small square on a streaming platform. If that’s how people first discover me & my music that’s great, but listeners tend to quite quickly look for me on Bandcamp or Substack to find ways to feel they can engage with the music in a more tactile or immersive way, which I love.
How do you want listeners to experience the album physically from the moment they open it?
I’m not sure that’s for me to say. The beauty of handing this album in any format to the world is that it no longer belongs to me & it’s for others to consume or experience as they wish. It’s a really powerful & magical thing to be able to turn your life into music…into art…into something someone can carry in their head or heart for a week…a month or maybe just maybe for a very long time. It’s the closest thing I can think of to immortality & feel very lucky I get to do this for a living because people support me & the work that I make.
Reception & Audience Response
How has the new material been received so far by listeners and long-time supporters?
The feedback has been lovely & it’s helped bring my music to new audiences, but also feels hopefully like a natural progression of my work by those who have been with me in those audiences for a few years now.
Have any tracks emerged as unexpected favorites or discussion points?
People seem to feel really touched my the themes in ‘Lost Girl’ & that has been unexpected in terms of speaking to both men & women in my audiences. I think it’s only when a list of things that have been said to girls all their lives are put side by side, you realise just how it sounds to someone trying to find out who they are & it’s quite moving…despite the dancy electronic backbone of the song.
What kind of feedback has stood out most to you since release—emotionally or critically?
I’m not sure, it still feels like it’s early days to be honest, but maybe that has been the most interesting aspect of the release. I’m not sure if it was my own internal expectations or that external pressure from the industry, but with previous releases it has felt like this long road to making the album & all the expectation & push towards the release date, to then feel like this odd sort of anti-climax almost on the day or day after release. I spoke to lots of artists who have felt the same & it can sometimes be a real low after you feel you’ve worked so hard to make something you are so passionate about.
But this time I chose to be back in the studio on the day of release & I really only focus on what comes next, not making the release some big full stop or ‘I’ve made it’ moment, but a ‘this is for you’ moment instead & it has really helped to feel like the release has sort of gathered speed & momentum as the days & weeks have passed, which has been lovely & much more manageable mentally. I think albums should be savoured & not a 1 week only thing because of streaming release radars, so I’m thrilled I’ve had to reorder stock & I’m gathering new audiences in lots of new cities all over the world as I play the gigs & festivals, along with the odd radio takeover show.
Has releasing the album changed how you think about the songs now that they exist outside the studio?
Not really, I will always be a live performer first & studio second, so I think my songs will always be written & performed outside of the studio firstly anyway, but having Ed to help me put those songs in the most beautiful sonic landscape of an envelope to help send out in to the world is just a huge honour & hopefully the start of me being able to dream of even bigger projects in the future.
Marketing & Release Strategy
How intentional was the marketing rollout for this album versus allowing it to grow organically through your community?
I have zero marketing budget to be honest, so it’s very much a case of sharing with my community & letting it organically gather pace hopefully by being a good record & backed up by my live performances.
What platforms or strategies have been most effective in reaching new listeners for this release?
Oddly I’d say via live performances & my takeover shows on Love Will Save The Day FM – once people hear what my tastes are, they decide to check out what it is I do too, which is lovely.
Have your Substack readers converted into listeners, supporters, or collaborators in meaningful ways?
Definitely & in all of those ways to be honest. It’s been lovely to share more than I ever have before through the creative process & to hear what people have thought about the elements as they’ve come together. They’ve been really supportive & I’m so grateful.
Do you feel independent artists are expected to be marketers as much as musicians, and how do you balance that?
Sadly it sometimes feels like the music is the last thing to be mentioned if honest & often the noise is much more about streaming figures or followers, I’m not sure that those using them as metrics to compare artists even listen to the music, as comparing stats in this way is utterly meaningless & I’ve certainly felt more like that over the past couple of years. I’ve never paid for an advert, or to boost a post or to get playlists & won’t be doing so while I’m an independent artist with the autonomy to make that choice.
I understand slightly why big labels see that as the new form of print advertising, but the only people it benefits are the social media platforms & streaming sites that already pay too little for what we do, so I have no intention of doing anything other than concentrating on building a community & reputation on what little corners of the internet or the world in person that I can, but it’s a balance to keep that mentality amongst the noise & comparisons sometime for sure.
What does success look like for this album—streams, physical sales, engagement, or something less measurable?
Having had lofty ideas to make the biggest record I’ve made to date & record with one of my musical heroes, then realising that wasn’t going to get PRS funding, just being able to self fund the album, work with Ed & make a body of work I’m immensely proud of is a huge win for me to be honest & truthfully for that now to be resonating with others & for the sales, streams etc to be growing everyday…not just a one week spike then silence…I’m feeling very happy with how the release feels like it has gone to me & ultimately as an artist I think that’s the only measure that really matters in the end. I’d hate to have put something out I’m not happy with, but is commercially successful. That’s a path I’m not interested in taking.
Substack / Nightmail / Direct-to-Fan Ecosystem
Your Substack/NIGHTMAIL community offers access to demos, writing, and process insight—how has that shaped the way this album was made and released?
I’ve loved finding a little corner of the internet to share all the highs & lows with a beautifully supportive audience. It’s definitely helped shape how I value community & make me understand a little more about what is of value to audiences who are navigating all the streaming/social media noise as we are. It’s also helped me be braver in telling my audiences about things I wouldn’t share anywhere else for fear of discourse for the sake of it or sharing intimate thoughts with those who wouldn’t wish to read or I wouldn’t want them to anyway.
Do you see Substack as part of the creative process itself, or as documentation of it?
Both I guess, as it not only allows me to explain a little more about the process & why I’ve taken certain creative decisions, but if I’m totally honest…it really helps me take time out of the admin of it all & just sit with my thoughts…to document this crazy life that’s flying by & for me to acknowledge all the little things that I’ve been doing to get to wherever it is I’m heading. I get to be really honest with my audience & myself as I reflect & that has definitely helped me take stock of things as I go, which has helped shaped certain gigs or plans for the next record & I’m really looking forward to building more of a world for my work on Substack in the future ( hoping I’ve not just jinxed things & it gets taken over by another evil war lord)
How has building a direct-to-audience space changed your relationship with traditional release cycles?
Only in terms i think of leaning in to the freedom of being an independent artist, so if i want to get on my laptop & do a quick late night edit of a track & upload to my substack tonight then I’ll just do it. There’s no point being independent if you just follow someone else’s rules right?
What do you think audiences most misunderstand about the process of making a record?
That it costs nothing to make because we can do it from home, that we all have parents with loads of money to back the project & I guess as a female artist I find there’s still a huge amount of misogyny with regards to this idea that maybe we just sing our ideas to the producer & they do all the work, without maybe appreciating that I’m a producer in my own right & have released multiple records without a producer, let alone there are many female artists like me that have not only produced their own records, but have also done all the artwork, photography, distribution, mixing etc etc. To be fair though, people who usually think this way are not going to be my target audience anyway.
Closing / Reflection
Looking back at the entire process, what does “becoming” mean to you in the context of this album?
Little did I know when I found this D.H. Lawrence quote, that it would end up encapsulating so much. Initially I chose the title as it was a good analogy for writing about myself & the female characters in his work, but then the struggle became about applying for funding for the album & that being unsuccessful, then deciding if I continue the project & crowd fund for some of the costs, but I think the real meaning of ‘becoming’ has been what I have become since making this album. I’m not the same person who started this project & being able to see myself reflected in Lawrence’s work has truly been like a permission slip to accept & change elements of my life that I had been unhappy about for a very long time. So I guess in many ways it’s more ‘his story’ is the struggle of my ‘becoming’.
If you could leave listeners with one thought while experiencing this album, what would you want it to be?
Maybe I hope it can be a reminder to listeners or maybe just myself, that in this very digital fast paced world, where we can feel we are always being asked to do more & compare ourselves in terms of success & happiness as a social currency…that spending time in nature…finding escape routes in books, poetry & art…discovering who we are as someone else’s words seem to resonate in the deepest parts of us, will never be time wasted or regretted if the ‘to-do’ list waits to steal our time. To take a leaf out of D.H. Lawrence’s books…to enjoy the journey…to be brave enough to choose another path…a desire line…to endlessly search for little slices of freedom & bliss…to fall deeply in love over & over…with yourself & strangers…to turn up the heat & not be afraid to burn everything & start again…
Life is beautiful, as long as it consumes you. When it is rushing through you, destroying you, life is gorgeous, glorious. It’s when you burn a slow fire and save fuel, that life’s not worth having.
– D. H. Lawrence
