Dora Jar has been described as an "alt-fairy," and while that may seem silly, it's a very accurate way to introduce her. Her grace and dexterity not only in her music, but also in the way she presents herself and speaks, is enchanting. It was such a treat to hear her talk about her new album and even just her advice to young girls growing up today.
Your album is called "No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire." The term 'on fire' can carry both positive and negative meanings, what does that represent for you personally?
Sometimes I feel like I'm on fire and I'm full of action and just keep going and can't relax, like right now. Sometimes that feels really good and sometimes it's very crazy.
Your music and persona are both very colorful, what do you find inspiration in aesthetics whether that be for outfits, album covers, or tour visuals?
I like colors! I love old movies that have both cartoon and live action in them like Mary Poppins, and I like textures. I like wearing paper like the paper bag princess! For some of the album visualizers, I like potato sacks and Fantasia 2000.
You're on the 'Behind The Curtain' tour, what has it been like playing your new songs in front of an audience, and how have your shows evolved from the start of your career to now?
It's so fun playing live and I wish I could do it all the time! People are getting more energetic. Even on this tour, we're only seven shows in, and the show has already changed so much the more we get to do it. It's about just being in the moment and letting the auidence lead us to new exciting places.
Your lyrics feel very literary, they're descriptive, they have characters, and they tell stories. Are there any pieces of literature, whether that be books or poetry, that have inspired your work?
Definitely, one that comes to mind is a book that Julie Andrew wrote called The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. It's a childrens book about a scientist who studies DNA and the imagination and he finds three children to test this imagination machine on, and they travel to alternate dimension. They confront these beings, and that really opened me up to science and how the imagination and science connect. I don't understand a lot of physics, but when I think about it, my imagination fills in the gaps and I can be more open to learning about things like the string theory and the fourth dimension. I also love Murakami novels.
The new album kind of feels like being transported into a new world so my question is, how would you like your fans to feel when they listen to the album?
I would like anyone who listens to feel courageous and open and dancy and like the strange parts of them are the best parts of them.
In announcing the album early this summer, you mentioned the songwriting process began two years ago while facing imposter syndrome and confronting your fears. Do you feel you finally overcome those fears and feelings, and in what ways has this project allowed you to feel those feelings?
I think there's a lot of contradictions in being an artist where you want to share so much but you're afraid to be seen. I feel like the only thing I can do is music but then I'll feel very unsure of what it is I'm even saying, and it's hard to trust the mystery. So I'm just getting more comfortable with being in the mystery and sharing from that place.
Meditation plays an important role in your life, how does that practice inform your creative process especially when you're writing or recording new music?
Well, I haven't meditated in many weeks because I'm on the road and very disheveled. Maybe if I had meditated this morning I would have much more articulate answers to these questions, but when I am in a phase where I'm tapping into the void, I tend to have a lot of sunny images come to mind.
This album is the perfect representation of Dora Jar in the sense that it explores so many styles of music. We hear electronic in "Behind The Curtain," stripped back guitar in "Holy Water," and an instrument heavy sound in "Smoke Out The Window." When putting together the tracklist, how was the process of organizing all of these songs into a cohesive album?
From the start of making music and building projects I've enjoyed thinking about it like a funhouse where I want every room to be radically different but all part of the same house. That helps it feel exciting for me to play life and gives me challenges with filling in the blank spaces when I'm writing. The tracklist was more about elimination than ordering, I spent weeks trying to remove songs to make it the most cohesive thing.
On Instagram, you mentioned that your sister Sarah has cerebral palsy and got around in a wheel chair and that you both got so much joy from discovering new artists together. You also noted that she's the person that made you realize how important accessibility is at concerts, how are you making your shows accessible to your fans?
There's always people making sure that there's seating areas. Just the other night in Chicago there was an adorable girl who was in a walker and she was right up front. Raising awareness helps the fans know that if they see someone that has special needs to make way for them to have the best experience possible. Making sure everyone has those same values when we're all together. I was also really inspired by Disneyland's accessibility and how much they prioritized my sister's needs.
You've developed a strong connection with fans through performances, has there been a particular live moment or interaction that stands out to you as especially meaningful?
Every night there's something different and I love being able to have shows this size where I feel like I can see everyone's face and really be there watching people feel every song. I like looking out at the crowd during "Debbie Darling," I feel like poeple are really giving so much of their heart back. And saying hi after the show is so fun.
What is the significance of the "No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire" album cover and what inspired the psychedelic background?
The cover is directly from a Mary Poppins scene where she takes her umbrella and pokes the black chimney smoke to create a staircase. That sticks out to me because in the creation of this album I was very obsessed with contradiction within myself and smoke as a staircase is a big contradiction, it's something that lifts but is not grounded. You would fall right through if it was real. Smoke is from fire and that connected. The visuals are a feeling more than something I've really put a lot of intellectual thought into, it's just a visceral symbol.
The album name "No Way To Relax When You Are on Fire" feels like an emotion that many young women may go through when they're going through the self-discovery process, what would what your advice be to someone who hears that title and feels like they can relate to it?
I think it touches on how sometimes fire can feel like anger and always underneath anger is some kind of universal sadness that can help our hearts be open and ultimately we can get out of our own heads. We can connect with each other when we realize we're all struggling. So I guess my advice is to let the feeling go through its natural course and lead you through grief and sadness and let it show you something beautiful.
Dora is such an inspiration and gave everyone in the conference beuatful answers which goes to show not only the kind of artist she is, but the kind of person she is. It was such a pleasure to learn about her new album and how life on the road has been. Be sure to catch her on the last week of her tour!
Comments