Kara Jackson on the Timelessness of Folk Music
There’s a folk revival in the air, and former Chicago Poet Laureate Kara Jackson is giving us a unique approach to the timeless genre with her debut album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? The album opens with the 62 second track ‘recognised’, where Jackson sings over the simple, raw piano: “Some people get high to be recognised / Some people roll dice to be recognised.” It sets the tone for what’s to come; an honest exploration of relationships, pain and wishes sung over gorgeous strings. Jackson invites the listener to face these themes with her, while the album takes its time and lets you appreciate every verse - Jackson’s writing skills are at the forefront and makes for an unforgettable album.
Jackson chats to Polyester editor Charlotte Amy Landrum on how her poetry and music intertwine, the women who inspire her and the political importance of the folk genre.
Hi Kara! How have you been?
It's getting warmer here. So it feels a little nice. The sun is out.
How much does your poetry writing process and songwriting process intertwine?
They definitely intertwine a lot. I'm a big reader and I just love language and words. I feel like I'm always paying attention to those things, whether I'm making a song or a poem. I think the difference obviously is just the melody, but the process is not that different. There's a kind of musicality that comes with making poetry too. And with music I don't have to be as hard on myself about things sounding cliche, or being really original. I can be as cheesy as I want in music.
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”I love how so much of folk music is just narratives and storytelling, and these oral tales that have been passed down literally for centuries.”
Did you get into poetry first, or music?
I got into music first. I mean, I've always loved reading stuff. My dad is an English teacher and my mom was always reading, so I’ve always loved words. But I definitely started singing before I did anything because I grew up with music. My mom had this rule about my brother and I taking piano lessons from around the age of five.
How do you think folk music relates to poetry? With the sense of storytelling and passing down stories.
I would say definitely, I've always loved folk music for the political history around folk music and how it started in rural areas with people talking about labour and work conditions. I love how so much of folk music is just narratives and storytelling, and these oral tales that have been passed down literally for centuries. I love how some of my favourite folk songs are really old, like they're from the 1700s but they’re still so relevant. I think that's definitely what attached me to that and probably got me into poetry too, because I feel like there's some overlap with the movement.
I read some of your inspirations were Fiona Apple and Nina Simone - What is it about these artists that draws you in? What have you taken away from their work?
I feel like something I've always been so captivated by growing up is these women who were taking up so much space on the stage just by themselves. Someone like Fiona Apple is wearing her wings, I was so obsessed with her looks and how it would just be her and her piano. The same with Nina Simone and Joanna Newsom. I was always so captivated by how formidable they were. It's not like they have a band backing them. They make the stage their own and take up so much space. Their singularity really stood out to me. Even people like Beyonce who have an entourage with them, I feel like it's still so incredible how she manages to make it seem like it's just her sometimes. I'm always inspired by the way that women are bosses on stage.
Why do you think folk music has had a revival over the past few years?
Maybe I’m biased, but I feel like there has been a really interesting resurgence and reimagining what those genres can look like and how we can incorporate them into popular music. I feel like since Lil Nas X with Old Town road, country music has been sneaking up on people. It's been cool to see that that type of music can become popularised again. And I think with artists like Weyes Blood, there may be an acoustic girl moment soon.
What’s the story behind your recent song ‘dickhead blues’?
‘dickhead blues’ is one of my favourite songs on my upcoming album. I actually had the middle section of the song written before any of the songs. So in the middle, there's this part: “if I had a heart, I'd know where to start.” And it just repeats over and over again. I didn’t know where to go with it. But then I started to write the verses separately. It felt kind of traditional in a sense, mimicking the blues form without taking it on completely, taking on the tradition of folk songs that complained about men, like Silver Dagger. Then I had this other part that was more produced and different than what you would hear in a folk song. And then it occurred to me that it would be really interesting to put them together. dickhead blues was born out of this weird interlude thing that ended up just becoming the anchor of the song. That's my favourite part of the song. And then the verses shape themselves really easily because it was like writing comedy almost.
How do you think your writing style and your approach to your work overall has progressed since becoming the Youth Poet Laureate?
I think I've been better. Especially in my songs, I think I've been able to find a good middle ground of having language that’s taking on poetic form in a lot of ways. Sometimes when a song doesn't make any sense, I will still like it. I feel like songs are more forgiving in the fact that you don't always have to have something really profound to say, and I definitely try to make space for a middle ground. I feel like poetry can be so strict around rules and making sure things sound striking and interesting.
Words: Charlotte Amy Landrum
