Launching a music album at the young age of 25 is not everyone’s forte but an upcoming music artist from Finland managed to do so in flying colours as she launched her debut album ‘Renegade’ this November. Born and brought up in Helsinki, Jessica Wolff was in the city to perform at the Hard Rock Cafe on Tuesday. Having discovered her passion for when she was only seven-years-old, Jessica has taken her time to discover her true musical affinities before launching her debut album.
“My first introduction to music was through my five-year-old neighbour. She used to play the piano and I got fascinated with its sound. That’s how I got into music. She was my role model,” says the young Finnish punk rocker. As a child, music had a great effect on Jessica, whose high-energy guitar driven music is combined with thought provoking lyrics and catchy melodies. After learning classical music from an opera singer for three years, she decided to switch over to rock music.
“When I was 12, I had this old opera singer as a teacher in school who taught me classical music. I took a small break and after a few years, another teacher allowed me to experiment with some other genres of music. That’s how I started with rock music which not only inspired me to go further but brought out the crazy side of my personality,” she says.
Debut experience
The name of her debut album – ‘Renegade’ – Jessica says, represents different aspects of her life, opinions and experiences. “As a child, I grew up between jungles and islands, so I used to run here and there and climb trees. I was a crazy child. The name ‘Renegade’ represents a part of me that has always been the stubborn loner. That’s how I’ve learned to stand up for what I believe,” says the musican who wanted to be Tarzan when she was young.
Her album which packs 10 songs in it, has a message attached to each one. One of the main messages is ‘Don’t let people step on your toes, you’ll need them on the road’.
“Almost all of my songs give a message. For instance, Broken Wings is about helping young children and bringing back their innocence. All of my songs like Ashes to Diamonds or Blind in Disguise treat the same subject but with different perspectives,” shares Jessica who wants to create an awareness among people to stand up for themselves.
Indian sojourn
In Hyderabad as a part of her six-city Indian tour, this happens to be her fifth stop. So far, she has found the audience quite welcoming and warm-hearted.
Talking about India and her experience in other cities, she says, “India is an amazing, mysterious country full of colours. The culture is so rich and diverse. I just have to look out through the window of my car and I see so many colourful things that give me a warm feeling. Similarly, the Indian music is so lovely. It is actually interesting how culture is reflected in music. I haven’t heard much Indian music and also I have a hard time remembering the name of the songs, but I like the energy, spontaneity and dynamics of Indian music.”
Being Jessica
An adventure sports freak, she loves to practice Kung Fu, skydiving, snowboarding, motor biking and so on. “I just love the adrenaline rush these sports give me. They bring out the crazy side of me,” says the trained Kung Fu fighter. Her inspiration of music comes from several people and other music bands. “I get inspired by lot of things – people, a word, sentence and pretty much everything. What I love about music is that you get to explore your inner side. It brings you new challenges and goals every day. You put up a goal for yourself. You may think you won’t be able to it, but you still keep on dreaming and trying. At the end, when you actually get success, it feels great. It is like roller coaster where you get a chance to express yourself,” opines the fan of bands like Pink Floyd and Pink.
In her free time, she loves spending some alone time on islands back home. “I love being in nature and having my time. In summers, I never miss out on swimming.”
With a snake for a pet, Jessica is as quintessential as one can get. “I’ve had Squishy for the last seven years. It’s an easy pet to take care of especially when I am on tour,” she shares.
An actor as well, she says of her future plans on albums and movies, “I am working on a music video for the next year and a couple of other ideas for music albums. Also, I am working on some action flicks which I am really excited for. I like challenging roles where you have to pull out feelings. My favourite is acting in fighting scenes. I love to do stunt work in my movies.”
After performing in Japan and India, Jessica Wolff is planning a tour at her home country next year.