She wears 70s-inspired pantsuits and a jaunty fedora. She writes love songs that are equal parts tender and razor-sharp, about real love messy, maddening, and completely worth it.
For years she walked the line between singer-songwriter and jazz chanteuse, until one day she stopped walking it altogether and dove headfirst into the world of jazz and blues’ most unapologetic women those who did what they wanted, how they wanted, and answered to no one. The result is Suit Yourself, an album that is part confession, part celebration, and entirely, defiantly her own.
Tonight she’s here to talk about challenging romantic clichés, about Valentine’s Day battles that finally stopped, about the kind of live performance that feels like lightning in a bottle and about what it means to stop performing a version of yourself and start being the real thing.
Ladies and gentlemen – Judith Owen.
Hello Judith! We’re delighted to have you on Soundville. Your new single “That’s Why I Love My Baby” is about accepting your partner without illusions and expectations. What inspired you to explore this particular theme at this point in your creative journey?
I wrote this song a few albums back, when I was much more “singer songwriter”, about radically accepting my husband for who he was, not who I wanted him to be! It’s a tongue in cheek ‘you’re perfect now change’ song. I really felt whilst making ‘Suit Yourself’ that, once given the jazz treatment, it fit perfectly on the album. It swings sexily, yet has the tongue in cheek smarts that I’ve always loved in classic songs sung by the likes of Blossom Dearie (peel me a grape), Sinatra (my lean baby) and Dinah Washington (my man’s an undertaker)…
Judith, you mention it took you years to stop getting emotional about Valentine’s Day. Do you remember that moment when it finally “clicked” and you saw the bigger picture? How did that change your relationship?
Well it stopped the fighting every year on Feb 14th! More importantly it was a cosmic reminder that you judge your partner on how they treat you year round, not just on a “hallmark” day! I’m all emotion and he’s all cerebral, that’s just a fact, so today, if I want roses I’ll buy them for myself, rather than acting like a martyr. I hate to sound evolved, but there comes a time when you realize that it’s much healthier to laugh at stuff like, and that life is hard enough without looking for extra dramas…
Your concerts are always filled with a sense of intimacy and genuine connection with the audience. What do you think creates this special trust between artist and audience?
I think knowing that a live performance is a shared experience, a conversation with the musicians on stage and with the audience. The job is to connect with and to entertain people who’ve come from near and far, and paid good money to see YOU! If that isn’t a privilege, I don’t know what is, and I certainly don’t have time for artists who seem to resent their audience. I’m very open, emotional, and use a lot of humour on stage, because it’s my happy, safe place, where I feel most at home and where “lightning in a bottle” happens. I’ve been in that audience myself, where I’ve known that what I’m seeing will never be replicated, that I was part of something special that I’ll remember forever. That’s what I want every time I go on stage. It’s the height of intimacy and the most honest human experience..
How does your upcoming album differ from your previous work? What new things did you discover about yourself as an artist while creating it?
Like I said, I went from being predominantly singer-songwriter with jazzy overtones and phrasing, to “coming out” as my fully authentic self, after a deep dive into the oft forgotten music of the “unapologetic ladies” of 40’s/50’s jazz and blues in America. Women who did what they wanted, how they wanted, and whose music ended up in my jazz loving father’s record collection. Two albums honoring them have led to me being MY unapologetic, hence this album’s title- ‘Suit Yourself’ (I should also mention that I always wear 70’s inspired pant suits and a jaunty fedora).Basically I’m being myself, musically and in life and that means doing whatever I put my mind to, in this case it meant recording both my own songs, and my very unique arrangements of classics (jazz, blues, funk, disco and rock), with my incredible band ‘The Gentlemen Callers’, and the JO Big Band, to create an album rich in variety, but with my signature sound and styling.
Did you try anything new on the upcoming album – in terms of arrangements, instruments, or vocal approaches?
This album features a lot more of me on the piano, particularly on my self-penned songs. My MD, the incredible pianist David Torkanowsky, jumps to B3 organ, and rhodes, when I play, which is particularly exciting when we play live. I’ve also enjoyed making this the most dynamic recording, going from the piano, bass and vocal of ‘Blue Skies’, all the way through to the sonic excitement of the Big Band on ‘Moanin’ and ‘Evil Gal Blues’. It’s very much about the voice too, as THE instrument, telling you these personal stories, taking you on a seductive journey. I also included a duet of ‘Since I Fell For You’, with my friend, the extraordinary Davell Crawford, that will “take you to church”.
Judith, how do you turn personal stories into songs that resonate with millions of listeners? Do you have a specific approach to writing lyrics?
I’m the queen of the bitter-sweet. I see life as wonderful and painful, and all at the same time, and that’s what I write about. It touches everyone, because it’s the truth. It’s not depressing, it’s actually cathartic to sing and to hear, probably because we all feel like we’re alone with our struggles, when actually we’re all suffering in silence. When I sing someone else’s song, it has to be something I’ve experienced and know intimately for it to be real to the listener. That way, the song’s personal, and the audience feels it, believes it, and relates to it. The one thing I’ve learned over the years of singing, is that the audience knows what’s authentic or not!
You “playfully demolish romantic clichés” in the new song. What other clichés in music or life would you like to rethink or challenge in your work?
Honestly the ironies and cliches in life never stop coming, so I’ll keep addressing them in song. There’s another song on the album which I think addresses the “romantic cliche”, that romantic love isn’t filled with arguing and messiness and irritation. ‘To your Door’, is another bitter sweet, humorous love song (again for my husband), assuring him that no matter how we might drive each other crazy, or far away on the road I might travel, it’s always him that I come home to. I’ve always wondered why (before you marry), no one ever mentions how you’ll hate your partner (almost) as much as you love them…that that’s normal and to be expected!
You’re known for vibrant performances in intimate venues. Why is this particular format important to you?
Like I said it’s all about entertaining, energy, emotion, capturing that lightning in a bottle. Nowhere is it more thrilling than up close and personal in a small room that’s hot as a sauna, and sizzles with the electricity!
From Paris to London, from Illinois to Switzerland – an incredible itinerary! Which venue or location are you especially excited about?
I’m truly excited to play the Bal Blomet in Paris, especially as it is sold out, and to play my home crowd at London’s Bush Hall June 1st, as well as my ancestral home-Wales June 4th for the Cardiff show. But the show I’m most looking forward to has to be July 12th opening for Elvis Costello at the Umbria Jazz Festival Italy. (My favorite country and food!)
What are your plans for the future and where can we hear you perform live?
I plan to tour this album for 26/27, as well as produce and perform my classical project about Picasso’s muses, and get working on the next iteration. I’m a big fan of artists who refuse to be pigeonholed, like Jon Baptiste, who just won a Grammy for his Americana album. Do everything you’re capable of doing, at the highest level. Life’s short, do it all…
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