Introducing Jei-Rynn

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

Jei-Rynn is an artist on the rise based out of the LA/OC music scene who has just released a brand new EP entitled Overreacting. Fans of pop punk and emo should be over the moon when encountering the exhillarating songs Jei-Rynn has to offer the world at large. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Jei-Rynn at a Dystopian Studios photo shoot to find out more about the standout Overreacting EP and the mastermind behind it. Read on...

We’re here with Jei-Rynn. Prior to pursuing your solo career, what other bands or projects were you involved with? I’ve played in a couple of different projects. My main band was called Stereodove, which I played in for a few years in high school as I was in a bunch of bands too. A band called The Wind Chasers Club. It was like a punk band. Yeah, I’ve been around in the SoCal music scene for a little bit.

So you’ve just released a new EP called Overreacting. Is there any overall story or constant behind that title, Overreacting? Do you overreact, Jei? Yeah, definitely just kind of an emotional kind of person, so yeah, so I tend to overreact at times. I think people can relate to that.

Oxytocin. What was the inspiration behind that song and the lyrics?

Oxytocin is kind of about... it’s sort of a love song. It’s sort of about feeling connected to a person amidst feeling ostracized by others. So it’s also sort of a love letter to people who’ve been with others because I feel like I’ve experienced a lot of that. Kind of a fight song as well for people who feel othered.

Sleeping All Day. Something that’s quite enjoyable. Tell me about that song and the inspiration behind it. Oh, I think that one, I think I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety quite a bit. In those days I would just want to literally sleep all day and just be away from everything mentally. So just kind of metaphorically too, just being away from things, I guess. Live the existing fantasy.

Make Me, is one of my favorite songs. So tell me about that one.

Make Me is a fun song. It’s sort of about a lot of things. I think the idea with that song was just to create something that was really energetic that people can move to and also with some lyrics that could be kind of biting too, and dark at times, but also maybe funny. https://www.jei-rynn.com/

And I’m Done. Tell me about that one.

I’m Done. I’m just feeling like I’m done with people pigeonholing me, being labeled, et cetera. I think in this day and age it’s important for people to see the beauty in their individuality and so that’s always been a struggle for myself as well. So it’s sort of an attempt of owning all of that.

How did your record release show go last night and what were some of the highlights?

I think it was amazing. I thought all of the bands played really well. It seemed like the crowd liked all of the bands, so I think it was really great. I really enjoyed performing for everyone. I was really happy with my band. It was a lot of fun.

What could one expect from a live Jei-Rynn show if they didn’t go last night?

I think we try to keep the energy high. We don’t try to play for too long because we’re trying not to bore anyone. It’s sort of like pop music in like punk fashion when we play live.

If you could open for any band or artist, either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

I think a lot of people have compared my stuff to My Chemical Romance, so I think it’d be really fun to play with them. They’re one of my favorite bands as well. We actually just saw them at the Inglewood Forum a few months ago. They’re amazing. So yeah, that’d be a good pick.

Since we’re both part of the LA Rock Collective, let’s plug that and how you became involved with that. Yeah, so I met the band Against the Sun. I was actually in a band with their bass player, Alex, in high school and so I was going to see their shows and met some of the other bands from LA Rock Collective and was really impressed with everyone. I met with David and eventually got involved. That’s really great to try and show support for all those great bands. Everyone’s really supportive and it’s a good community.

What do you hope that 2023 brings for you and for your music?

We just want to keep recording new songs and writing better material and playing as many shows as possible, and meeting new artists and things like that is always fun for me too. Just trying to grow the listenership and meet new people.