Singer-songwriter Jocelyn Cecilia draws listeners in with her indie-pop sound. Taking inspiration from some of her favorites, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and James Arthur. As heard on her latest single, "27," Jocelyn Cecilia has much to offer her audience with her vulnerable lyrics and expressive melodies.
Taking us back in time with her reminiscent track "27," Jocelyn Cecilia captures our attention with her elegant yet powerful vocals and drapes us in her warm vocal blanket. The track "27" is an intimate depiction of passionate love between two lovers, reminiscing about dreamy beach nights and taking pictures with a flash for that dreamy effect.
On "27", Jocelyn boldly sings about the vulnerable and intimate moments she wants to share with her partner, "hold my hand when I'm not at my best" and "make me laugh at things only we get," sentimental moments every audience member can relate to. As she continues within the melody, she sweetly swoons about her partner and the utter devotion and honesty he has shown her. Jocelyn's melodious sounds lift us away on a soft cloud with instrumentals filled with sweet notes and mellow chords that shine an aurora around the listener.
As passionate as she is about her art, Jocelyn's dedication to songwriting, arranging, singing, and her ability to play multiple instruments is genuinely inspiring.
Light some candles, dim the lights, get comfortable, and press play on Jocelyn Cecilia's new single, "27."
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Jocelyn, and congratulations on your latest single, "27." What message did you want your listeners to take away from this record?
Honestly, I think "27" is a wistful, fun, summer-loving track, and I want my listeners to gain a sense of joy and nostalgia from listening to it. The song centers around the 27 pictures you have on a disposable camera and how you have to care about what, or who, you take your photos of. So I think I'd want the audience to interpret that however they see fit and think about the people in their life that are most important to them.
"27" is such a unique piece of art. How was the process of creating it, and what were some moments that stood out for you?
Some of my favorite moments when creating this track were studio times at Jazzcats Studios in Long Beach, California. I'm super lucky to have been able to work with Jonny from Jazzcats and Rachel and Brett Kramer on this track. This is only the second single I've put out, so getting to be in the studio, eating all the Trader Joe's snacks, adding and moving parts around, and playing everything by ear (literally), was special. Despite its somewhat sad lyrics, the song is upbeat and just made for a good time when we recorded it over the winter holiday.
What is your usual songwriting/arranging process, and did you try different formulas with "27?"
My songs usually start with an idea, and that could be a lyric, melody, chord progression, concept, or a mixture of them. "27" started with the verse melody and the opening line "taking pictures, beach nights with the flash on." The song and this opening verse were inspired by the person-I-wrote-the-song-about's Instagram account. Every picture on their feed was taken on a disposable, many of them on the beach. After I had a melody and idea, the chords came naturally, and with some tweaking and editing along the way, "27" was born into the song you can now stream on all platforms!
Being an artist entails meeting different people all the time, what is the best piece of advice someone else has given you?
"Be vulnerable, and anything is possible." Songwriting is very subjective, and the harsh truth is that not everyone will like your music. I'm a people pleaser, but I've learned that I can't please everyone, especially in this industry. Vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength. Some of the world's greatest hits could be sitting in a string of untitled voice memos or on a forgotten page of a notebook, never to be heard. I feel so lucky that I get to share my music with the world, and I hope that people out there will connect with me and my music.
What's next for you?
There might be a few things cooking… I'm still growing, improving, and changing as an artist. I'm still trying to find my style, my sound. But in any case, you can expect that "27" will not be my last. This is just the beginning.