Jude Kelly Announces Debut EP 'The Seven Spirits Of Her' Out May 9

Today, Aotearoa / New Zealand-based singer-songwriter Jude Kelly announces her debut EP, The Seven Spirits of Her, set to arrive May 9, alongside the release of new single ‘Clarence’. LISTEN + WATCH ‘CLARENCE’

Anchored in a pop foundation with an Americana-tinged flair, Jude Kelly's inimitable voice forming the touchstone of her timeless songwriting. Following her playful debut ‘Bonnet Bunny’ last November came the mesmerising ‘Siren Song’, praised by Rolling Stone AU/NZ as “an intoxicating and brooding reflection on the magnetic pull of chaos". Along with her sold-out Auckland debut headline show, Rhythm & Vines Festival set, and recent support for Sienna Spiro at Pleasure Club in Newtown in February, Jude is undoubtedly making her presence felt.

Imbued with her signature narrative-driven lyricism, each song from her upcoming project personifies a different character within herself, threaded together like chapters of a memoir. Jude reveals, “Each track on the EP had a working title of a woman’s name. As we progressed, like a right of passage, they were given their ‘formal’ name - for example; Joan = ‘Bonnet Bunny’, Medusa = ‘Siren Song’. After failing to find the right suit and layers of feedback including Chris Martin and his team at an artist night, the consensus was that there was no name other than Clarence.”

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‘Clarence’ – which received early support from Coldplay’s Chris Martin during his recent trip to New Zealand – radiates fierce independence and confident resolve, speaking to the complexity and depth of what makes a woman. “Think ‘You don’t own me’ by Lesley Gore meets Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’,” Jude shares. “She’s a ‘Kick 'em to the curb with a kiss on the hand’ kinda woman.”

As the latest taste of the EP, of ‘Clarence’ Jude shares, “Truthfully, ‘Clarence’ was a scary song to me at first, I guess it shocked me. It was written one morning, tapping into the adaptive subconscious as I improvised on a 30 second loop. The lyrics and melodies that you hear are derived from this 5 minute improv and, like a puzzle, I tested them out until it fit just right. A story that I thought was so simple to describe as power dynamics at a party evolved into something much more. ‘Clarence’ quickly became the signature of the EP to come.”

Directed by Britt Walton, produced by Sasha Sadlier and choreographed by Eden Matthews, the accompanying music video offers a convergence of creative disciplines, extending the narrative of 'Clarence' through the camera lens. “From the start, we wanted this video to feel like it could exist without sound, where movement alone tells the story," shares Walton. "We shot in an open arena, dodging thunderstorms, working with animals, and shooting into the early hours of the morning but I think that’s what makes it feel so tense and dreamy. It was a mix of chaos and control and capturing that tension, not just in movement but through small, knowing glances and tumbling falls is the essence of the song.”

At 25 years old, Jude Kelly is equipped with the confidence of an artist who has honed her craft, as she chronicles her experiences of love, loss, growth, accomplishment and resilience in her music. Raised by two pastors as the youngest of 5 children, before moving out of home at 15 and putting herself through university, Jude turned to songwriting as an outlet to process questions of identity and selfhood, as she came to grips with the world on her own terms.

Working with producers Josh Fountain (BENEE, Ruel) and Devin Abrams, her debut EP The Seven Spirits of Her radiates the fierce independence Jude has carried throughout her life. Speaking on the project, Jude shares, “The Seven Spirits of Her has become almost an audio biopic. It’s an exploration of all the different parts that make us who we are. Each song harnesses a different story that taps into an experience or a part of us - whether it's love, contentment, being confused with life, or growing up too quickly, one cannot be without the other. In a sweet way, it’s questions I asked when I was 15, answered. These stories have been for me, but I hope when people listen to the EP they too can see the beauty in the ugly.”

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