What is your names? 
Jessie Dipper 

What is your genre of music? 
Folk grunge/rock/indie/singer songwriter

Give us a little bio about you. 
I’m an artist, a songwriter, a producer based in the UK currently residing in between Nottingham and South Wales. I’ve been working in the mainstream music industry for a roundabout a decade now, I’ve had the privilege of touring solo independently across the world and have told with my band across the UK supporting the likes of Scouting for Girls. My most recent release, the single titled ’I’m a mess’, is following a string of releases over the last year. As a through and through independent DIY singer songwriter I’m passionate about creating art that slices atmospheres and integrity within the art that we make. I also spend my days as an educator lecturing at NTU on the Music Performance BA in installing that similar vision and practical mindset. 

What made you go into music?
When I was very young I grew up overseas moving a lot. My uncle was and is still a very talented guitarist and I was always in all of his playing and musicality so from a young age began to learn guitar during early secondary years at school I started singing and playing in bands. My musical training was very much rock and blues orientated based on the guitar. But I grew a particular love for folk music and storytelling through the inspirations of artists such as Mumford & Sons and Ed Sheeran. From my young teenage years I began writing songs and developed a career as a performing artist from that point on. As a young person, music was an escape and a method of connecting with my own emotions through songwriting. I realised this was something I could connect with others on stage with and seek to provide them a bridge for their own emotions.

Who are your influences? 
Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Tash Sultana, Joni Mitchell, Mark Knopfler. 

Are you a signed?
No

You released your latest single ‘I’m A Mess’, tell us more about the single and the meaning behind it. 
Following on from Little Miss London — a standout track from my 2022 album Sticky 
Floors — I’m A Mess continues the narrative arc, shifting from external chaos to internal reckoning. Where Little Miss London captured a lipstick-smudged stranger on a midnight  train, I’m A Mess turns the lens inward, exploring my own vices, coping mechanisms and the beauty found in imperfection

Describe the track in two words. 
Raw Grace.

What was the writing and recording process like? 
The writing process was well intentioned around the follow-up of the story of my song ‘Little Miss London’, and didn’t take long to craft the verses and chorus. I believe the chorus was refrain I had from early on in the operating process. The recording process actually happened a lot longer after the original songwriting which I did so on my own. Whereas recording this was specifically with my band mates who I knew could only do this song justice if I let them do their thing. We recorded the drums at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) where my drama was residing at the time. The rest of the song was crafted in my little home studio/music room a good four months after the original drum recording (which was to a guitar/acoustic vocal demo to click). My bassist and I spent three days recording everything including Vocals in this small room and began mixing to that point. It was always our intention as a band to create a live sound that would emulate the raw authenticity that came with this songs theme. 

I spent months trying to get the sonic vision articulated with various producer friends of mine, however every mix that I started listening to didn’t feel appropriate to the original vision. So after about six months I realise I needed to have a go at articulating these notes myself as a producer, a role of which I’ve been working on for a while. This original demo process eventually became the real song as more and more people affirm the division of the song was working through my own production methods-albeit somewhat uneducated compared to the more commercial producers I had had originally on this track. I think that aids the song and how it’s turned out today, which I’m really excited about.

Who did you work with on the song? 
My bassist Nathan Warnes, who did a lot of of the engineering originally on guitars drum multi tracking and of course bass. My drummer Owen Benoy, who provided a sonic foundation for this song through unrelentingly reliable tones and rhythms. My friend Nate Orr, who assisted on the final drum mix once all elements had nearly been put together, in conclusion of the track. 

Will we see an EP or album and if so what can we expect from the album? 
My hope is that this track is the beginning of a very small EP titled ‘I’m a Mess’, the EP will comprise of two other tracks one in a similar vein and another quite different. The combination of this project being the story of what it is to find oneself in the mess. 

Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up or in planning, if so what can you tell us about it? 
I very recently broken my elbow and so shows have been put on hold, however I’m hoping to arrange another trip to Nashville where I enjoyed building relationships and playing some independent shows. I also hope to be planning a tour this summer with the band taking advantage of the British summer festival season.

Where can we buy tickets from?
None yet. 

What else can we expect in 2025? 
The combination of the ‘I’m a mess’ EP, ideally out before the end of this year.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years? 
I see myself on stage performing songs I’ve already written and songs I’m yet to write, I’d seek to still be touring, but less as a solo artist and more as a collective, working with spoken word artists, other musicians, artists alike striving to communicate the similar message of connection. In five years I’d also like to have continued grafting a sustainable career in the industry, not necessarily with millions of people knowing my name, but more a consistent stream of work as an independent, artist, and friend.

What quote or saying do you always stick by? 
When I’m at the side of stage and it’s a particularly massive crowd or opportunity, I always try to remind myself that “I belong here”. When I was young my mum told me that if “I don’t enjoy it on stage she’ll kill me”. That wasn’t designed as a threat but more as a reminder of the reason for being on stage not to be about pleasing anyone else at my demise or doing something I hate to do but more doing it because I love it and because I was meant to be on that stage.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?

Fisherman’s friends, portable charger, extra jack leads, a full water bottle, my ‘taking to the stage’ liturgy.

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
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