Photo Credit: Derek Bremner

Born from the frustrations of injustice, On My Tongue comes as a feisty bop full of resilience. Explaining more, Darla Jade shares: “I wrote On My Tongue last year with Gold Spectacles. We wrote it about the bitterness felt when bad things happen to good people. It’s about wanting to wallow in that angry state of mind, even when you know thinking positively would be a better option!”

Born and bred in Stoke On Trent, Darla Jade has been making waves and winning hearts since she launched. With her homespun sound nestled somewhere between pop and electronica she’s already built a stellar reputation thanks to a diverse and captivating string of releases. From euphoric sky reaching bangers like ‘Broken Armour’ which came out earlier this year,  to more emotive moments like ‘Problems’ this exciting new artist has got you covered.

Tell us about your story as an artist:

Sure! So I started singing when I was really young and I always wanted to do musical theatre as a kid, but when I was 15 I did a singing competition at one of my local pubs and there was an agent there, and he basically recommended me to start gigging in pubs and clubs etc. So I did that, and by the age of 18/19 I guess I got a bit boredof singing covers, and then that was where the idea came from to start writing my own material. I definitely wasn’t any good at the start, so there has been a lot of practice! I did look into going to a music college, but I just wanted to dive headfirst and a few months later an opportunity to go to Thailand to do a writing camp for developing artists was sent to me, and I just took it. The camp was amazing and I really learnt how much effort and time was needed to do music as a career.

What do you think is the most important aspect of your life right now?

I definitely would say the most important thing to me is my family, friends and boyfriend. The pandemic was such a difficult time for everyone and one thing it really has taught me is that you have to make as much time as you can for those that matter to you!

What makes this song special in your opinion?

This song is a special one to me because it’s a little bit different to my other songs, it’s a lot more moody and dark. I really like to change things up here and there as it keeps things interesting!

What inspired this track?

I wrote On My Tongue at a time when I was feeling really bitter. Me and my family had found out that my younger brother had a tumour on his lung, and if you know my brother, you’d quickly realise he’s the nicest person ever and yeah it just really made me sad and angry how life can still be cruel to the kindest people. I bought this feeling and this line – “When life gives you lemons we make lemonade, but no one can change the bitterness stained,” to the session with Gold Spectacles and then we wrote ‘On My Tongue.’

What are some core messages here?

I don’t really think this song has a core message as it’s more about a feeling, but I guess it’s just trying to make the best out of a bad situation even though it won’t change it.

How do you think TikTok and social media are contributing to change an artist’s career?

I feel TikTok and other platforms can completely transform an artist’s careers, it’s really amazing to see! However, I do feel there is a misconception in the fact that some people think it’s really easy to ‘blow up’ on social media, it certainly isn’t and I think that’s because there is literally no formula to it really, but I guess that’s the exciting part. You never really know what the next thing will be!

What excites you about your life?

My dog lol. She is an imperial shih-tzu named Gizmo.

What are some of your core values as a human being?

Honesty is a big one for me, and just simply being kind because it’s really not hard.

What are your projects for next year?

At the moment I’m working on my material for next year, which is really exciting! So definitely expect more new music from me:)