Interview: Ethan Jewell
Cut from the same cloth as Hobo Johnson, Flatsound, and atlas rises an eighteen-year-old poet and songwriter by the name of Ethan Jewell, hailing from Dallas, Texas. Ethan Jewell is quickly finding success, acquiring fans from all over the world with his words, melodies, and messages.
Photo Credit: Cody Giles
Graphic by: April Bredael
The poet has also found a strong fanbase via Tiktok, where he went viral after sharing his poems for the internet (and algorithm) to see. Ethan frequently goes live with his voice and a piano and discusses emotions, his music, and spends time virtually with supporters. He shared that they are the reason he decided to wholeheartedly pursue music. After being flooded with tens of thousands of comments from fans sharing that they related or that his music saved their lives, he realized that people needed to hear it.
“When I read that, that's powerful. I mean that's impactful when someone tells you that your music has impacted or saved their life. That was just the on switch, I was like, I have to do this. It felt right.”
Since childhood, mental health has been a critical aspect of Ethan’s life and something he aims to integrate within his music. One of the earliest lessons he remembers comes from his Mom, who taught him about something he pens ‘the ripple effect.’ Ethan shared that she took him to a pond and they threw rocks, watching the ripples from one person cast waves across the entire body of water. She taught him that, “What you do and say is going to affect others mentally, emotionally, physically in many different ways.” Since then, Ethan has made it a goal to provide music that is not only relatable but there for others in the same situations.
His first track titled “Bouquet” premiered back in 2019 while Ethan was spending his days as an employee at a fast-food burger joint in Texas. He initially recorded the song expecting next to nothing, “maybe a couple of thousand streams at best.” He even spent release night working and mentioned to a coworker that he expected to be there much longer. Then, within a month, his debut album “Live From Planet Ok” garnered over a million streams, and upon seeing that; he quit on the spot.
“Bouquet” remains the artists most popular track to date, recently surpassing 2.1 million Spotify streams; this was an adverse response to what Ethan anticipated upon releasing the track. Prior to the release, the song had been played for one person, the one that it was written about. The track, while clearly written about relationships with others, was inspired by someone that didn’t quite understand the message. He was told that it was not good and that he shouldn’t release the track. And then later, went on to become heartbroken by that same person. While this reaction remains the first, those following are opposite as can be. Fans share that they felt not only supported but understood in ways they’ve never felt through music. While filled with complex analogies and extended metaphors, Ethan shared with me an elementary level breakdown of the track.
“Bouquet is about giving too much of yourself to others. The flowers represent your happiness .. Bouquet challenges the idea of what happens when you run out of happiness to give? And I think that's something that a lot of people then face. And they don’t know what to do. Because if you don’t have any happiness yourself, you can’t give happiness to other people. Just in the same way if you don’t have any flowers, you can’t give something you don’t have. And I think that's something that a lot of people have to come to terms with. There’s a lot of sad people attempting to make other people happy before they try to make themselves happy.”
His hope with the track was for fans to feel like they are not alone in this or any situation and that he “wanted people to be able to hear it and understand that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that you will get those flowers back.” This track, like many others of his, centers around the idea of emotion. On emotions and relationships with others, Ethan shares that “I think people need to learn how to make their own emotions a priority, and that's not selfish. If anything, it's selfless, because once you fulfill yourself you are able to fulfill others. I think people need to hold onto their flowers before giving them out.”
Ethan describes his music style as musical poetry or spoken word. His rhythmic style combined with heart-wrenching poems create an individualistic style that hasn’t been seen before, and that is quite popular with those following his music; although it does frequently confuse those unfamiliar with the name. “Oh I love your singing, your speaking, your talking, whatever it is?” is a common compliment with the latter type.
Another integral root of inspiration in his words is breaking out of the hindrance of discussing emotions. Growing up with a mother who hated the ‘boy’s don’t cry’ mantra, Ethan adopted the mindset as well, but as he grew up realized it was much more than that. He shares that people often feel bad when talking about these things that every person experiences.
“We label them [emotions] as good and bad but at the end of the day, they’re just emotions. There's no such thing as a good emotion or a bad emotion; they’re just the things that we feel …. We have to feel these emotions, we just do.”
Writing serves as a catharsis to him; the poet shares that his creative process is trance-like, and is fueled only by the emotions he is feeling. “I write only when I'm feeling what I'm writing about. I refuse to write otherwise, it doesn’t feel genuine to me. Typically what happens is I feel a wave of emotion or whatever I'm feeling at that moment and I will typically drop everything to go and write about it.” These emotions while beginning as feelings, quickly translate into stanzas on paper or in his notes app. Ethan shares that his poems typically only take ten to fifteen minutes to write, and that he rarely makes revisions to them.
The natural talent in the young poet and songwriter is evident, and more and more fans are beginning to follow his journey on Spotify, Tiktok, Instagram, and now Twitch. With a larger following, Ethan has experienced numerous impactful fan encounters. He shared two with me that greatly changed his life. The first was the first time a fan recognized him in public. He had left his home to purchase clothes and a man his own age had called out and asked if he was Ethan Jewell. Shell-shocked and nervous, Ethan replied in confusion, as he wasn’t quite sure how to react to the recognition. They ended up chatting briefly and Ethan shared that he, “was like about to ask him for his autograph, I was like this is awesome … these are like real people that are listening.”
The second includes a fan who had made an impact on the poet like no other. She was in a dark place and had no will or intentions to continue living, and at this time Ethan’s music had come on shuffle and she realized that she was not alone and that permanent action is not a solution to a temporary problem. After sharing this with Ethan, he was astonished. “I read that and I just broke down crying. It's one thing for someone to tell you, oh you’ve impacted me. It's another thing for someone to tell you that you are the reason they are alive. I'm blessed to be able to do that. It's crazy to me that I'm able to do that. Because to me, I'm just a guy. But to those people, I'm somebody that has kept them alive. It's indescribable to me. I don't think I can put it into words. I think if you gave me all the words in the world I would not be able to describe this feeling. It's inspirational to me.”
Many of Ethan’s poems acknowledge ideas that aren’t commonly talked about in the music scene. A recent single “It’s Getting Bad Again” was written during one of these spiraling moments. Ethan shared that he had just graduated and all of his friends had moved on to universities while he chose to attend a school at home. In this first month, he quickly realized that he had no one. This was the poet's lowest point, and from this came a track acknowledging it.
“I had just gotten out of the shower and I was brushing my teeth and as I was brushing my teeth I just sat down on the floor. And i was just sitting on the floor just brushing my teeth and started crying. And I thought in my head, this is as bad as it gets. I have nobody, I am sitting on the floor brushing my teeth in my bathroom... I don’t know where to go from here. And as I’m brushing my teeth, I grab my phone and I open my notes and I just write ‘It’s Getting Bad Again.’ and then I’m like, wait, that’s pretty good, I could do something with that. And the first line is ‘I knew it was getting bad again when I started to do everything sitting down’ and that was literally because I had realized I had begun to do everything sitting down, when I was showering I was sitting down, when I was brushing my teeth i was sitting down .. that’s how it gets sometimes with mental health, it affects you physically and it can be extreme.”
Mental health is a significant illness affecting so many people worldwide, and something that isn’t talked about enough. Ethan shares that, “This is a real thing that happens to real people and if it happens to you, you’re not alone in it, you know. And it's okay, it's okay to spiral, it's okay to feel bad, it's okay for it to get bad again.”
Emotions are a powerful thing, and Ethan acknowledges them within his words like no other musician has done. Expressing raw and vivid feelings, the poet writes about things he feels and recognizes that if he’s feeling it, likely others are too. Throughout quarantine, Ethan has spent a lot of time to himself, which he shares have helped his songwriting due to the amount of time he has spent alone. He has additionally picked up a few hobbies including skating, cooking videos (unsuccessful) and improving his skills as a pianist. Although the cooking videos didn’t work out, the music did. The artist created over forty unreleased poems over this period of isolation, many of which will release in 2021.
Fans can expect to see two singles and a third album around the beginning of summer. Although the album name has not yet been revealed, one of the singles titled “drive thru poem” premieres at midnight, April 16th.
“drive thru poem” is highly anticipated after quickly achieving a viral Tiktok status. The poem was written in a drive thru and discusses what it feels like to actually hit rock bottom and the realization and reactions upon feeling those feelings. He had been sitting in his car and pulled up to the window to place his order at the drive thru and he was crying. After the employee asked him if he was okay, he realized “This is it. This is what it feels like to actually hit rock bottom.”
While the full track will be available everywhere at midnight, Ethan shared a teaser exclusively to Tongue Tied Magazine that can be played below and don’t forget to presave his new single “drive thru poem” here.
The new track “drive thru poem” remains one of his most haunting poems to date; encompassing integral themes of honesty, fear, and longing. Branching off from the usual soft keys of the piano, “drive thru poem” feels as if you are in outer space grasping for any glimpse of oxygen. Mixed with vehicular audios and an electronic lull, the track is mystical and surely one of the best to come from the poet as he launches into his next era of music. Overall, this track is not one to miss.
In the eyes of many of his supporters, Ethan’s poetry serves as a sense of oxygen in itself. While writing to provide emotional catharsis for himself and others, his impact has extended far beyond whatever he could have initially imagined. Serving as anthems of peace, relief, and comfort, Ethan’s tracks extend far into the lives of supporters and create a sense of serenity exclusively found within his art.
The essential message Ethan Jewell desires to leave with listeners is that sadness is okay, and that sadness is simply a good reminder that happiness still exists.
“Feeling sad is a reminder that we can still feel. It’s a very human raw emotion, why would we avoid that? You know, it’s a reminder that you’re still human and you can still feel and that is beautiful. That alone is beautiful. The ability to be sad is a beautiful thing. I say we embrace being sad because it reminds us that happy still exists. Feelings come and go like seasons. It has to be cold and it has to be winter before it can be summer again. So to anyone who is experiencing winter through their emotions, keep in mind that spring and summer are right around the corner .. Sadness is just a good reminder that happiness still exists.”
Finding mental health resources isn’t always easy, and taking care of yourself is important. During these times of quarantine and isolation, life can be difficult. If you or someone you know is in need of help, consider reaching out. The national suicide prevention lifeline offers 24/7 toll-free call and text lines, as well as additional resources for finding mental health care. Coping during COVID-19 is difficult and can feel lonesome at times. Resources for supporting your own emotional wellbeing during times of isolation can be found here.
For more on all things Ethan Jewell, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok and stream his music on Spotify, and presave his new single “drive thru poem” here.
Interview by: April Bredael
