Jay Som - Tenderness

0:00You're listening to Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. I'm Rishikesh Hirwe. Song Exploder is sponsored by TaskRabbit. For the last few months, I've been meaning to put up this framed Richard Misrak photo that I love, but I wanted to hang it above my bed, which meant it really needed to be done right, because I don't want it to fall off and land on me while I'm sleeping. So I've been putting it off. But then instead, I found a tasker on TaskRabbit who specializes in hanging artwork and TVs in homes. And he came over the next day with a laser level and he hung the picture with precision and care.

0:40And then I felt so much better than if I tried to do it myself. And really, who knows when I would have done it myself. When life happens, your to-do list grows. So get ahead of it now and get$15 off your first task at TaskRabbit.com or on the TaskRabbit app using promo code SONGEXPLODER. Taskers book up fast, especially for same-day tasks. So book Trusted Home Help today. That's$15 off your first task using promo code SONGEXPLODER with the TaskRabbit app or at taskrabbit.com. Thanks to Quince for their support of Song Exploder. It's August and it is hot here in LA. And in my attempt to not look like melted cheese in the heat, I've turned to Quince for their beautiful linen clothes and I got their 100 % European linen utility shirt, which is a button-down that's lightweight and breathable and looks very classy.

1:34It kind of has an old world style to it, which I love because my people, Indian people, we know about beating the heat. We also know about savings and everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80 % less than similar brands. That's because they work directly with ethical factories. So you're paying for high quality, not brand markup. Upgrade your every day. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com slash songexploder. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available in Canada and the UK, too. That's quince.com slash songexploder. Jsom has a new album coming out on October 10th called Belong, which is pretty exciting if you're a fan like me, because her last album came out six years ago.

2:25This new one features guest appearances by Hayley Williams from Paramore and Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World, and I've been really enjoying it, so I thought it would be nice to revisit her Song Exploder episode, also from six years ago, November 2019. Since the episode was published, Melina's done a lot. She was part of the Grammy-winning Boy Genius album that came out in 2023, and she's produced and mixed a bunch of albums for other folks. I've been lucky enough to work with her a few times, including a duet that we did together for a song of mine. And I consider her a friend now. And that all started with this episode.

2:59So here it is.

3:03Melina Duterte, who goes by the name J-Song, is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She's released three albums under the name J-Song, and she's produced, engineered and mixed each one. Her third album, Ana Cacó, came out in August 2019. And in this episode, Melina breaks down a song from it called Tenderness.

3:42Melina Duterte:I'm Melina from J-Thom. I started writing Tenderness the summer of 2018. I just moved to L.A., and I was doing a lot of production work for other people. This artist came over to work with me for her whole record, and there was one day where I had to clean her entire hard drive, and I noticed that there was a folder that said Vintage Drum Machines, and I just like copy and pasted it onto my computer because I was like, oh, it's right there. She doesn't know that, but it's okay. And I just like experimented with all of those. I started off by recording this Lin LM1 drum machine.

4:34Melina Duterte:That's like the Prince drum sampler. And I know he used that on like all the hits. And at the time, I was listening to a lot of Steely Dan. They make a lot of songs that have like a shuffly beat. And I wanted to emulate that because you don't get to hear it that often, especially in like pop music too. Just like...

4:57Melina Duterte:And I thought it'd be really cool to have this like languid guitar part that strums as if it's a piano.

5:07Melina Duterte:Just boom.

5:13Melina Duterte:Just pretty like minor seventh chords.

5:21Melina Duterte:The concept and like the meaning of the track came as I was writing it. Those chords are used in lots of like R &B songs. And it just felt right to like make a song about love. I was trying to like conceptualize this idea of sitting in your bed thinking about your new romantic partner that you just started dating and you're kind of like wondering if they're thinking about you and wondering if you're like their right person.

6:10Melina Duterte:As I was doing the vocals, I really wanted that lo-fi effect. I imagined myself on my bed with like an old telephone, and you're kind of like speaking into the telephone. I really wanted that conversational feeling, as if like you're either leaving a voicemail or you're the only one that's speaking, and you really want to put your heart on the line.

6:47Melina Duterte:And that was originally supposed to be the whole song. It was going to be like a minute and 30 seconds. It was going to be like the intro of that and one chorus.

7:12Melina Duterte:But I sat with the demo for a couple months, and it just didn't sound right to me. That was the first time for an album making process where I had demos. Usually when I write songs, I record them at the same time because I really like having the idea in my head and going through with it. But this time, I started to get a little frustrated because I was writing songs that I couldn't play. When it goes into the part with the drum fill and it comes into the rest of the song,

7:50Melina Duterte:that's just drum samples. and it started sounding too, like, rigid. It didn't have, like, a flow, and that's when I decided, like, I need to have Zach play drums on it.

8:07Melina Duterte:That is my touring mate, Zach. We've been playing music together since middle school and high school, like, in jazz bands and, like, concert bands and indie cover bands. We just went up to his parents' house in our hometown, which is in the East Bay area. They have, like, this bonus room that he has his drum set in, and he usually records music in there because it's always quiet.

8:35Melina Duterte:I just set up some mics on his drums, and he just, like, nailed it. He did more to it than I would if I played the drums. More taste and style and, like, flavor.

8:54Melina Duterte:So I had the drums for tenderness, and I was super happy because I was like, oh, I could finally have it sound the way that I want it to. And then I went back to L.A. and started doing bass.

9:14Melina Duterte:Bass is my favorite instrument to play. I started playing the bass after I really learned guitar. And then I realized that the bass was the most important instrument in every song. I think it just has so much meaning in the foundation of a song. It really drives and motivates the groove of it. With the bass, you can just do the roots. But I think I always like to do a little more. I like little nuggets of jazzy notes that work in the chord progression.

9:56Melina Duterte:And I think it gives it a really cool flow.

10:08Melina Duterte:Most of the guitar tracks were done in Joshua Tree. I rented this house for like a week.

10:19Melina Duterte:So the intro guitar, I wanted it to sound like the guitar was coming from an old record player. to sound like vintage.

10:33Melina Duterte:And then I wanted to introduce these new elements for guitar layering to make the intro build a little more. So I played through a cleaner setting and put like a tremolo on it, and that was panned left.

10:52Melina Duterte:And then the end of the intro introduces like another guitar pan to the right.

11:00Melina Duterte:And then for the first chorus, I added in a guitar with like a Leslie effect.

11:12Melina Duterte:I love layering guitars. I think that is the secret to making a song sound lush.

11:25Melina Duterte:The Wurlitzer was done in Joshua Tree as well I thought that the Wurlitzer would really like serve its purpose As being like a steely dan part of the song It just has that like classic electric piano sound that can make the song come to life. It brings a certain energy that a guitar doesn't bring.

12:03Melina Duterte:I grew up playing jazz trumpet, and throughout that time I was really heavily invested in music theory and learning about everything. I've always had the mindset that like music can speak for itself and music can tell a story and like evoke a sort of emotion that lyrics and vocals can't. So I just wanted to have an instrumental passage rather than like more lyrics in the bridge of the song.

12:45Melina Duterte:I did the final vocals for Tenderness right before I turned in my album. That was the only song where I was like, I don't know if I'm going to release this because I don't know if I'm singing it good or anything like that. And I think there was just a moment where I like forced myself to keep doing the vocal takes over and over again for like hours. And I had like hot tea with me at all times so that I can like coat my throat to like sing it. because I don't consider myself like a singer or like someone that can belt, but if I can sing sweetly, I will. I'm feeling like we've just begun Nothing's ever good enough Tanniness is all of God I got my friend Taylor Vick to sing harmonies.

13:40Melina Duterte:I really admire her voice and can relate to the way that she records her voice. She sings really quietly, kind of in a whispery fashion.

13:55Melina Duterte:I also got that style from learning about how you can make your voice sound bigger by singing quietly. And I just think our voices sound really cool together.

14:10Like we've just begun. Nothing's ever good enough. Tenden is a soul of God.

14:25Melina Duterte:I think when you're starting off in a new relationship, you feel the effects of puppy love. You're obsessed with this person, and you're always thinking about them, and everything you do together is really important. like where you go out to eat and like the sort of vacations that you take. You feel like you're in this environment that's like yours. You feel like you're sinking and you can't get out of that. It's just sort of like you're falling in love.

14:57Melina Duterte:It feels really good to write songs that are about being loving and showing like that you can be vulnerable and emotional in relationships. and actively wanting people to know that you love them rather than like being emo, I guess. But I can write songs about being emo anytime.

15:25Coming up, hear how all those parts and ideas came together in the final song. Song Exploder is sponsored by DistroKid. If you're an independent artist, DistroKid is a great way to get your music distributed. You get unlimited uploads and you get to keep 100 % of your royalties and earnings. There are more than a million artists, including me, who have used DistroKid to get their music into all the major streaming services, Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, everywhere. The DistroKid app is now available on iOS and Android. Go to the app or Play Store to download it now. And for 10 % off your first year's membership, go to distrokid.com slash VIP slash song exploder.

16:05This episode is sponsored by the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Program. I have two dogs, which means that I have twice as much chance to run into some kind of unexpected pet health emergency. Those unexpected moments are exactly why ASPCA Pet Health Insurance exists. Because, let's be honest, vet bills can add up fast. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance has been around for almost 30 years and has covered over a million pets. To explore coverage, visit ASPCAPetInsurance.com slash SongExploder. That's ASPCAPetInsurance.com slash SongExploder. One more time, that's ASPCAPetInsurance.com slash SongExploder. This is a paid advertisement.

16:47Insurance is underwritten by either Independence American Insurance Company or United States Fire Insurance Company and produced by PTZ Insurance Agency Limited. The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance.

17:26because they're always kind of leaning to one side and I always want them to look more orderly. So I went on Wayfair and I found these really pretty and minimalist marble bookends that were perfect. My friend came over yesterday and without me mentioning any of that, he pointed them out and said how much he liked them. So join Wayfair Rewards today and get 5 % back on every purchase and start saving on your next home upgrade. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Wayfair. Every style, every home. And now, here's Tenderness by JSOM in its entirety.

18:33Tell me, did you fall in at first glance? Do you think you'll take a chance? Do you think on the weekend I could know?