After a five-year hiatus, JAM is back and ready to reclaim her place in the spotlight.
Balancing a 9-to-5 with first-band rehearsals for an April gig, she’s proving that passion doesn’t wait.
Born in the Philippines and now based in Naarm, JAM draws on her heritage and powerhouse vocal influences to craft music that’s as vulnerable as it is bold.
Her latest single, ‘Body of Work’ is a self-empowerment anthem with intricate melodies and a message that hits as hard as her voice.
We caught up with her to talk inspiration, identity, and what it really takes to embrace your own greatness.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
JAM: Worked a 9-5 during the day and then had my first band rehearsal for an upcoming gig in April! (Shoutout to Hannah, Tom, Caz, and Harry)
Honestly, what an amazing way to end the day!
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
JAM: I was born from the Philippines and moved to Australia when I was 7 (I think… well to be fair it was a long time ago.
This diva kinda has terrible memory 👉🏼👈🏼). Lived in Meanjin until July 2024, which is when my partner and I moved here to Naarm.
Even though I don’t go to the Philippines as much, I just love and miss the food! I love the Jeeps, tricycles and the sari-sari (convenience) stores.
This will sound weird, but I also love and miss the smell of my home country.
One last thing, I also miss my Lola (Grandma), Tita (Aunt) and my cousins!
HAPPY: Welcome back, JAM! After a five-year hiatus, what was the moment or feeling that told you it was time to return to making music?
JAM: After settling in Naarm for about a year, I had a feeling that I needed to start but I honestly didn’t know when.
To be honest, one of the main reasons I moved here was to start my music career again!
Anyways, a few months after my partner and I saw Keshi live, I was so inspired to do more music so I literally went on instagram and stalked pages that do vocal lessons near my area.
I’ve never had vocal lessons before so I thought, let’s just start slow.
Then, I stumbled upon Music Roof, had a chat with the founder, Siki, did a couple of lessons which lead to showcases and now he’s been helping me build my artistry ever since!
Living in Naarm for a while now, inspires you to do music, you know?
The music culture here is so rich and vast, it’s extremely motivating!
HAPPY: What is behind the title ‘Body of Work’?
I actually got the title from a podcast that I was listening to a loooong time ago.
I liked the way these group of words sounded and my mind went to just “this feels like a self-confidence song, let’s write it!” It was an odd choice, to be fair, but I like odd! Dare I say it’s a little “wabi-sabi?
HAPPY: You treat self-doubt as a “hater.” Does personifying it like that actually help?
JAM: Yes it does. Like the say, “the worst critic/biggest enemy is yourself.”
I feel that it’s easier to conceptualise it that way for me personally.
Especially when I look at myself in the mirror, I see how I look normally but I also see the person who doubts.
And when I realised that there really was no reason for me talk so negatively about myself, I start these fake arguments in front of the mirror. I
t looks like crazy on the outside but you’ll feel good in the end.
I still doubt myself from time to time, however, I just have to remind myself that these doubts don’t last forever!
Slowly learning but always moving! (Might have to put this on a t-shirt)
HAPPY: As a Filipino artist based in Naarm, how does your background influence your music?
JAM: My background is loud and I love being that. ;). Just kidding!
I think growing up in a household where I listened to a lot of powerhouse vocals such as Mariah, Whitney, Celine D, Sarah G, Regine V (my fellow filos will know the last two) and many more great vocalists, has made a tremendous impact on how I write and sing my songs.
I love having intricate melodies and utilising different parts of my voice like the greats above.
And also I think being Filipina/o, we’re just genetically gifted in the arts, specifically singing and dancing.
Look, I’m very lucky that I have ONE of these genes.
HAPPY: What’s the most honest or vulnerable moment on this track for you?
JAM: The second verse where I go “Might fall from time to time / Try to focus on the journey and not the finish line.”
Unfortunately, my resume does say that I’m “certified overthinker.”
I worry about the end result and don’t realise that the in-between is where the magic happens.
The journey is not linear and there will absolutely be times where I will fail, but those lessons can be learned.
I am still learning this for sure but I make sure to be kind to myself and remind myself as much as I can that it’s truly about the journey and everything will fall into place no matter what!
HAPPY: Is there one line in ‘Body of Work’ that hits different every time you sing it?
JAM: The outro! “I embody greatness inside of me!” I feel like I’m really manifesting what I really am and it genuinely makes me feel better.
HAPPY: What do you hope listeners actually feel when they press play?
JAM: I hope that this is a song that they can turn to when you need a pick-me-up! I want people to feel empowered and come to a realisation that they are exactly who they are.
Sidenote, the song’s BPM is 110 which is great for CPR, so I hope it’s useful enough to listen to in these circumstances… maybe…
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy? :-)
JAM: There’s so many things that make me happy! Music, my partner, friends and yummy food! The world is not really in the best shape right now, but I’m happy to be alive and proud that I’ve stuck around to see what else will be waiting for me!
