> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emptyspaces.co.nz/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # JessB opens up on success, identity and matters of the heart - URL: https://www.emptyspaces.co.nz/jessb-opens-up-on-success-identity-and-matters-of-the-heart/ - Published: 2026-09-09T04:49:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-09T04:49:43.000Z - Author: Nick Raven - Tags: Interview JessB is truly a force of nature. The Aotearoa artist has spent the past seven years experiencing culture around the world, sharing stages with renown global icons and digging deep into the origins of hip hop. More recently, she's been releasing new music. Multiple singles, each unique in their own way, teasing a complete body of work on the distant horizon. Well the time has finally come. MATTERS OF THE HEART, the new album from JessB drops tomorrow. Ahead of the release, we got the lowdown on release planning, travel and the meaning of success for an artist who has achieved so much. ### **In your opinion, what is the state of Hip Hop in Aotearoa at the moment?** Full of talent and diversity !!! Heaps of global potential, I wanna see everyone win. ### **I really appreciate the way you've worked into the album release. Drip feeding tracks and snippets before announcing the release. What level of planning goes into making these decisions?** The amount of planning that goes into a roll-out is immense. From experiencing life - to writing about it, recording and finalising music all happens before conceptualising visual worlds. Then follows many, many conversations and daydreaming followed by executing (balling on a budget and making it work with what you have is a big part of this as an independent artist!) and then planning how to post is something that is all consuming. It’s always amazing to bring music to life visually as it gives you a chance to expand on the feeling and bring people into the world further. It’s all part of the creative process and I enjoy all of it!! But omg it’s fucking hard I am not going to lie. ### **You've spent a lot of time traveling. After all of these experiences, what makes you proud to be from Aotearoa?** Travel is something that fills me with so much inspiration and perspective. I always love coming home after travelling as I feel like I’m really able to appreciate what we have to offer here. Growing up here and being immersed in Te ao Māori is something I would never take for granted. The culture, people & creatives in this country are so special and I really feel like we have the best of all worlds available to us. ### **Your music has been incredibly well recieved around the world with some songs clocking multiple millions in streaming numbers. At this point in your career what does success mean for you?** I think that success by numbers is something that I’ve tried to move away from the further into my career I’ve gotten. I like to think that success has already come from the people I’ve met (and continue to!) , and the experiences I’ve had (as corny as that sounds haha). I’ve achieved so many of the goals that I set out to at the beginning of my career, so I am grateful for everything ive been able to achieve and will run it till the wheels fall off! You never know what is around the corner. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/32/5b326593-f15d-4829-868d-c5cdac164009/content/images/2026/09/JESS_SYT_PRESS-9827-1.png) Image by Elise Cautley ### **What advice would you give to a young artist just starting out?** The things that I was most afraid of when I started out (being authentically me rather than trying to fit into a specific mould I thought would be more “palatable”) have ended up the things that have made me stand out. One of my favourite quotes is "closed mouths don’t get fed” . You have to be fearless in your pursuit of asking for what you want, or taking up opportunities that might come your way. One “no” doesn’t mean there will never be a “yes”. ### **Your new album touches on some heavy themes. What would you want listeners to take away from your music?** I think that one of the things I have always liked to portray is that I, like all humans, am immensely multi-faceted. I am as silly as I am serious. I am as confident as I am scared or unsure. “Matters of The Heart” as an album was a way for me to express and show another side to me - the depth of feeling and experience I have had in love & relationships. All art is subjective and if anyone can take anything at all away from my music, then I feel like it has done its job. Whether that is relatable experience, a way to escape, or something to have fun with. I’m very proud of who I am, and hopefully be a representation for people who can see themselves in me. ****Have music you’re proud of? Submit it to Empty Spaces and get featured.** [Submit your music ](https://www.emptyspaces.co.nz/submissions/)