This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Macon Prickett: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the fabulous 54 Below. Before we get started this evening, just a polite reminder, please take this moment to silence your cell phones and also there's no flash photography, please. Welcome to the 54 Below podcast. I'm Macon Prickett, the club's assistant programming director. Our guest today is JADE JONES, aka Liddy Official, who garnered international acclaim for their performance as Belle in Olney Theatre's's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, known as the Disney Princess Who Raps. Jade will be performing tracks from their highly anticipated EP, Hi, when I wrote this, as well as songs by the artists who inspired the record. JADE JONES, welcome to the podcast.

[0:42] JADE JONES: Hey Macon, how's it going?

[0:44] Macon Prickett: It is going fabulous today. How are you, Jade?

[0:48] JADE JONES: Oh man, I'm so happy. I am so happy to be here. It seems like, you know, forever ago, I was like watching some of my favorite Broadway stars on your stage, just like hoping and praying for the chance to, you know, be able to get up there. It's such a legendary venue. And so I'm just really grateful to be here.

[1:08] Macon Prickett: Yeah, and here you are making your 54 Below solo show debut, which is thrilling for us, thrilling for you. We're all so excited. Um, you've been on our stage before a few times, but I think debut performance. I mean, that's uh with a solo show, especially. That's a huge deal.

[1:28] JADE JONES: It's a really big deal. I mean, just to be doing something in New York and having a venue like 54 Below, you know, open their doors and say, you know, we want to feature you is so out of this world for me. I'm so excited.

[1:46] Macon Prickett: Well, we could not be more excited as well. I feel like we're both in that age bracket of kids who grew up watching, you know, Jeremy Jordan and you know, all of those like Annaleigh Ashford, like these Broadway greats that we so looked up to doing these solo shows at 54 Below, you know, those YouTube videos which, you know, kind of blew all of our minds back then. And now, you know, to perform on the stage in a debut show, I mean, yeah, is it a daunting task? Like how do you prepare for that? How do you get ready for something such as this at this moment in your career?

[2:23] JADE JONES: Yeah, it is. Um, you know, you first of all, you don't have to create a theme. Um, and the wonderful thing that I love about doing this is that it can be whatever I want. You know what I mean? Um, so I've done a few solo shows before, cabarets. Um, I'm from DC, so that's where I've done them. But um, I did a jazz show called Jazzed and Jaded. Um, like maybe like seven years ago, I was obsessed and continue to be obsessed with Nina Simone. So that was my Nina Simone era. Um, so I did some jazz and then, you know, some Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, all that stuff. Um, and then I did a cabaret that I called Killin' Them Softly, which was like a 70s sexy 70s cabaret. Um, now this one, which is a cabaret slash concert slash celebration.

So, uh yeah, there's definitely a lot that goes into it. Um, this for the last cabaret I did, which was at the Green Room, um, it was just, you know, a piano cabaret. Um, not just a piano cabaret because those are fire, but uh, you know, this time I'm having a full band and a DJ, and we have a couple of tricks up our sleeve. So, you know, getting it all together as a solo artist is a daunting task, but I'm so grateful that I get to perform my own original music. Um, it's truly a blessing. Like, you know, how many times do people get to, you know, say that they got to perform their original music at the original Studio 54?

[4:18] Macon Prickett: Right. It's, you know, it's something that we try, everyone who works here, you know, we try never to take advantage of, you know, this amazing space that we work at. But you know, doing your own show in that iconic space, I can only imagine how thrilling that is.

[4:32] JADE JONES: But yes, it's crazy. But I'm also like obsessed with the 70s. As I said, I did a 70s cabaret. So like every time I go to 54, like, you know, I've done a couple of numbers there in other people's shows. Um, but every time I go, I'm listening to disco. When I walk up to the door, I'm like, I'm listening to, you know, Chic and Donna Summer, and I just love the 70s. So like being at that space is, it's um, I don't know, it's very sacred to me.

[5:08] Macon Prickett: Yeah, yeah. No, that's awesome. Um, your background in music and performance, you know, you said that you love the 70s. Where did the love for that like disco music and that genre of music begin?

[5:24] JADE JONES: Um, I grew up listening to like 70s soul. Um, so like the Delphonics and Marvin Gaye. Um, I can remember being in the back of my grandma's car. Um, and you know, that's the music that she listened to. Also, you know, it being at a cookout, being, you know, being from the culture, being at a Black cookout, you're gonna hear, you know, Rick James, Marvin Gaye, yeah, um, the highlights. You're gonna hear all that stuff. And so I think that's where the love for that kind of music came from. And then, you know, it really is, uh, you can really hear the influence in a lot of the music today. Um, so I'm a big history buff, so going back to my roots is like, is what I love to do. So I'm always gonna be uplifting those artists.

[6:19] Macon Prickett: Yeah, well, and it seems, you know, disco's really kind of having a moment right now with all of these artists, such as like Lizzo and Dua Lipa, these people who are really using those inspirations in their new songs. It's really having a moment. And as a lover of the 70s and disco myself, I'm like loving that this is kind of a mainstream thing. And I mean, not to mention Beyoncé with Summer Renaissance and everything.

[6:45] JADE JONES: Beyoncé is in her 70s era as we speak.

[6:48] Macon Prickett: Yes, yes. That Virgo's Groove, you know, we and her coming, you know, her like coming down on the horse, you know, that horse, that's the Studio 54 horse. That's an actual Studio 54 reference.

[7:05] JADE JONES: So yeah, so to be it, it's crazy the um, the parallels, you know what I mean?

[7:13] Macon Prickett: Absolutely. Um, so where did, you know, you have really kind of garnered a lot of success from playing Belle recently, as we just mentioned, but where did the performance gene, where are the performance genes from? Like were your parents performers? Did you have performers in your family? Are you all musical? Like, where did this kind of start?

[7:34] JADE JONES: Absolutely. I come from a very musical family. Um, I come from a very animated family. I come from a family of storytellers. Um, so you know, I think I was just destined to perform. And I really don't think, like sometimes I really say this, like there's not much else I can do, you know. Like that is my gift, that is my talent, that is my passion. Um, but I really think it started before I was even born when I was in the womb. Um, my mom and my aunt, they're twins. Not only are they twins, they're Geminis. Um, but they started singing when they were 13 years old. Um, while my mom was pregnant with me, they were singing all around the Washington, DC area, and they are twins, so their voices sound just alike.

Um, and they have, you know, they would harmonize, but they have a really specific sound. And while I was literally, you know, being formed in my mom's stomach, I was hearing these like really tight harmonies. Um, and so that's where I think my love for music came from. That's where my natural ear came from, my love for different kinds of music. I mean, they were singing gospel, but you know, I grew up with, uh, my mom was 23 when she had me. So I was listening to Mary J. Blige, Biggie, Tupac, yeah, um, you know, Stephanie Mills, listening to all kinds of different music. My aunt, she loved Prince, she loved Sinead O'Connor, Rick James, like all kinds of different music. And um, that's where I think I pull a lot of my inspiration from, where it's not just one thing.

I'm not just a rapper. I don't just do musical theater, I don't just do R&B, you know what I mean? And there are a lot of artists out there like that. Um, but I think definitely growing up around two twins that sang all the time and going on tour with them, going to their shows has definitely molded me into the performer that I am today.

[10:02] Macon Prickett: Wow, yeah, of course. No, and so you grew up going to their shows. You were seeing your mom and your aunt perform. Um, what was it like to, did they ever ask you to sing with them? Did you know from an early age that you did have a great voice yourself? Where did that kind of begin?

[10:19] JADE JONES: Um, so also in addition to, you know, being performers themselves, my aunt was the choir director, the mass choir director and the children's choir director at my church. My mom was in the church choir. She was like the soprano. And um, she married my stepdad, who was also a choir director at our church.

[10:47] Macon Prickett: Oh wow.

[10:48] JADE JONES: Yeah, so um, I didn't really know I had a good voice until I was a little bit older and I got my, my aunt gave me my first solo mentioning that, um, my aunt was, is still a music teacher for over 30 years in the Fairfax County public schools program.

[10:47] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[10:47] JADE JONES: And she was my music teacher as well. That's what I'm saying.

[10:47] Macon Prickett: Yeah, yeah.

[10:47] JADE JONES: Um, so yeah, she gave me my first solo and, uh, you know, from then it was my parents were like, oh, you know, they can really sing. They can't dance, but they can really sing. Oh, but the dancing came much, much later.

[10:47] Macon Prickett: Great. There's a really interesting, sorry, there's a really interesting pipeline from young like church performer to theater kid, yes, overall performer. I don't know if it's the, um, dramatics of it all or if it's just that really good old music, but there's something about that that's just completely fascinating to me.

[12:01] JADE JONES: Exactly. And you know, church is in its own way drama, right? You know what I mean? And not to mention, you know, my church also had a lot of arts programs.

[12:19] JADE JONES: We had a drama program, we had a dance program, we had music, you know what I mean? Um, so I think it makes sense that the church kids could turn into the theater kid.

[12:32] Macon Prickett: Right. Well, there's also this really big movement right now of being a multi-hyphenate. So when you're discussing, you know, all of these things that you do that you're able to do, just being a versatile performer, I think that's not only super impressive, but that's got to be, you know, a challenge in its own way to be good at all of these different things as well.

[12:53] JADE JONES: The pandemic really gave a lot of people an opportunity to unlock their secret superpowers. Um, and you know, because none of us were working and as I even just said 10 minutes ago, you know, theater is the only thing I can do. Um, but you know, within theater and within performance, there's so much more. Um, and I think that when we all weren't working, we all had time to sit down and really analyze and say, what else can I do? And we were yearning for creative expression. Um, and that's where I was. I knew I was always interested in rap music and I would play with my friends and freestyle and sometimes, you know, we might put a beat on and freestyle and record it, but it wasn't until I was out of a job and on unemployment or trying to get on unemployment.

That took forever. Right. But, you know, it wasn't until I really sat down with myself and, you know, was fighting for a way to express myself creatively, which I didn't even know that that was such a necessity in my life, you know what I mean? I just thought it was being in theater. I just thought it was for fun. Um, you know, and I was grateful that I was getting paid for doing something that I liked to do and doing something that was fun, but I didn't realize how much I actually needed that release. Yeah, it's so interesting how so many artists and creatives used that time because there was no other option. You know, it was we have this time that the universe has given us for reasons unknown.

We have to use this and so, you know, the way that artists kind of evolved into better artists, more experienced artists, artists who had, you know, more tools in their toolbox, as actors love to say, you know, it's really kind of wild how that happened.

[13:56] Macon Prickett: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm interested to hear where the theater bug bit you. When did that occur? Or was that just, you know, from coming from the church and the dramatics? Or was there like a moment where you saw a theater performance or were in a show that you knew that you also loved to perform in that medium as well?

[15:26] JADE JONES: Yeah, so my grandmother used to take me to plays, community theater plays. I grew up in Reston, Virginia. Um, there were a few community theaters there and as a kid, my grandma would, you know, take me to them, but I honestly don't really remember. They were like plays for grown people. I mean, I don't remember any of those plays. I do remember my aunt, the music teacher, you know, she directed a musical every year and I remember they did Annie and I was just like obsessed. I mean, right, you know what I mean? But they did Annie and they had the best Miss Hannigan and I just, I remember always wanting to be in a play. And then even with our church's drama program, I remember there were like, I just didn't really have much opportunity.

I remember like having maybe one line and, you know, I didn't have much opportunity while I was growing up like some of my friends did. Um, you know, I had a lot of friends that were like in drama camp. Um, when I got to middle school and we could pick our electives, I never got theater. It was always my first choice and I never got it. Um, so it wasn't until I was in high school I took my first theater class my freshman year and I was in my first musical. Can you guess what it is?

[15:26] Macon Prickett: Oh gosh, okay wait, you were in Virginia, right?

[15:26] JADE JONES: Yes, I was in Virginia.

[15:26] Macon Prickett: Okay, you're in Virginia, but Northern Virginia and Southern Virginia were two different states. Okay, I heard I'm from Alabama, so you know anything goes down there. So hmm, what were you?

[17:31] JADE JONES: Was it something like, I don't know, was it a classic? Was it like an Oklahoma? Or was it, was your teacher trying to do something?

[17:38] JADE JONES: I was in Oklahoma in high school, but it wasn't Oklahoma. I'll give you one more guess and then I'll tell you.

[17:46] Macon Prickett: It was Fiddler on the Roof.

[17:53] JADE JONES: Oh.

[17:53] Macon Prickett: Interesting. Interesting choice. Such an interesting choice for high school as well. Wait, who did you play though? I'm dying to know.

[18:00] JADE JONES: Um, I was one of the daughters, and honestly, I love Fiddler on the Roof to this day. I love the music. It is one of my favorite musicals. It is what literally, you know, introduced me to musical theater. Um, yeah, to performing, um, to acting. That is my, uh, Fiddler was my gateway drug.

[18:26] Macon Prickett: Hey, we all have one and we never forget what it was, you know.

[18:29] JADE JONES: Exactly.

[18:32] Macon Prickett: Well, no, that's, I mean, that's a great show. What were some of the other shows you got to be involved in though in high school?

[18:37] JADE JONES: Uh, so I said Oklahoma. Um, we did McBee, the Scottish play.

[18:44] Macon Prickett: Yeah.

[18:44] JADE JONES: Um, and I was actually involved, or all the schools were involved in this program. I don't know if you're familiar. It's called the Cappies.

[18:53] Macon Prickett: No.

[18:54] JADE JONES: So it's basically like the Tony's for high school theater.

[18:58] Macon Prickett: Fierce.

[19:00] JADE JONES: Okay. And it's hosted every year at the Kennedy Center.

[19:05] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[19:06] JADE JONES: Yes. Um, high school was really involved with the program. Um, during my time, we were the champs of the Cappies.

[19:20] Macon Prickett: Yes.

[19:23] JADE JONES: Um, so I also had a lot of cool people that went to my high school. I went to high school with Kevin Clay, if you're familiar.

[19:32] Macon Prickett: I'm not.

[19:33] JADE JONES: He right now is in, uh, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Kevin.

[19:39] Macon Prickett: Book of Mormon.

[19:40] JADE JONES: Book of Mormon.

[19:41] Macon Prickett: Oh, fierce.

[19:43] JADE JONES: Um, and we did, uh, one year we did The Wiz.

[19:47] Macon Prickett: Nice.

[19:47] JADE JONES: And we had ABC come in and do a two-hour 2020 documentary based on our production of The Wiz.

[19:59] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[20:01] JADE JONES: Yeah. High school was wild.

[20:03] Macon Prickett: Yeah, no, that's like the big lings. It's crazy because High School Musical had just come out. I'm telling my age here.

[20:11] JADE JONES: Yeah.

[20:11] Macon Prickett: But High School Musical had just dropped.

[20:13] JADE JONES: And so, uh, ABC came and they followed about five of us around for a month and a half and did this kind of reality documentary kind of situation and called it, uh, Drama High, uh, The Real High School Musical.

[20:33] JADE JONES: Oh my gosh. Wow.

[20:34] Macon Prickett: That's intense.

[20:36] JADE JONES: Oh my gosh. I'm gonna have to look that up.

[20:38] Macon Prickett: You should. You should look it up on YouTube.

[20:40] JADE JONES: Yeah, no, I definitely will. Well, do you think coming from a high school theater organization that was competitive and was quite intense, how has that, you know, helped you for the real world as well?

[20:54] JADE JONES: Yeah, I mean, I knew I think, excuse me, once I hit sophomore year of high school, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Um, you know, because I was in high school, so I was seeing my peers go off to conservatories and really good programs and seeing them at the start of their career. Um, and that's when I realized, you know, this could actually, I don't want to be a doctor. I don't want to be a lawyer. I don't want to be, you know what I mean? Um, I wanna be an actor and this is how it's done. And, um, it became a real possibility for me.

[21:38] Macon Prickett: Yeah. And then you graduated from high school and went on and you got your BFA, which is amazing.

[21:44] JADE JONES: Correct.

[21:45] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[21:46] JADE JONES: Yeah, I went to a small liberal arts school in Southern Virginia called Ferrum College.

[21:52] Macon Prickett: Okay.

[21:54] JADE JONES: And you know, so it's interesting because sometimes those small, you know, the smaller schools, you know, you're met with this opportunity when you graduate of where you want to go. And obviously everyone wants to go to NYU or Juilliard or whatever, but you know, sometimes you can get so much a much more well-rounded education at a small. I went to a smaller school as well, and I cherish that experience and think so highly of it because not only was I able to, you know, have great performance opportunities, but I did so much in the theater department that I would have never been able to do at a bigger school.

[22:31] JADE JONES: I agree, I agree. And honestly, just for life, I mean it was great to have to, I was completely out of my comfort zone because it was in, you know, the mountains. Um, I came from, you know, right outside of DC and I went to a town of maybe like seven hundred people. Um, yeah, but, um, you know, there was the culture shock mixed with this small community vibe really, you know, taught me a lot of life lessons and taught me a lot about diversity and got me close with people that I, you know, would have never had the opportunity to, you know, connect with outside of that experience. So, you know, I cherish it as well and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[23:28] Macon Prickett: Yeah, no, I totally relate. I love that. I am curious to learn when not only Olney Theater group came into your life, but how Beauty and the Beast came to be. Were you performing with Olney before? Did you grow up seeing shows there? What was the history there?

[23:50] JADE JONES: I did not. Um, so I started auditioning professionally in 2014. And um, I booked my first show with Olney in 2016, I believe. And uh, it was Sweeney Todd, and it was I had just received my equity card. And so they were like, I think it was the second show, my second equity show. Um, and uh, I was in the ensemble and I had a great time.

[24:24] JADE JONES: I mean, they were very reputable theater in the DC area, and so I was really excited to perform there. Um and uh yeah, I kept, you know, contact and kept a connection with them. Um and uh they right before the pandemic, so I would say I think maybe I don't know, October 2019 or something like that. Anyway, they uh the casting director reached out to me and said, "Hey, you know, we're doing Beauty and the Beast next season. Um we would like to know your availability. We don't really know um, you know what character we want to call you in for, but uh we just want to know if you're available." And because DC uh they book out way, way, way in advance. I was like, "Of course I'm available." Um and they were like, "Great."

And then maybe a week later they said, "Uh, we are thinking about reading you for Belle. Would you be interested?" And I was like, "Belle, what?" Um uh sure. You know, I was surely thought they were gonna call me in for Mrs. Potts or you know, but Belle, I was like, "Okay." Um, you know, and for me, I just looked at it as fun. I just looked at it as playing uh a character. And and from I mean, that's what acting is, right? You know, yes. Um some have maybe maybe forgotten that, but yes, that is what I've decided. Yeah, so um also the director, Marcia Milgram Dodge, who I love. Um, um she directed me uh in uh One Ten in the Shade at Ford's Theater. Um, I was in the ensemble of that show, and we became close friends, and so she uh was the director for Beauty and the Beast, and um, you know, she'll tell you a better story, her a better rendition of it, but she really just wanted to do she didn't want to do the normal Beauty and the Beast because I mean, you know, although we've seen it, exactly. You know, we've all seen it, but we've seen it and we've seen it and we've seen it. Yeah, and um she just because she knows me and she knows my talent, she um she believed in me.

[27:08] Macon Prickett: It's fascinating because it really there are two things that you just said, you know. You said that you had worked with her previously, which just goes to show the importance of being a good collaborator. You know, when you're a good collaborator, when you're someone others like to work with, those that's people remember you for those things, but also having someone believe in you is so important and in life in general, but especially in this industry where it that is not always the case, you know, that's that's incredible. I I remember seeing the videos start to kind of blow up and go viral when when the Olney Theater started posting them. And I think that was a playbill article or something I remember seeing it.

I just like I was like, "Oh my god, this is incredible." Like they listened to everything that was said in 2020 and all of the they took account of everything that was happening in the world and they said, "Here is Beauty and the Beast. It's going to be incredible. Here are the reasons why." And it was. The funny part is not well, not the funny part, but this actually was supposed to happen before 2020.

[28:19] JADE JONES: Wow.

[28:20] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[28:21] JADE JONES: Yeah.

[28:23] Macon Prickett: That really is amazing.

[28:25] JADE JONES: Yeah, it it really is. Well, when it came time, when you know, you know, you got the call or the email that you know, you knew you were playing this part, this iconic role. Um, what were what were your thoughts going into this rehearsal process? I mean, were I I'm sure to, you know, you said earlier it's it's acting, you're playing a role, of course, but were was there fear, were there nerves? What was that process like when you were first starting out?

[28:46] JADE JONES: Yeah, I mean, I think there was a little bit of insecurity. Excuse me. I think there was a little bit of insecurity um because that's such an iconic role. So many iconic people have played it, and there's an expectation. And I know that I went into that room, uh very happy that I had the role, but I just know that I went into that room trying to be somebody I wasn't. And I know that my director Marcia and my music director Bobby both had to tell me, you know, "Sing like you. You know, you you don't you don't have to put on a Disney princess kind of voice," or you know, I I came in trying to be a princess, and Marcia helped me strip it down to a real person, if that makes sense.

[29:47] Macon Prickett: No, it absolutely makes sense. And I have to say, as someone who just unfortunately I didn't see the production, but as someone who saw the videos, it it was such a like raw, real portrayal of the of that character that we've never really seen. And to me, and I know to countless others, that was not only refreshing, but so so inspiring.

[30:11] JADE JONES: Yeah, yeah. And and honestly, I didn't know. I really didn't know how inspiring it was gonna be. I didn't expect the reaction at all. Um I again, I was just like, this is my job. My job is to create characters and to have fun, and that's that's really all I did is um I just said, "Okay, I'm just gonna be myself," you know. And I didn't know how being myself could inspire so many others.

[30:45] Macon Prickett: Wow, well, it it definitely has. And you know, d I'm sure the pressure, not even pressure, maybe that's the wrong word, but you know, that feeling when you kind of started to see this go viral, you know, I can't imagine how you were feeling in that moment. But can you tell us a little a little bit about the you know, enormous amount of praise that this theater this theater company and you were getting for this production that was so so beautifully directed?

[31:14] JADE JONES: Yeah, it was crazy. Um Evan and I, Evan who played the beast, um, he was also, you know, such a a big part of of how successful our production was because Evan lost his leg to cancer um a few years ago, and so um he has a a prosthetic leg. And you know, to see everybody thinks of the beast as this first of all, he's a beast, but you know when he when he turns into a prince he's this you know man with you know muscles and no flaws and and I think um and and Marsha's Marsha's vision was to put two people together that the world sees as outsiders um and and highlight the beauty in themselves in d individually and the beauty of their relationship um so we both got so many messages from people I I think the craziest was when I started seeing receiving messages from people out of the country um Africa there were articles written about us in South Korea uh Australia I mean I just uh it's the power of the internet and social media I remember um Evan and I both knew once we you know were in our costumes and and in previews and started you know seeing the audience's responses um we knew that that we had something really special and that it was gonna blow up so we both were asking only like we want video we want to be able to put it on our own social media and Evan yeah Evan is is famous um for his tap dancing um for and many other things but he he many other things, Evan, you know you are if you're listening uh but um he he's a really famous tap dancer, so he has a lot of followers. I think at that time I had like sixteen hundred followers, um, which is you know, really not that much. I didn't have as much as Evan. Let's just say that. Okay.

[33:35] JADE JONES: Um and so uh I asked only for the video just so I could post it on my social media so that my little followers, the family and friends could, you know, see the video. And that is the video that took off. It ended up getting like I think that video has like a hundred thousand views or something like that.

[33:56] Macon Prickett: Wow.

[33:57] JADE JONES: Um yeah, it it took off the first day that I posted it on my little Instagram account. And I mean, just the power of like one person sharing it, and then another person sharing it, and then another, like um, it was crazy. And I mean, the the messages and the comments uh about people, you know, in tears because they finally, you know, saw themselves represented, it was overwhelming, honestly.

[34:34] Macon Prickett: Yeah, I mean, and I I I can say from just from my perspective, you know, I was always the character actor through college and everything. And so seeing this this production, seeing the casting and then the videos and the footage and everything, it was it was as if I was like, "Well, finally," but then also there's a level of frustration because it's like it really took us this long. But then, like, look at just the not that Broadway is the standard, but I mean, they they are in a way. Look at the Tony Awards this year, you know, celebrating Alex Newell and Bonnie Milligan and Jay Harrison. Like, it's it's really like we're like moving in this place, the theater industry where you know diversity, body positivity, like we're it's like we're finally getting there.

And not that there's not so much work that still needs to be done, obviously, but you know, how do you feel about you know the future of the industry, especially knowing that these regional theaters and like smaller theatrical organizations around the country are leading the way just as much as Broadway is on this front, really.

[35:39] JADE JONES: Yeah. Um, I think it's super important for us, especially. I mean, on Broadway, like you said, that is the you know, that's what we're all looking to. People want to all of us want to be on Broadway, you know. It makes a lot of money. It's in the center of the universe in New York. But I think it's really, really important for um for these re for the regional theaters to also be doing the work, just because you know, a lot of people can't make it to Broadway, you know what I mean? A lot of people can't make it to New York. It's it's our responsibility to go and into our communities and to put on work and to tell the stories of the people that reflect those communities.

[36:26] Macon Prickett: Absolutely. I I love that. Um, I could talk about this with you literally all day, but we're gonna take a very quick break. We're gonna have some messages, and then we are gonna come right back with JADE JONES.

[36:39] Macon Prickett: All right, messages.

[38:35] Macon Prickett: And we are back with the fabulous JADE JONES talking about their upcoming 54 Below solo debut.

[38:41] JADE JONES: Hi, when I wrote this.

[38:43] Macon Prickett: Let's talk about it.

[38:44] JADE JONES: Let's get into it.

[38:45] Macon Prickett: Let's get into it.

[38:47] Macon Prickett: So your upcoming show, you're celebrating the release of this new EP. Can you give us kind of some insight into the creative process behind this EP? How does this reflect kind of your artistic evolution of JADE JONES right now in this moment?

[39:04] JADE JONES: Absolutely. So I'll just give a little background about Lydia Official. Lydia Official is JADE JONES, and JADE JONES is Lydia Official. Just another side of me. I created Lydia Official, my alien non-binary toxic stud energy persona. I created that during the pandemic. As I said before, you know, looking for other ways to express myself. There were a few nights, and I really think it's because I wasn't doing anything that I couldn't sleep. I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote until maybe like seven in the morning. I decided to kind of create my own home studio. So I bought, you know, a microphone and some software, and my cousin at the time was producing his own beats, and so I hit him up for some beats and recorded a few songs, and before I knew it, I had like seven songs recorded, and I was like, I think I want to release this.

It was at the time where you weren't allowed in anywhere, but you know, restaurants were getting around it by having, you know, outside dining or whatever. So I did a little release party at this place called the Songbird in Washington, DC. And we did the release party inside. We had the performance going on inside, and outside they had a projector so that you could sit outside and watch what was going on inside. Oh wow. Yeah, which was pretty cool. And from then on, I did a couple of shows, and I was like, oh my god, like I'm out here, I'm out here rapping.

[41:09] Macon Prickett: Yeah, you are.

[41:09] JADE JONES: I'm out here rapping. And it was pretty cool, and there was a really amazing response to it. I ended up filming a music video. Yeah, so basically that it was just fueling my rap career. And then I released my second project, Cake. I released that in 2021. I decided I wanted to take it up a notch, and since I had gotten such a great response and I was actually doing shows and stuff, I wanted to record that professionally. So I went into a studio, Q Recording Studios in Washington, DC. And it just so happened that I linked up with like one of the best rap engineers ever. His name is Tyra Schaefer. And he helped me record my second project, and that was really successful. Again, these are all like EPs, they're all like seven songs, but I mean they really took off.

So this one, when I wrote this, this actually has some beats on it that were produced solely by me. I just kind of started getting into making my own beats instead of buying them. And it's crazy. It's just like, you know, finding your other talents because like did I know I could make beats? No. Can I play the piano? Absolutely not. But here I am, like making my own beats. They sound good, they sound really cool. I went into the studio and recorded some songs from this, but I also have recorded some in New York with my friend Alex. And yeah, that was a lot. That was a lot.

[42:38] Macon Prickett: No, it's fascinating. I feel like all the minor notes right now.

[42:38] JADE JONES: It is fascinating. This EP, When I Wrote This, we're blending elements of Drake-inspired trap music and soul. I'm wondering how, you know, you have these inspirations, such as Drake. Who are some of the others who have inspired you? I know I read somewhere that Queen Latifah was also an inspiration as well.

[44:03] JADE JONES: Absolutely. Queen Latifah, Biggie Smalls, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Billie Holiday. I just feel like, and you can kind of hear it in my voice that like, or at least this is what people tell me, that you can hear all the different influences in my voice and in my inflections and in the way I sing.

[44:31] Macon Prickett: I love how you have these inspirations that go all the way back to, you know, Billie Holiday and also Drake. Like that's amazing. And that again goes back to that versatility. I feel that the reason, one of the reasons that you're such a versatile performer is because look at these people who have inspired you who are like giving you this creative energy as well. Like that's gonna create this amazing product.

[44:58] JADE JONES: Yeah, I agree, I agree. And you hear it in the record, you know, there are some songs that are like, you know, laid back chill R&B records. Some are like bangers, some are like I want to get up and shake my ass.

[45:13] Macon Prickett: Love it.

[45:14] JADE JONES: So we can expect to hear all of these things.

[45:16] Macon Prickett: All of these at your show.

[45:17] JADE JONES: Absolutely, you know, there's some that are like, you know, some sad R&B songs, but in all of my songs, I like to rap and sing. And I pride myself on not having to, you know, have a background singer or not having to, you know, have a feature, you know, I can do my own features.

[45:41] Macon Prickett: Yeah, you can do it yourself.

[45:42] JADE JONES: Why can't somebody else do it?

[45:45] Macon Prickett: Exactly, exactly. Well, can you give us any, you've told us, you know, kind of what to expect for your upcoming show. Can you give us any, you know, little secrets about maybe there's a surprise or two? Is there anything else you can tell us that we may not already know?

[46:00] JADE JONES: Trying not to give in too much away.

[46:03] Macon Prickett: Don't give too much away.

[46:05] JADE JONES: We can save the rest for the show. That's why people have to buy their tickets. No, it's just gonna be really fun. You know, I'm hoping that, you know, it's not gonna be a sit in your seat kind of show. I'm hoping that people, you know, that we get up and dance and then party and celebrate. I'm hoping people, you know, come up to the front of the stage, you know, ask questions. There's gonna be a question and answer segment of the show.

[46:34] Macon Prickett: Wow, okay.

[46:36] JADE JONES: Yeah, yeah. And just to, you know, it's a very vulnerable moment for me. I've been working on this album for the past year and a half. So, you know, I'm just hoping to really be able to connect with my audience, with my fans, with my family, friends, whoever shows up, hoping that there's some people there that I don't know, you know. And just the time for me to really be intimate.

[47:10] Macon Prickett: Yeah.

[47:11] JADE JONES: Well, it sounds like, you know, there's this mold of a cabaret show that everyone kind of follows, and it sounds like this is completely breaking the mold. And I have to say, I would expect nothing else from you.

[47:24] JADE JONES: Well, thank you, thank you, Macon. I love it. I think it's gonna be a really, I know, I know it's gonna be a really exciting night. And I know that the people who are buying these tickets and coming out to support you and to experience this show are going to be equally as thrilled. So we're, I mean, we're really looking forward to it.

[47:41] JADE JONES: I can't wait. I'm so excited. Thank you guys for the opportunity.

[47:46] Macon Prickett: Of course. Before we go, where can all of our listeners find you on the social meds?

[47:52] JADE JONES: You can find me on Instagram at LiddyOfficial. That's L-I-T-T-Y Official. You can also listen to my last two EPs, He Could Never and Cake on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.

[48:10] Macon Prickett: All right. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Jade. We are so looking forward to this upcoming show. Our listeners, make sure you are purchasing your tickets to see JADE JONES, When I Wrote This, Sunday, September 10th at 9:30 p.m.

[48:22] JADE JONES: Thank you so much, Macon.

[48:23] Macon Prickett: Thank you for listening to the 54 Below Podcast. We will see you in Broadway's living room soon.

[48:31] Macon Prickett: You've been listening to the 54 Below Podcast, part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Subscribe and rate us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. To find out more about our upcoming shows, visit us at 54below.org.