Some well-known reviewers are hailing Jessica Winter’s “Choreograph” as the best song and video of the year. I’d certainly put it in my Top 5 for 2022. The song is based on a universal truth: real love can’t be choreographed. And the video for the song is perhaps the best rain-soaked, umbrella-twirling performance since Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds delighted us by “Singin’ In The Rain.”
In our media-saturated world, it’s hard for a song and video to “break through” the clutter, but “Choreograph” manages to do so brilliantly – just like Maggie Rogers’s magnificent “That’s Where I Am” and The 1975’s dancefloor version of “Happiness.”
I’d be shocked if Jessica isn’t on your playlist by winter.
What were your life experiences that led to writing “Choreograph”?
I’d had a lot of experiences romantically and non-romantically where I was left feeling empty. I am often finding myself in events where I’m only getting surface level connection and some people I’m with are rarely experiencing the present moment, instead more focused on creating the environment to look like it’s giving more but is actually giving nothing. I went on a date and the person was saying a bunch of things that were kind of textbook and almost telling themselves “isn’t this romantic?” and when you have to tell someone something is romantic, it probably isn’t! It was like they were talking themselves into a feeling because of knowing that they needed to feel it. It all felt very bleak and confusing. I think technology / social media has caused this behaviour so I just had to scream into a song about wanting something real.
You, James, Rory and Evie have created a video for “Choreograph” that’s the most spectacular rain choreography/cinematography since “Singin’ In The Rain.” How difficult was the video shoot? Did you have to get drenched on multiple takes?
The video was probably the most difficult video I had to shoot yet! It was on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK. The crew were amazing for even turning up. I was lucky. I had a rain machine to keep me cool. A section of the video we had Evie choreograph and the second half was my own movement and I didn’t realise how hard it was to actually learn another person’s steps. I enjoyed putting my tap shoes on though. I knew that there would be a time that they’d come back out but I didn’t realise it would be for an entire music video! I was indeed drenched but thankful for it as the crew looked near death!!
Your bio says that you were in hospital a lot as a child. How did that affect your songwriting later on?
I think it gave me a mind capable of wandering because for months at a time I would be stuck with nothing to do. Being introduced to a piano at 2 years old made it an obvious choice to channel these thoughts to music later on in my life. I’m still regularly in and out of hospital now and deal with chronic pain so I think these experiences ground you and make you appreciate and make use of the good days as much as possible.
Are you still a member of PREGOBLIN, or are you concentrating now on your solo career?
I feel I’ll always spiritually be a member of PREGOBLIN. We wrote all the songs together and there are still a bunch of songs left to release. But I left PREGOBLIN about a year ago now because it all got too dark. We actually made friends at Greenman Festival and we performed together for the first time in a year. It was really nice to end things on good terms instead of where it was. So who knows? One day we may get back in the studio.
