Jessica Wilde Teaches Us How To Love and Embrace The Human Experience With Her Sophmore Album

"The night sold out and... It was an electric energy." 

'Teach Me How To Love' explores Jessica Wilde's spiritual growth and delves into radical self-love. Performing the project for the first time during her Glastonbury set, the project intertwines the essence of The Spirit and The Soul to reflect on the human experience and address important life questions about love, vulnerability, and self. Through raw emotion and exceptional productions, 'Teach Me How To Love' presents an expressive soundscape that captures life's complexities and non-linear nature. "I always envisioned [this] to be a collaborative album. I had key people to get on this," Wilde shared. 

"Like Zoe, we have a soul connection. We're close friends now. We've already done a session together when we first met. When we got together for this one, it just flowed so naturally. It wasn't forced. It just flowed. And it was relevant to both of us. " 

The pair brought 'Feathers' to life, a resonant track that serves as an ode to self-realisation and coming to terms with one's potential. Infused with the core of spoken word art, 'Feathers' is sleek in its powerful delivery. Wide and Kypri ooze confidence of introspection as they assert their presence while the strings create a compelling undertow.

"She's also been on a sober journey. So we met when we were both on this journey," Wilde revealed. 

"Josh Barry: The first session we were meant to do, he couldn't make it at the last minute, and then I gave up on that. I was walking through the park one day,  and I was like, 'Oh, let me just call Josh up.' He was like, 'No, Jess, I want it. I want to do it. And then, finally, we got in, and 'Love Like This' came together." Barry and Wilde's chemistry is sultry, laced with a ruby-red intensity. The use of the bass radiates a seductive, warm ambience which slides throughout the track. It's sexy and taunting. Lyrics such as "I Surrender My Soul To You" encapsulate how intoxicating love can be. Especially when it feels far too sweet. 

"That one was really fun [to write]. I always used to write songs about toxic relationships, breakups, people were treating me like shit," she laughed. "And I was like,' No, I want to write a fucking love song'. Josh Barry was the perfect person [to do it with]."

The self-titled track, off the rip, is rich, ancestral, and rooted. 'Teach Me How To Love' is a standout. "He's just amazing," Jessica Wilde praised her collaborator, Afronaut Zu. "I wanted to work with him for years. I saw him singing with Rudimental and Steam Down. Yeah, he just always blows me away." 

"He came around mine during lockdown, and we ended up writing 'Teach Me How To Love' in my spare room. And then it just progressed and progressed." 

Throughout this project, listeners are treated to various genres as Wilde effortlessly transitions between sounds, including R&B, Soul, Hip Hop, and hints of Jungle and Dub. The use of drums creates a seamless flow, providing an earthy texture that serves as the ongoing heartbeat of the album. "I've always had quite a deep connection to drums through my healing journey," Wilde revealed. "I started going to a lot of ceremonies. I started going to a lot of women's ceremonies and cacao ceremonies. I was going to more festivals that were more healing-oriented, and a lot of them were connected to indigenous traditions."  

"As I got more drawn to that music, I was still connected to Soul, R&B and Hip Hop. Naturally, I was drawn to the percussion of the congas whenever I was producing. For me, [the drums] are so grounding and earthy. Ancestral. It is what resonates with my soul. I had to have it in there."