Paris Jackson Goes Indie Rock On 'Just You'

28 October 2022 | 9:18 am | Mary Varvaris

And finds inspiration in Thom Yorke.

Paris Jackson surprised the music world with her debut album, Wilted, in late 2020. Where critics and listeners expected her father, Michael Jackson, to influence her music, she instead went for a subdued, singer-songwriter brand of indie-pop. 

She worked closely with Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of the Atlanta-based indie rock group Manchester Orchestra, whose expansive sound echoed onto Wilted

Today, Jackson has released Just You, a chill rock track that wouldn't feel out of place on your chill '90s-influenced playlists alongside Sheryl Crow, Mac DeMarco, or Courtney Barnett. Just You follows her single Lighthouse, released in May, where she paid tribute to Nirvana and their music video for Sliver.

In an interview with Consequence Of Sound, Jackson shared that she has always loved grunge and alternative rock music but had to figure out how to project her voice to stand out against the guitars.

"That's a very new thing for me, singing in this way, and projecting and yelling, which isn't the most likable thing, I suppose," Jackson revealed. "It's not for everybody, but now that I am learning how to do that, I can kind of experiment more with louder instruments to go with the louder vocals." Hull encouraged her to push her voice further, while renowned producer Butch Walker brought his expertise when building her songs.

Jackson said that Weezer and Marvelous 3 influenced Lighthouse in particular. Other songs on her upcoming untitled record are inspired by Nirvana, The Cranberries, Bright Eyes, Interpol, Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins.

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"The guitar is the only instrument that I play, and I don't really consider myself a guitar player," Jackson admitted when asked about her songwriting process and whether or not she writes any songs on the piano. "I learned like ten chords when I was thirteen on YouTube. And I've been playing those same ten chords for like eleven years, and I've just gotten fairly decent at playing those ten chords. Pretty comfortable on acoustic, but electric I just learned earlier this year for the Patrick Droney tour, and my friend Charlie, who is the bassist for the band Liily, he's the one that helped me figure out the guitar stuff so that I could play it with my band."

In terms of finding energy and captivating audiences on stage, Jackson looks to Thom Yorke as an idol and The Strokes. "Activism-wise, John Lennon," she said. 

Check out Just You below.