Interview With Indie Pop Singer-Songwriter Glenna Jane
- Samuel Stevens
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
How would you describe your music to any person who may have never heard it before? Glenna: Imagine the girl next door–sort of dorky, zippy, wears her heart on her sleeve, awkward, doesn’t care if she’s cool, kind of girl–made indie pop music! My music is like a memory box overflowing with polaroids, doodles, love letters, and ripped-out journal entries, memorabilia revealing the glimmering truths of growing up.
What are your musical influences? G: I’m influenced by Dijon’s organic production, Saya Gray’s maximalism, and SZA’s honesty. I grew up on pop stars, but also indie heroes from Miley Cyrus to Tegan and Sara. I’m obsessed with movie soundtracks and 2014 Tumblr.
If given the chance, what musician/artist would you like to collaborate with? G: Dijon in a heartbeat!
What's the new single “Two Years” about? G: “Two Years” is about a summer fling turned situationship. I wrote it two years ago after reconnecting with my right person, wrong time and realizing that romantic destiny never had a role in that relationship. It’s about memory and time and how time reconstructs memory. Ultimately, “Two Years” is about mourning the loss of but latching onto the past: a past love and a past self. What's something you hope people take away from the new single? G: I hate to state the obvious, but the right person is timeless.
What differentiates your singles “Juno” and “Two Years”?
G: Thematically, “Juno” and “Two Years” could not be more different. Despite both being grounded in love and memory and blurring fact with fantasy, “Juno” is a sweet ode to queer becoming, while “Two Years” laments the illusion of a relationship. Sonically, they blend acoustic and electronic sensibilities, but “Juno” is the 2000s teen romcom–the sleepover scene when the girl next door kisses her best friend–whereas “Two Years” is the 2000s surrealist romcom wherein lovers meet again on a train.
What did you allow yourself to do creatively for this song that you haven’t in the past?
G: “Two Years” holds so many firsts: the first song I played guitar on, the first song I recorded on the EP, the first song my producer and I worked together on ever. Coming into the recording process, I just wanted to entertain every whim and lean into imperfection, infusing a sense of play into the production of songs that have a pop heart.
“Two Years” is the latest glimpse of your forthcoming EP, Kid, coming later this year. What can listeners expect from the EP? G: It’s about coming of age at twenty-something. It’s about honouring little me’s big feelings. It’s genre-melding, story-telling, world-building: four tracks about my adolescence and early twenties scrawled on a sprawling pastiche of alternative indie pop.
When you find yourself in a creative rut, what do you usually turn to? Any habits, environments or even non-musical sources that help you reconnect with your creativity? G: I hate to state the obvious again, but experiencing life is the only way to get past creative ruts. Toni Morrison used to say you shouldn’t write through writer’s block, so when I’m struggling to write a song, I just don’t. Instead, I watch movies and TV, listen to vinyl, journal, read think pieces on Substack, go to concerts, and spend time with my loved ones until I’m called to write music again. Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? It could be your own music or even a cover. Any reason why? G: I love performing “Juno” live! It’s the first love song I’ve ever written, so I always find myself smiling through it.
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year?
G: I’ve nurtured this EP for over two years now, so I’m really excited to release it and perform it live in full for the first time!
What's the most random thing that has ever inspired you to write a song?
G: When I was 14, I was catfished by a boy named Jeremy on Tumblr. That experience served as the starting point for the title track of the EP.