Julia Jacklin On Chaos, Control, And The Gem

Julia Jacklin is changing her mind. There’s power in that. When I spoke with the Melbourne-based musician about her last album Pre Pleasure, in 2022, she imagined that her future self might approach music with more calculation. “Maybe when I have a bit more time, I’ll come in with real intentions. But at the moment, whatever happens is what the record is,” she told me. When we reconnect over a quick Zoom chat during release week for its follow-up, The Gem, Jacklin feels differently. She’s not seeking more control; she’s learning to let it go. In making The Gem, she embraced the chaos of her process and, in doing so, arrived at something that feels unmistakably her own.“I've never really arrived at a studio with the songs done ever, and I think every other record I've felt bad about that,” she says. “I felt like I was being unprofessional, and I didn't quite understand that's just my process.” I don’t even bring up our past conversation, but she’s communicating with her past self. She understands that 2022 version of herself, and, throughout our chat, respectfully disagrees with her. This time, Jacklin also resisted the urge to rush the music into the world — a lifelong creative ten...