A Unique Blend of Sounds

A Conversation with Chief Cleopatra on her new EP Luna.

Jalesa Jessie aka Chief Cleopatra has made a name for herself within the Austin music community for her unique blend of sounds. Last week we sat down to talk to her about the release of her upcoming EP Luna and her musical influences, ranging from funk, rock, and pop to deep sounds and hip-hop. Read the conversation below.

Pilar: Hiii! How are you, how’s everything? 

Cleo: I’m doing really well, things are really good and have been taking off really fast. How about you? 

Pilar: I’m good, trying to learn how to live slow. 

Cleo: Ha Ha! That’s always good. 

Pilar: So, you have a lot going on right? Your EP is coming out on March 5th and you’re playing at SXSW!

Cleo: Yeah. Actually, it’s so confusing when the EP is coming out because we’ve moved it around a bit but I think we’ve set it on March 4th. Finally. And, yes, I’m so excited about that. I have, like, seven shows this month, so it’s going to be pretty busy. 

Pilar: I was very curious to find out, why did you name your EP Luna? 

Cleo: Well, I have been really fascinated with the moon, moon cycles, astrology, and constellations. I felt that Luna was a great title because I could relate it to all the obstacles I’ve kind of gone through to make this solid EP. It feels like going through my own moon cycle of change and growth. I’m also a really big Sailor Moon fan so Luna just sounded cool. Also, one of the songs in the album, Aphrodite, was originally named after a goddess, (the name was changed to Fortuity) so I guess also on that theme of goddesses I coordinated the name, Luna. 

Pilar: What’s your star sign? 

Cleo: I’m an Aquarius.

Pilar: It's funny that you mention that your EP has to do with the moon cycle because when I was listening to it, I felt that it was taking me on a journey of forgiveness and acceptance. That it was time to let go and heal; it was very beautiful to listen to.

Cleo: Oh man! That’s amazing, I’m so happy that you said that because that’s kind of the vibe I want people to get from it. 

Pilar: So, tell me, how was your personal and artistic transformation - your own moon cycle to phrase it like that - when creating the EP? 

Cleo: It was very empowering because you go through these things and you realize that these are just the tides rolling in. You experience things and start to heal. It empowers me to write about the things that have happened to me because it allows me to express myself. I become stronger as I start healing. I realize my self-worth and develop self-respect and that’s when good things start to happen. 

Pilar: Was it ever hard putting things down? Did you experience writer’s block at some point? 

Cleo: Yeah, sometimes it was. Nine Inch Nails was the most challenging song to write, yet it’s the most simple one. It has fewer words than the other songs but I had to dig deep into some feelings to make sense of the song. I went back to it and stopped so many times. It took me, like, a month to write it, which I know sounds like it’s not a lot but when you are used to writing all the time it does feel like a lot. I originally wrote that song on GarageBand on my phone, so I had to rely a lot on muscle memory when I was experiencing writer’s block to go back to it. 

Pilar: Out of curiosity, did you name that song after the band, Nine Inch Nails? 

Cleo: Well, when I was doing it on GarageBand I had this synth going on (she mimics song sound) and it sounded like something Nine Inch Nails would do. The more I thought of the concept of the songs and the lyrics, “We used to know each other,” I could imagine someone stabbing me with a Nine Inch Nail in the eye (she says laughing) so I thought it would all entwine together and that it would be a dope title.

“Music is a passion and a love of mine so I play around with things as much as I can. So to put things like that in and having people come back to me saying, ‘oh I noticed this,’ is really great.”

Pilar: Tell me about your music background and how you merge all of these sounds to create such an unusual and unique sound.

Cleo: I come from a rural town where there was no grey area and I was that one kid who was attracted to rock and roll as much as R&B and Hip-Hop. My mom and dad didn’t understand me listening to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers but they supported me. That gave me a free realm to be who I wanted to be as a musician and to express myself. 

My mom encouraged me to play drums when I was 10 even though I knew I was getting on their nerves, practicing in the garage as often as I could. When I was 13, I hopped onto Drumline and having different people around me from different musical backgrounds really sparked my interest and made me want to go play in bands. So, right after high school, I started playing in bands around town, we played mostly metal rock and indie. 

I grew up in a church community listening to soul and playing hymns and spiritual sounds so when I moved to Austin I solidified a sound that people were not expecting but that is universally cool because it all hinges together.  

Pilar: Do you think that a part of you wanting to merge rock and roll and indie music with soul and all of these other sounds that you grew up listening to had to do with making peace with your background and accepting fully yourself and knowing that you can be who you want to be in these two worlds? 

Cleo: Wow! That is a great question. Yeah, it makes me feel more at peace with myself. It makes me think of how I am not doing this out of vain. I have something going on here that is really cool and I am not ashamed. I think at one point, subconsciously, I did feel ashamed because I was doing things that my family was not doing. Now that I see the success that I’ve gotten, I feel very at peace doing my thing, and it’s a great feeling. The fact that people dig it and I’ve had such a quick response to the music is really dope and it gives me that green light in my head that this is what I’m meant to be doing.

I also want to add here that I dabble in piano so I developed an ear that helped me with understanding sound, so if I liked something from an album that I listened to I could imitate it and put it into my own. 

Pilar: Can you tell me about the music community in Austin and how it has helped you develop as an artist? 

Cleo: Being welcomed by the music community here has been so warming. As soon as I met Walker Lukens — who has been pretty much a mentor and helped me produce most of my stuff — a floodgate opened up of people accepting me and creating a network with other musicians. Musicians in Austin like to see that you work hard and that you have something to say. Being around those people, it’s like automatic respect and they want to make sure you are doing good. I have been so well taken care of. It’s like being a part of a tribe and I’ve always longed to be a part of those people because growing up I always felt like an outsider. 

Pilar: Do you think you will release a full album any time soon? 

Cleo: I am working with a label called Park The Van to release my debut album sometime next year, so I will be working on it this year, trying to get a clear plan of how we want to get into the album.

Pilar: Well, I personally love what you are doing and I can’t wait for an album and wish you all the success possible. Thank you so much, Cleo, for taking the time to chat with me. 

Cleo: My pleasure, Pilar. I enjoyed our chat and thank you for all the great questions.