Working hard throughout the latter half of the year, London’s own Jodie Abacus was finally ready with his latest EP. Mild Cartoon Violence is a healthy balance of who the soul-pop singer is. We talked about that and what’s to come as he approaches the new year. One he hopes to raise the bar for himself in.
Kendra: Your style has a seamless blend of a few genres from R&B to funk. Thinking back, what was the first genre that made you feel something when you listened?
Jodie Abacus: Oh man definitely the funk! I remember hearing my dad play early Michael Jackson and Earth Wind and Fire. Off The Wall was probably one of the main triggers of my music senses.
Kendra: Still thinking about that first-time music captured you. When you got to listen to the final cut of Mild Cartoon Violence – did you get that same feeling, or was it something else you felt?
Jodie Abacus: I felt like any other song that I’m about to put out to be honest…slightly nervous and anxious in the hope that everybody gets the same feeling that I feel when listening to it, after all these are my stories from my heart.
Kendra: Can you finish this song title really quick? When Sunday Comes, you can find me…?
Jodie Abacus: Crashed on the sofa after a boozy night out with my bastard friends.
Kendra: Now back to Mild Cartoon Violence. The title is nothing random. You’ve said it showcases the aggressive but playful way you approach creativity. How do you find the balance between the two?
Jodie Abacus: The balance lies in the fact that everything I come out with is naturally me. My music tells no lies to the point where my closest friends can see and feel my personality, humour, life and character in my songs then they say “why are you so nuts?!”
Kendra: Did any actual animated favorites inspire the EP?
Jodie Abacus: The only animated character to inspire this EP was me! My life has been pretty wild up until now, life is a funny thing.
Kendra: The new EP’s out now, but what else can we expect as the end of the year approaches and the new one begins?
Jodie Abacus: More exercising, more songwriting, more eating vegan dishes as a part-time vegan. Is there such a thing? Well there is now! I will have a video for my track “Meet Me In The Middle” coming soon and will be playing my last show of the year at The Lexington in London on the December 13th.
And of course having the family over for Christmas. Everyone taking the piss out of each other and then me kicking everyone out after getting drunk and telling everyone exactly what I think about them…I’m sure that happens to most people?
Kendra: Lastly, here at ZO, we love all creatives. With that, if you had to compare Mild Cartoon Violence to a work of art, which would it be and why?
Jodie Abacus: If I could make an artistic plasticine model shape sculpture to represent each song on the EP. I would…but I’ve run out of plasticine damn it!
