Surreal is a word that keeps coming up when talking about Jessie Murph. After all, how else does one process skyrocketing to mainstream success before graduating high school? The last time that FLAUNT sat down to talk with the then 17-year-old, she had just celebrated her birthday the week before and was on her way to perform her first-ever live concert at Austin City Limits.

At the time, the singer-songwriter was on the edge of public consciousness, amassing millions of views on her social media followings and signing to Columbia Records in 2021. The very beginning of her career started with a cover of “Titanium,” as the young artist began to gain traction on Instagram and TikTok for her honest and gut-wrenching renditions of life in the Bible Belt, only playing music that is unabashedly Jessie Murph.

The multidisciplinary artist has been surrounded by music her entire life, growing up in a house of musicians and teaching herself how to play the piano, guitar, and ukulele. Her velvety voice adapts to whatever genre she’s drawn to in the moment, whether it’s twangy Americana, or a lurching confessional like in “Pray,” from her 2023 debut mixtape drowning. From pop to hip hop, in the end, what ties her discography together is Jessie’s exceptional ability to communicate her emotions and stories through her lyrics.

To her, songwriting is a conversation, an arena-shaking update on the trials and tribulations of young adulthood. Each song reads like a chapter in the artist’s life, a way of communication that feels intimate on every level, a genre-less but sentiment-full array of experiences and emotions.

Her latest tour, Cowboys and Angels, is her second headlining tour in the United States. It’s also the artist’s first foray onto the international stage, taking the Nashville-born, Alabama native to the likes of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Her concerts are a mixture of dark country ballads, with a twist of levity as the Cowboys and Angels tour has seen it all, from a Mia Wallace-tributed Halloween costume to shaving a fan’s hair on stage.

As of this fall, Jessie has amassed one billion streams, popularity ensuing with two songs off of her debut mixtape “Pray” and “Always Been You.” That doesn’t mean that Jessie’s resting on the laurels of mainstream success by any means. With features boasting industry giants like Jelly Roll, Polo G, and Diplo, the artist has even bigger dreams on the horizon.

Now, a few years down that old country road, Jessie Murph’s been humming a new tune. One of gratitude for her fans on tour who have been audience to moments of emotional vulnerability and have been following the young artist on her meteoric journey.

FLAUNT caught up with Jessie Murph at the end of her North American leg of the tour after two long years to talk about her latest project, collaborating with Jelly Roll on ‘Wild Ones,’ and dreams for the future.

It’s been around two years since we’ve last talked to you here at FLAUNT and it’s been incredible to see your growth. Now on your biggest headlining tour yet, how do you feel?‍

So so grateful. It’s really the only word I can use to describe everything I’m feeling.

What are your tour essentials? Do you have a favorite post-concert meal or pre-concert rituals you do?‍

Tour essentials I’d say are a scented candle and speakers. I just like to have good energy around me when I’m getting ready for a show. Doing my own makeup can be calming and therapeutic too.

Your lyrics in your songs are incredibly poignant and hit the highs and lows of love, what is your songwriting process like? Is there an ideal place to write? Who do you write for?‍

I write best when I’m going through something I need to get off my chest. I’ve always thought of writing as a way to communicate how I’m feeling.

How would you describe your sound? Do you think it has changed or evolved since you first got signed in 2021?‍

I’d say my sound is Jessie Murph. I’m very insistent on not being put into any one genre. I’m just me. And I definitely think I’ve evolved since 2021. Partially because I’ve grown up and am experiencing different things, but also because I’m always learning more about what I want my music to sound like.

What was your mindset like going into creating your mixtape drowning earlier this year?‍

There was no mindset per se, it was just shitty things that I was going through. Writing that project helped me make sense of a lot of it

A majority of the tracks on this project, and singles that you’ve released this year seem to have come from a place of vulnerability. Do you have a particular song that you feel most attached or connected to?‍

There’s not one song I feel most drawn to because they’re all from different parts of my life and different things I’ve experienced. Picking one would feel like picking one chapter out of a whole book.

What was it like to grow up in Alabama? How does it feel to go back there now, whether it’s to visit, or on tour...?‍

I’m very grateful to be from Alabama. I used to hate it when I was younger because I never felt quite right there, but I feel like it gives me a unique perspective of the life I live now because it’s so foreign from what I saw around me growing up. It makes it all the more special and meaningful when I go back to see my family, which fortunately I get to do a lot.

Is there anything you would tell yourself when you were first starting out?

I wouldn’t want to tell myself anything because I think everything happens for a reason and you have to learn as you go.

You recently released your single “Wild Ones” featuring Jelly Roll. How did that come to be? Why did you decide to bring Jelly Roll on?‍

I’ve been a fan of Jelly’s for a while now. A couple months back he asked me to come out at one of his shows and perform a song with him. Since then we’ve become friends and I really feel like I can go to him for anything. He heard “Wild Ones” and had an idea for a verse and that’s kind of it.

What does a perfect day look like to you? How do you spend your days off, do you have any hobbies to decompress?‍

My perfect day is just me at home, playing piano, writing, or reading by myself.

What has been your favorite memory from the past two years? A moment that made you feel like you’ve made it.‍

My Alabama show on this tour felt surreal. There were so many people there I just felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude – the word I keep coming back to.

What’s next! What would your dream project be?‍

I have lots of dreams right now. Dream collabs like Drake or Lil Baby, dreams of putting out my first album, dreams of playing arenas one day. There’s so much I plan to do. 

Photographed and Creative Directed by Shaun-Andru 

Styled and Creative Directed by Sebastian Mejia

Written by Julia Smith

Hair: Rakeerah Griffin

Makeup: Brittany Paige Lambert at Celestine Agency

Flaunt Film: Sabra Binder

Photo Assistants: Maggie Overbaugh and Eric Hale

Stylist Assistant: Rielle

Beauty Retouching (in phone booth): Lidia Tolmacheva

Retouching Assistant: Markelis Holmes