A Chat with Jensyn (17.06.25)
In their latest single ‘Not the Same’, Liverpool-based alt-pop artist Jensyn unpacks the quiet ache and unresolved tension of a heartbreak without villains. Blending dreamy production, folk-inflected textures, and emotional vulnerability, the track marks a new era of collaboration and sonic exploration. We chat with Jensyn about all things music below.
OSR: ‘Not the Same’ feels like a breakup song for when you don’t know who to blame, just a lot of aching and aftermath. Can you walk us through where you were emotionally when you wrote it?
Jensyn: I wrote the song after quite a short but intense situationship. I think sometimes they are the hardest to heal from because you’re grieving what could have been. And it was even harder because it was no one’s fault that it ended; it just did because of circumstance. I always go to songwriting when I’m trying to get emotions off my chest, and this song was the outcome of me struggling to move on from a connection I had with someone that couldn’t be.
OSR: The opening lyric, “Hate me, make it easy for me,” hits like a punch. Was that the first line you wrote, or did it come later in the process?
Jensyn: This was the first lyric I wrote. I was so frustrated by how hard I was finding it to get over this person, and I wished there was something or someone, including myself, to blame to make it easier.
OSR: This track is such a beautiful blend of genres, folk, electronic, and dream-pop. How intentional are you about genre when writing, or does the sound find you along the way?
Jensyn: I don’t intentionally think about genre when I’m writing and producing. I definitely have go-to styles and things that I do, such as stacking lots of vocal harmonies and having ambient textures. I love finger-picked acoustic guitar and melodic basslines. I guess my love for those elements all comes from different genres that inspire me, and they all just amalgamate into my songs, with some tracks having more styles than others. I think what determines that is the subject matter of the song and how I want it to develop and sound.
OSR: You collaborated with Niamh Mailer on piano and Rachel Dover on violin. How did those collaborations come about, and what did they bring to the track’s emotional texture?
Jensyn: Niamh is a good friend of mine and she’s recorded piano on quite a few of my upcoming songs. I was showing her some of my demos, and she said she’d love to play on them. Once she did one, and I realised how much it lifted the song, and then I just wanted her to play on them all! For ‘Not the Same’, it was actually her suggestion to get some strings on the track, which I loved the idea of…and her housemate just so happened to be Rachel, who is an awesome violin and sax player. We recorded the parts together, and it definitely transformed the sound of the song – I’m obsessed with what they’ve done.
OSR: There’s this gentle build in ‘Not the Same’ that eventually swells into something more cinematic. How did you and your producer shape that arc? Did it always sound like this, or did it evolve over time?
Jensyn: I wrote and produced the track myself, and I think the cinematic vibe definitely came about when piano and violin were introduced. I used to really want to be a film composer, and still would if the opportunity came about, but with my own songs, I think making it have a filmic sound is always something I love to try and achieve. I love the idea of my music creating a visual for the listener and transporting them to somewhere they can escape to.
OSR: You mentioned that grieving a relationship with “no clear villain” makes moving on harder. How do you process that kind of heartbreak creatively? Do you write your way through it or reflect after the fact?
Jensyn: I often come up with first lyrics and ideas when I’m trying to sleep, and I can’t stop overthinking! This definitely happened with ‘Not the Same’, but I came back to it later too in a calmer space of mind and that then allowed me to develop it in a more reflective way I think. I think that’s why there feels like two different sound spaces in the song, the verses initially coming from that strong emotion of pain, but the choruses feeling more understanding lyrically.
OSR: You’ve said you’ve been sitting on these songs for almost two years. What made now the right time to release them? Did the songs change at all while they waited to be heard?
Jensyn: I basically showed my friends the demos, and that included Niamh, who wanted to record piano on it. That really propelled me to want to get it out because it was no longer just something in my head; I had shared it and developed it with others, and that made me want to finish and release it.
OSR: The single is part of a larger collaborative wave for you. What has working with new musicians taught you about your own voice and songwriting?
Jensyn: I think to trust my instincts on my part, writing, because I was really happy when it was translated from MIDI to a real musician. But I also need to not sit on songs for so long and share them with others as soon as I hit a wall! I’d really like to write more with other artists from the very start of the process, because if I can get so much out of something changing or being added at the end, then collaborating from the start would create something really exciting.
OSR: The visuals (cover art and video) by Sara Wolff are gorgeous. How did you approach the visual side of this release, and what mood were you trying to capture?
Jensyn: Sara is so great at having an idea, and even if I’m not sure what the vision is, I just trust her because it always turns out stunning. For these next few songs that are coming out, I wanted a warm but fresh feel. I loved the combination of the sunset with the city landscape. We used a lot of flash and red light, to,o which I think looks super cool. I think it definitely fits with the late-night drive vibe that these moody songs lend themselves to.
OSR: With ‘Ruby’ and ‘Hit the Summer’ on the way, and a live set at The Narrative coming up, what do you hope listeners take from this next chapter of Jensyn? What connects these songs as a body of work?
Jensyn: The songs are connected mainly through how I wrote them, which was on an acoustic guitar. The open tuning is very similar on all the tracks, and I think it really helps to create a distinctive and cohesive sound. Also themes of heartbreak, being queer and understanding oneself are a constant throughout the body of work. I mainly hope people listen and relate whilst enjoying the music and production around the subject matter. I’m really excited about the gig at The Narrative as it will be totally acoustic, like how I wrote the songs. This will share with listeners the vulnerability I felt when writing. In their original state is definitely where they hold the most emotion and connection to the lyrics.
Many thanks to Jensyn for speaking with us. Find out more about Jensyn on their Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Spotify.
