There is something mesmerizing about Jade The Nightmare. An incredibly talented artist, videographer, singer/songwriter and visual artist – Jade escapes any attempts to squeeze her into one of the PR boxes music industry has in abundance. She creates her own sound, merging musical genres, breaking rules and paving the way for others to lead her. She is brave, uncompromising and she knows exactly what she wants to do. We have been enormously privileged to sit down with her to discuss her influences, her extensive catalogue and plans for the future.
Ladies and gents, please meet the new queen of loud, heavy and powerful music – Jade The Nightmare!
Pictures by Higher Transcendental Photography
You call yourself Hell Woman and we have to say you do look the part! Please introduce Jade The Nightmare to the metalheads in the UK. Is there any particular story behind your name?
Jade The Nightmare: It is my pleasure to introduce myself, I am Jade the Nightmare from Denver, Colorado. I have always been very fascinated with the afterlife due to the fact that death was a very familiar concept for me growing up. As much of the horrors in this world extend beyond this realm, I believe that the dream state is a very accessible and easy way to get to the other side of life and reveal our subconscious feelings. Thus, the concept of nightmare was born. To cope with my emotions, I turned to my music. Nightmare is a metaphor for when you do not deal with your traumas in the awake state. They consume you both in your awake and dream state.
We have found information in your biography that you discovered both rap and metal at a very young age and immersed yourself in the underground scenes, trying to combine both genres. Was it hard to make those spaces your own?
Jade The Nightmare: It was a challenge to make these spaces my own. I grew up listening to Hip-hop. My mother especially would play a lot of 80s rap, then in middle school a close friend of mine introduced me to nu metal and the classic rock music. Even in the present day, I have to remind myself that I am entirely in charge of creating a space for myself to feel a sense of belonging. I felt shut out from the Hip-hop community due to my unconventional and raw topic choices. Also, I do not follow typical rap guidelines so I felt very misunderstood in my early days of doing what I do. This was when I was still establishing my style and I felt very limited by rap which eventually led me to follow my interest in creating rock/metal music. It allowed me to be very fluid with the way that I compose my music. I crave freedom and the boundless nature of creating alternative music fulfils that need.
Over the years you have released 150 records. That’s almost superhuman! Does a place with your complete discography exist anywhere in the mortal realm?
Jade The Nightmare: Yes, on my official website (jadethenightmare.com) I am actively working on a page of my full discography available. Much of the collaborations I have done, even from my first few years in the scene, can still be found on sites like YouTube and Soundcloud.
You front Jade The Nightmare and the main focus is on you. But would you see it as a one-woman band or do you have collaborators alongside you? If you do, would you like to give them a shout?
Jade The Nightmare: Definitely a one-woman band as of right now but I do periodically work with producers and other guitarists. I record and mix all of my songs at my in-home studio. I have been doing this since I was about 13 years old. I do eventually want to incorporate a full band such as a drummer or guitarist when I connect with the right people. As far as vocals and mixing, I do everything. I have an in-house studio I have been developing for years.
Picture by Higher Transcendental Photography
2016 proved to be a particularly fructuous year for Jade the Nightmare. You released three albums in that period: “Process of Atonement”, “Evanescent” and “Death Delight”. Looking back, would you say it was easy to have multiple records being issued or was it a difficult experience? King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard who are known to record several albums a year swear this process keeps them intellectually and creatively stimulated, but Derrick Green of Sepultura once mentioned that preparations and recording sessions took him on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Where do you stand?
Jade The Nightmare: I stand on the fence. I think that dropping multiple records at the time was perfect for my mental well-being. Each project served as an opportunity for me to get out what I was going through at the time in a healthy way. That was also one of my notable years for showing how much variety I bring to the table. It was however a challenge to make sure I promoted each record enough to give it the attention it deserved.
Your music has been called horrorcore, nu metal, deathcore, nightmare mix, dark rap among others. We can hear elements of heavy metal, black metal and even progressive rock. If you could pick a genre that describes you the best, what would that be? You can come up with your own name, we won’t mind.
Jade The Nightmare: I have called my music “Goth-Hop”. It is a fusion of gothic themes that are unconventional and on the darker side fused with underground hip hop. I would say that lately I have been leaning more into my metal sound and just revamping Goth-Hop into something that is heavier and more intense. I want my listeners to really feel how vulnerable yet fierce I am in my music.
Being a woman on a metal scene that is male dominated has always been hard. Being a woman of colour is even harder. How is the audience and fellow musicians treating you? Have you ever been made to feel like you do not belong on the metal circuit?
Jade The Nightmare: Honestly, I think that being a woman has provided a degree of leverage because I stand out amongst the rest of the artists in the genre due to being a woman. Sometimes, I think people are caught off guard by how I present or my mannerisms at shows. I have a naturally calm demeanour but when that mic turns on, I turn into a beast and truly let loose. Specifically, being a woman of colour in this scene has its ups and downs. I am black American and while some people are very respectful, others have used my complexion as a reason to harass and discredit my movement. I have grown to not let this phase me as much as it once did earlier in my career. I cannot let it stop me from achieving my goals.
In a short amount of time, you made the transition from dark hip hop and grime to metal music. The progression is very coherent, it’s not like you suddenly decided to have a fresh start. Where, do you think you are going to go next musically and artistically?
Jade The Nightmare: I just want to keep pushing and bending genres. One thing I hate, is being placed in aa box and having people expect what I am going to do next. I never want to become complacent with my sound. I want to connect and I want listeners to know my heart is in this. My progression into metal music will continue and I will work to perfect it to a point that I am happy and can move on to the next chapter.
Pictures by Higher Transcendental Photography
Can we touch on what seems to be a sensitive topic. In October you lost access to your personal page on Facebook and your official Instagram without any explanation. Can you tell us what you think may have happened? Do you think your profiles were targeted by online haters, like it happened to Cinnamon Babe and Bob Vylan in the past?
Jade The Nightmare: First off, shout out to Cinnamon Babe and Bob Vylan, it’s unfortunate that artists have to undergo such attacks despite just trying to create art. I was up late editing my music video for “Hell-Woman” when I got a notification that my personal Facebook had been suspended. Initially, I thought nothing of it. I thought, “that’s strange, let me submit an appeal and everything will be okay”. There is a chance that my account was targeted which is extremely unfortunate because despite the dark themes in my music I am very cordial and respectful with anyone I cross paths with. I have never been one to wish malice on those that otherwise have no involvement or influence in my personal or music endeavours. Part of me believes it could just be an internal error at the company but due to their lack of customer service, it makes it hard to get any solution or an understanding. Fast forward, I have come to the realization that losing my accounts served to re-establish exactly how passionate I am about what I do. It felt like I had lost everything I had built over the last 8 years as far as creating a community and talking to supporters on a day-to-day basis. Now, I am working on rebuilding my Instagram and am so grateful that some supporters have reconnected after they noticed I had been gone for some time.
Jade The Nightmare is said to be signed to Pariah Music Entertainment and you are also running your own thing – GothHop Empire. Can you tell us more about both labels?
Jade The Nightmare: My time on Pariah Music Entertainment was short lived but extremely transformative. Scott Gonzales, professionally known by his music alias “Sinizter, reached out to me through social media mid-2017. He was fond of my craft and thought that I would complement the label that he was building well. The team featured underground heavy hitters such as Sleep Lyrical of Murder musick, Loc Saint, Nomad1c, Lyrizone and Switchblade Stilleto. Being a part of the label taught me that consistency is key. Not only do you need to produce high quality music that connects with listeners but you have to reassure listeners that there is always something brewing behind the scenes and they need to beware of what is next. As of now, I am working independently but am not opposed to joining another label. I am leaving the door open and working on building Gothhop Empire. Gothhop Empire is my own label that I manage and plan to expand as I acquire more resources.
We wanted to ask about your most recent single “Carnage“. Few days ago, it passed 20.000 plays on Spotify which is an amazing feat for an independent artist, especially one playing an extreme genre of music. Please tell us more about it. What inspired you to write it?
Jade The Nightmare: As the opening line of the single “You shed your skin and the pieces covered the shrine tumultuously and shattered, sucking dry this soul of mine”, you can feel my energy shifting from exhausted to regained power. This song is about cutting off the loose ends and evolving into the final form of what once seemed impossible. A person once decrepit and exhausted now has remembered who she is and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. The lines: “I will gut you alive inside I crave you you’re mine” is a testament to the cat and mouse relationship of the abused and the abuser. Only once you see the evil that torments you and see what it has done, can you now overcome it.
Every single or album you release comes with visually striking covers. Who designs them?
Jade The Nightmare: The cover art of my latest singles and album “Gothferatu” has been designed entirely by me. My latest single “Carnage” was photographed by my beloved photographer Higher Transcendental Photography, you can find their work on Facebook and Instagram. Toxic Vomit Artworks has done a vast majority of my illustrated album artwork including my “Process of Atonement EP” (2016), “Evanescence” (2016) and the “Suffer EP” (2018). The visual art is very important to me and needs to tell a story and be eye catching.
What are your plans for 2023? Can you share anything with us or should we just wait and see?
Jade The Nightmare: Upon the release of my latest album “Gothferatu”, I promised supporters that I would release a music video for each of the seven tracks off the tape there are still two videos to be made. “Gothstar” and “Savior” are currently in the works and I am very excited to take my visuals to the next level and show my listeners what I am capable of.
Last questions are usually a bit of fun at Indieterria. Let’s say you can drag a few horrible people back to hell. What awaits them? You don’t have to show mercy, you know
Jade The Nightmare: Haha, this is such a great question! My name isn’t Nightmare for no reason. A beautiful arrangement of the person’s worst nightmares all replayed over and over to create a sort of personal hell would be the absolute worst if it were up to me.
Please follow Jade The Nightmare online:
jadethenightmare.com
https://www.facebook.com/jadethenightmare/
https://twitter.com/jadethenightmre
https://www.tiktok.com/@jadethenightmare
https://www.instagram.com/jadethenightmare666/
https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialJadeTheNightmareMusic
Pictures by Higher Transcendental Photography
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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