“I made this music thinking they’re just songs when, really, my subconscious was doing much of the talking,” Jaz Karis tells Apple Music. “DEAR JAZ was birthed on the realisation that maybe I should write this to myself and really start listening to what I’m saying.” As prescribed, the London singer-songwriter (and BRIT School alumnus) gets down to the tough conversations on the EP’s seven soul-baring tracks—dissecting the difficulties of self-love and acceptance. Here, words that often go in one ear and out the other are measured intently for a soothing exploration of self. Following an opening address from good friend Kojey Radical, it’s all on Jaz to convey her deep-seated feelings as they churn. “I’m making a statement with this,” she says. “So, the [track titles] are concise, bold and all caps—almost like a warning.” Top production talent, including Fred Cox and Emil, offer variations on a slick, jazz-inflected sound and provide a gorgeous base for Karis to explore the bottom of a failed relationship (“2NIGHT”), the crush of neglect (“OPTION”) and the redeeming power of self-realisation (“COME OUTSIDE”). The singer found it difficult to be walled in the studio for seven days, but the results of this cleansing “DIY therapy week” speak for themselves. “Besides ‘HOME’, all of these songs were done in that week, many in the same session,” she says. “And that’s why I feel like this is my favourite project—because it came so naturally. And I had no other writers in there, which was unintentional. I really wanted to work with some dope writers, but these songs just happened. It is hard to explain, but I just felt, and I went with it.” Read on for Karis’ thoughts on each track from her EP. “DEAR JAZ” (feat. Kojey Radical) “A lot of ‘DEAR JAZ’ was a freestyle. I was writing more with my heart. And it’s honestly how I felt in that moment—very alone, but at the same time, being my [own] friend. Once I had the finished song, where I talk about being my own friend, I was like, ‘I need another friend—someone I really look up to—for a message as well.’ So, I hit up Kojey, who I love, and it just seemed to fit for me. I’ll go where the music tells me.” “SIDE OF YOU” “This is about my first and, hopefully, last meeting with a narcissist. I feel like the word gets thrown around a lot, and some people don’t really understand it that well. And it was weird because I was looking into narcissistic traits at the time of writing this. Not because of the person, in particular, but because of, I don’t know, growth, growing up, and I’d never met someone like it before. This project brought a lot out of me, but much of it was personal growth.” “COMPLICATED” “This is quite an honest track. I really love the sound of it—quite light, fun and sexy, and the meaning behind it is about accepting the aftereffects of [the situation in] ‘SIDE OF YOU’, which is that sometimes, you think they want something, but you actually don’t. That’s what this is about: accepting those hard truths.” “2NIGHT” “I was still in a relationship, or just about the end of it, when I wrote this track. It’s the first song I created for this project. And, again, at a time when I wasn’t being honest with myself, I was reminded of how this is all me, talking to my future self. Which is why [the title] is addressed to me.” “OPTION” “‘OPTION’ is a deep song for me. I was so in love with it when I first made it. I still am. I remember wanting everyone to hear it. I was playing the song for anyone that would listen. I also think it’s very honest. It’s me at my most fragile point—again, going down the path of acceptance. ‘OK, this is really what it is,’ but at the same time saying, ‘As much as this hurts, I’m not an option. I need to be better.’” “COME OUTSIDE” “In my head, this is the best song I’ve ever made. I love that it has two sides to it because [the contrast] is literally like coming outside. And I think the way me and [British producer and songwriter] Fred [Cox] made it was an experience. He’s just a genius. I think we were listening to [Drake’s 2011 album] Take Care, which is one of my favourite albums of all time. And one thing Drake is really known for is switching up the song with two or even three beats in one. So, Fred started playing around here at the point where I’ve stacked my vocals—moving around the pitches so it sounds like a choir effect, creating the change in the middle. It’s like stepping out of somewhere you’ve been trying to escape for a long, long, long time. Life is perspective, I think, and this song speaks to that experience of gaining that perspective.” “HOME” “Bringing us home, right at the end. I made this song when everything was ending for me. It was the beginning of this growth journey. But it came at the start, which is weird. But ‘HOME’ is literally about remembering through anything, so not just heartbreak, but other things in life that might not go well: Your home has to be with you. You are your home. It’s a very sensitive song for me because it’s so emotional and real. But I think the meaning is also the most important.”