Stacey Jackson – Both Ways

By starrymag | February 3, 2025

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Your music is often described as pop or disco, but how would you describe your sound?

A) I would say my sound is fresh pop with a retro 80s vibe, especially my new album.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) I am clearly an 80s girl and grew up loving rock in the early 80s, so I want to say the likes of Rush, Def Leppard and Whitesnake. But my dad was always playing Motown and disco in the house, and I knew all the words to The Supremes before I was even two! In the late 80s, early 90s I spent a lot of time teaching aerobics and fitness classes, so I was very influenced but dance music, so I think I was really able to pull upon a lot of those records as influences. I have very eclectic tastes!

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Both Ways.”

A) Originally, I thought this track would work very well for the soundtrack to the audio version of my book, How A Gangsta Rapper Made Me a Better Mom and it still may end up in the soundtrack because it’s about someone juggling it all and not having to give up on your dreams just because life may have taken you down another path first.  But I think the message is so relevant and resonates with people that I decided to put it on Super Woman (The Album).

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) Life is full of choices so why is it that we think our paths are linear forever? I think people can relate to wanting to live their dreams. Repotting yourself and also juggling a few balls up in the air all at once is part of life. I am a wife, a mom, an artist and I have lots of things that I juggle but it’s the sum of all the parts that makes me who I am, a whole Stacey. “Sides, it’s fun to dance to, too!!”

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) Literally, it depends on the day! Sometimes I hear a beat and a top line melody comes to me, sometimes I have a message and the lyrics just pop into my head — and it could even be in the middle of the night.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I’m definitely not a tech-person or an engineer but I do have a clear vision of how I want the record to sound and feel. I don’t always leave it totally up to the producers. I guess I’m like the director when it comes to creating the piece.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Stacey Jackson performance?

A) Well, no matter where I perform, I will most likely bring my incredible dancers with me. I usually play over an hour of my tracks, mostly from the new album but also lots from previous records of mine. I also like to chat with the crowd and tell some funny stories about the songs.

 

Q) With “Both Ways” out now, is this a prelude to a full album or an EP?

A) The is one of the singles off my current album Super Woman. The album is full of dance/pop positive and upbeat tracks with a nod to the 1980s. I’m really excited about how the album came out.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) I love performing at big festivals and prides for example. People who come to see the show are really out to dance and want to have a great time. I think that’s what my music does. I’ve performed across the US and Canada on a couple of tours including Miami, LA, NY, Chicago and Vegas which was amazing. Sometimes I would do just a small appearance where I perform a couple of songs and sometimes I do an entire set.  I’ve also been around Europe and across all of the UK as well and my fans are really engaging. It’s super special to see them in the audience dancing and mouthing the words to my records.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Hmmm, well it’s hard to top my collab with Snoop Dogg. I mean he is a legend! And the entire experience was like an out of body experience. I loosely based my book How a Gangsta Rapper Made Me a Better Mom on it. But I would say a collab with artists from the 80s like Def Leppard, Foreigner or Journey. I tend to cover their songs. Like I said, I’m a through and through 80’s girl!

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) Ohhh, I love Dua Lipa (in fact, I’d collab with her in a heartbeat!). But my fav male singer at the moment is Teddy Swims. He can sing the phone book and make it a hit record! I can listen to him all day.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) A humongous thank you for all their support.  It means so much to me.  But also to hang in there because in a few months I will be dropping the soundtrack to the audiobook version of the book which is something a little bit different and exciting. Plus, I have a podcast about the 1980s about to launch.  It is an “expansion” of the TV show I did on Sky Music called “Stacey Jackson in the 80s’.”  The new podcast is called “The Gen X-Perience.” So, my co-host and I will be talking to incredible people very well-known in their industries from music to TV and film, style and fashion, etc. all about how growing up in the 80s made them the successful person that they are today. What influencers from that era inspired them to become who they are now. So, I am super excited about that. And lastly…I am putting together a stripped back album of my records which may also speak to a different, and perhaps an even more “chilled out” audience for me. But all in good time – there are only so many balls one can really have up in the air at the same time!