JAMIE MCDELL RELEASES THE BOTOX EP
"The New Zealander enchants with airy vocals and confessional lyrics on the title track and its intriguing follow-up “Worst Crime” featuring Robert Ellis. All the while, her storytelling is at the forefront of each song.” - BILLBOARD
New Zealand Music award recipient Jamie McDell has released The Botox EP, a stunning three-song collection out worldwide today.
The songs for this EP came naturally and with ease for McDell. “I’d just moved to Toronto, I’d come from a summer of surfing on the coast of New Zealand every single day, the kind of activity I find so therapeutic,” McDells tells Billboard of the EP’s title track. “Then I found myself sitting on the floor in my apartment thousands of miles away and it all came to the surface. From boys at school saying I was too tall or explaining that if I got breast implants I would be ‘perfect,' to the loving relationship I’m in now with a man whose values go so far beyond physical appearance.”
The second song, “Worst Crime” that the Boot called “a poignant moment of self-awareness…” is a duet with Robert Ellis, inspired by a conversation surrounding the idea that some of the worst crimes a person can commit are actually the legal ones. The writing session started with ideas about how the simple mistakes that we make can really hurt people, like forgetting a loved one’s birthday. After the demo was recorded McDell thought it would be an interesting duet and reached out to Roebrt Ellis who she has been a fan of for years. She struck up a relationship the way people do nowadays, she messaged him on Instagram. He replied that he was up for it and recorded his vocals in Forth Worth, TX. “I think Jamie is super rad,” Ellis told the Bluegrass Situation (link needed). “Her voice is unbelievable and I love the song. I was really psyched to get to try and keep up!”
The third song “Goodbye Ohio,” “is half fact, half imaginary,” McDell told Billboard. “I guess I didn’t have enough time with this woman to get the entire picture so I created the rest, and it was a really enjoyable thing to do...as a passionate roots music fan in this current climate, I’m feeling a longing for truth and authenticity in a genre that for the last decade has just felt a little polite. I am so excited to see other female artists opening doors and breaking down barriers not only in regard to career opportunities but encouraging a wider range of perspectives in our lyrical content.”
“ The song has McDell examining her flaws with sweet melodic vocal twirls and jangly guitars."
- Parade Magazine
"It doesn’t take long to realize that McDell has a way with words. Not only that, but she manages to sing acid-tongued lyrics in a very sweet voice that almost makes it sound complimentary – to a point." - Americana Highways
The Botox EP is McDell’s follow up to her first independently released album Extraordinary Girl, that came out earlier this year and was nominated for Best Country Music Album at RMNZ (Recorded Music New Zealand), and for Best Country Music Song for “Paint On A Sign” at the APRA AMCOS New Zealand. The album came together between Auckland, New Zealand and Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded the tracks with Australian award-winner producer Nash Chambers. It also features a hearty cast of country music legends including Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers and Tami Neilson.
“Ringing guitar chords are backed by atmospheric layers of keyboards, but the true stunner is McDell’s unforced voice, which has already led the Americana artist to gold certifications and award nominations in her native New Zealand.” - Rolling Stone
Although she is young, Jamie has veteran status as a musician and songwriter. It was at age 7, while living aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean that McDell wrote her first song. On that yacht lived a small collection of her parents’ favorite tapes, including albums by Jimmy Buffett, John Denver and James Taylor, which the young McDell formed a particularly strong bond with. She fondly remembers watching her parents perform Jimmy Buffett duets - and occasionally chiming in, learning how to harmonize vocally with her mother. An eager learner, McDell picked up the guitar after studying her fathers’ John Denver chord book collection and has never looked back. She was signed to EMI at age 16 and embarked on a musical journey that would see her become a household name in New Zealand, achieving Gold Album sales with the release of her debut album Six Strings and a Sailboat, receiving multiple NZ Music Award nominations, and winnning Best Pop Album of 2013. After hitting a creative wall, due to frustration with being pushed further and further away from her artistic core, she threw in the towel and decided to release independently in exchange for artistic freedom.
This material marks a new era for McDell. She has started to peel away layers and take a raw dive into issues like domestic abuse, and self-worth, resulting in stunningly honest and relative material.