Below, you can read our interview with artist Jade Ring and listen to their album Pills. Check out our full review of Pills here.
Q: Great to be speaking with you, Jade Ring! You’ve been performing for 24 years, but this project is just a few months old – born in a hotel room in Atlanta in October 2025. What finally cracked the dam open after years away from original songwriting?
A: Thanks for having me, always feels good when someone wearing a ski mask is accepted without judgement. (Laughs) You know, this question is interesting because over the past 24 years I’ve taken a few pauses to reset, to find myself, heal, whatever you want to call it. But I really thought I was done for good in 2017. I literally didn’t pick up an instrument until 2023 when my friend Brett (hip-hop/pop artist Zup) pulled me back into the game. Even though I got back into music regularly since 2023, Jade Ring didn’t come to life until late 2025. It was a project idea I had in a notebook from 2017 but never found the right time or motivation to start it however, when I saw the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode on generative AI bands I became furious. Looking back over my career, anger might be my best motivator. I’ve spent a lifetime dedicated to DIY, independent arts & the idea that a profit-driven, soulless AI system could steal human work and produce absolute trash just put me over the edge. Music, writing, poetry, acting are all human experiences. They are derived from our lived or shared experiences and us artists attempt to bridge the gap between emotion and substance. When you remove the human from art, its no longer art, its just nothing. Meaningless. Makes me sick. I then started seeing how AI is used to produce deepfakes and sexualize women and children and that’s when I said, it’s time to wear a mask. I have an intentionally small online footprint because I already distrust these few corporations that own social media but the mask at least allows me to perform my art and keep my private identity off the internet as much as I’m able.
Q: The name Jade Ring comes from Twin Peaks, referencing an object that bridges the human world and the existential. How intentional is that metaphor when it comes to what this project is exploring thematically?
A: Love this question. Jade Ring is a project born of duality. There’s dark and there’s light. I’ve always struggled with identity and have been a fiercely private person my whole life. I’ve used a pen name as far back as I can remember. My music and art are created and shaped by my life and observations but I respect that it can be interpreted different ways by different people and that’s the beauty of it. Would they enjoy my music if they knew the “real” me? Maybe not, even though I am a huge dog lover & I hope everyone reading this loves dogs. Maybe that’s my next sticker? Jade Ring loves dogs. But seriously, I’ve struggled with letting people get into my inner circle, or even close to me so I’ve been intentional in always keeping that separate from whatever music project I’ve done. Plus a little mystery never hurt anyone. (laughs). So the metaphor is spot-on and actually is the most personal interpretation of this project. It captures how I’ve wanted to be known as an artist which is bold, some beautiful chaos and some mischief thrown in for good measure. Jade Ring allows me to explore the darkness and the light in my soul through art and that has guided me well so far.
Q: You made a very deliberate choice to hide your identity behind a balaclava. Can you talk about the relationship between anonymity and artistic freedom for you?
A: Yeah! What’s funny is, I’m an elder millennial so I’m not as hip as I used to be so the other day I was told that my mask is also known as a sheisty. Which, “back in my day” meant something nefarious or like a “bad dude.” So naturally I love it. I will say I’ve been influenced by bands like Pussy Riot, Kneecap and my hometown mentors from my teenage days, Mushroomhead. I also love lucha libre culture in Mexico and the constant anonymity of the wrestlers there. I just think that people, especially American’s are terminally online. There’s a tendency, or addiction to share so much personal information online. I grew up before social media so I’ve been there from the start. The early days were fun but we were all naive. I think I saw the ugly side of social media early on with one of my first bands during the Friendster & Myspace era. I experienced being stalked online as a teenager in that band and it changed my whole perspective on the downsides of social media. I like to be able to unwind or relax in my own little world. It’s free of noise and nonsense; that’s just reserved for my inner monologue or my art projects. I think my art distills many of my private thoughts in a way that it feels therapeutic for me which is a huge reward. Plus if people don’t like what I’m putting out at least I can sit in a coffee shop and hopefully be left alone so I can continue to daydream. I think daydreaming is so powerful and everyone reading this should set some time aside each day to let your mind wander. It’s been so beneficial over the course of my life.
Q: You’ve recorded over 40 albums across punk, hardcore, and folk. How does Jade Ring fit into (or deliberately break from) that catalog?
A: Oh my goodness, has it been that many? (Laughs) Wow! Well I think the beautiful thing of it is, I’ve become confident in my skillset. I now know what my limitations and strengths are. I am lucky to have had the experience of the genres & learning from great musicians and engineers over the years that it’s allowed me to be expeditious and experimental. With every project up to Jade Ring I’ve tried to break some music norms or expectations but in microdoses. I’ve had to write within the framework of the genre with small bends thrown in. My passion in music is exploring juxtapositions. Would this pop chorus work with Tom Waits and a funk bass line? Would a Pink Floyd solo work in a song with a dance party beat? I think there’s elements of everything I’ve done up to this on “Pills” and hopefully there are other people out there that love multi-genre, avant garde as much as I do. I live by a motto made famous by a lucha libre legend Penta. It’s “Cero Miedo” or “no fear” and I took that into my writing sessions. This is my 100% authentic mind, free of rules but borrowing from everything I’ve learned in my music career thus far.
Q: You’ve said you wanted to prove you could make a great album entirely without AI. Do you think that’s going to become a more important credential for artists to claim going forward?
A: I specifically designed a “Made by Human, No Gen AI” label that you can see on the cover of my record. It resembles the “explicit lyrics” labels from my youth. I think if integrity is a core value for an artist, it will become more important. I think those of us who speak out against AI need to become more vocal. We should create a guild or something? I wanted to show people you can still create something unique, something challenging without AI assistance. It was crucial to record this as analog as possible in 2025-26. On the realistic side of this new era, I believe most American’s I’ve met are either indifferent or just flat out don’t care about AI. They are ignorant to the damage data centers cause or what GEN AI monstrosities do to working artists, writers, actors, etc.. American’s have become conditioned to take in content on a short scale or in small bites. They generally don’t place emphasis on the human behind it anymore unless that human is sold as a commodity. They no longer care about the artistry or the effort behind an art project or movement. They want their social media habit to deliver quick hits of dopamine and that’s what AI can produce. Like most unregulated industries, people that prompt AI into a profit are bad actors who lack integrity or human introspection. I believe humans have so much to offer and should continue to fight for our space in the creative landscape. Whether or not the corporations allow us to do so is another matter. I’ll continue the fight whether its popular or not.
Q: You’ve described this album as therapy. Now that it’s out in the world and other people are listening to it, does it still feel like yours, or does it take on a different meaning when it becomes public?
A: Wow. This one is making me think a bit. There’s certainly a vulnerability in releasing a personal project to the wide world. Especially songs that are considered avant garde in structure, content and meaning. These are not 2-3 minute standard formula pop or hiphop songs which quite frankly is what makes the music world-go-round. I think that its now onto the listener to explore their own curiosities. Maybe it’s someone who never listened to long form, genre bending music like Mr. Bungle or classics like Pink Floyd before and this could be a gateway into new genres for them? Maybe it will challenge their ideas of what music can be? I think if someone who has struggled with addiction or is currently facing a crisis of identity in a rapidly degrading world might find a friend in my album? At least that’s all I can hope.
Q: Perhaps in some unspecified amount of time, your musical career explodes in the best of ways. What does that look like for you?
A: No question, my idea of success is to become respected in Europe. UK. Paris. Amsterdam. Berlin. Heck, even Australia and my second home of Canada. I’d love to make a career playing european music festivals and small clubs with a few bad ass American underground shows sprinkled in. I want to continue to stay motivated to write more of these micro-albums (3-5 songs) and in a dream world, end up collaborating with a pop star.
Q: You get to collaborate with anyone of your choosing. Who is it?
A: Lady Gaga. I mean, she’s the greatest out there right? She’s an artist at heart who found a place in the zeitgeist. Chappell Roan is on her way too. Lady Gaga is an unbelievable story but she has the talent to deliver and she’s fearless like me. Speaking of my earlier daydreams, I’ve definitely dreamed of opening up for Lady Gaga or working on a song with her. That would be it, Lady Gaga & Jade Ring. Yes. Absolutely. Sign me up.
Q: Your favorite album of all time? (Yup, you gotta choose one.)
A: This isn’t fair! I’m always afraid of the possibility of this question being asked. My love of music goes so deep and as far back as popular music goes. As much as I want to say some influential album from my youth in the grunge era or some classic in the Rock Hall…I truly believe the one album that forever altered my life was Amy Winehouse Back to Black. Any eagle eyed person, or Amy Winehouse fan might notice I have multiple Amy tattoos on my body, either of her or art that she had tattooed on herself. When I was younger and she was still alive I set a goal to play a show in Camden in the hopes I’d cross her path. As someone who struggled with alcoholism I also thought we would be kindred spirits. Sadly she died three months before my trip was to happen. I cancelled my flight and was in a dark place. Her last few years were terror filled, induced by celebrity culture psychosis. I felt so bad. I didn’t end up visiting Camden until last year because it took me that long to process my grief. I ended up spending my birthday at Hawley Arms, a pub she famously bartended and sang at. I got emotional when I placed a sticker of my band at the bar and I still see it in photos today. A piece of me lives there with her spirit. I hope to someday play the Hawley Arms, hell, I might retire after that.
Q: Your favorite song of all time? (Again, only one!)
A: Ok, again. Unfair! This is madness. Asking a music junkie for a favorite album AND a song… (laughs). As much as I’d want to pick a Prince, Parliament, Nirvana, Miles Davis or Amy song, I think my natural gut choice is a bit obscure. The first song that immediately comes to mind is “Quote Unquote” by Mr. Bungle. I say that because it really has shaped how I understand music which is it is as much about expression as it is challenging conventional expectations. It’s the most beautiful, pure punk rock avant garde and something I was obsessed with as a teenager and I still feel the same exact way now in my 40s. The fact that Mr. Bungle got Warner Brothers records to put this song and subsequent albums out is seriously one of my favorite stories of all time and has been a lifelong inspiration to me as a counterculture artist. Thank you Mr. Bungle for having the courage to not give a f*ck. I’ll take that mindset to the grave.
Q: What would you like fans to know about you that they’re most likely unaware of?
A: Oh boy. I am a massively complicated person but I am also a continuous learner. I study obscure or taboo subjects like alternative history, cataclysms, or anything that challenges American indoctrination. I’m also a huge film person. Jade Ring is an homage to Twin Peaks which is in essence an homage to David Lynch. Every year I watch EVERY SINGLE Oscar nominated movie and frequent a great art house theater we have here in Cleveland Heights. I have a lot of respect for filmmakers, especially cinematographers. I also have one of just a few complete Star Wars Kenner collections from 1977-1983 in the world. Something about the design and simple execution of those toys brings me joy.
Q: Any shout-outs you wanna make?
A: I have to shout out Chris DiCola from Signal Flow Studios who engineered my vocals and mixed the album. Chris used to open my shows 10-15 years ago when he was a teenager and in a full circle moment I went to his studio and found someone who has truly mastered the craft of audio engineering. I am so proud of him and blown away by his talent. Also Matthew Tyler Media aka Brownie. I showed him a photo I took from the National Gallery in London of a beautiful portrait that inspired my artistic vision for “Pills.” He was able to translate that into the amazing photography for this album.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I am thankful to anyone who is curious to explore Jade Ring and I hope it’s ok that I refuse to put my music on Spotify. I hope you’ve found it in other places and word of mouth is the best compliment an artist can be paid. If you like what I have going on, tell a friend. Support independent artists. Support anti-AI artists. Question everything. Most of all, thank you for taking the time to interview me about this project, it means so much to me. Take care and protect the vulnerable.
(Want to be interviewed by The Ark of Music? Click HERE.)