Photo Diary | I Sleep Fine Now with Gatlin
⤏ CELEBRATING HER NEWEST EP, I SLEEP FINE NOW, GATLIN GAVE JUNIOR HIGH A GLIMPSE INTO HER FIRST HEADLINE TOUR
⤏ CAPTIONS BY GATLIN
⤏ PHOTOS BY DANIELLE ERNST
⤏ Q&A BY JUNIOR HIGH
oh she’s moody.
JUNIOR HIGH: I Sleep Fine Now moves through the emotions of grief/a breakup. How has the healing journey been since putting the album together and now having it released?
GATLIN: I’ve been fairly dissociated with the songs since writing them and letting go of that relationship. It reminds me of that Lucy Dacus lyric in “Night Shift,” “In five years I hope the songs feel like covers. Dedicated to new lovers”. Except instead of five years, it was pretty immediate. I’ve just loved focusing on the art behind all of it - I have felt very passionate about the visuals around this project.
JH: Is there a feeling of release or letting go now that these songs don't only belong to you but also belong to the people listening?
G: Yes exactly! In the writing process they definitely felt like mine… and my story. But now they’re definitely for listeners and also a way for me to connect with other people!
JH: What are your pre-show rituals?
G: I drink tons of tea and use my steam inhaler - I also love doing my makeup in a place by myself. I’ve learned how to do my makeup in the craziest places/weirdest lighting.
dm me for info on my bead guy.
I should teach a masterclass on how to be a tease.
JH: What is your best advice for moving through a breakup/grief?
G: Move through the sadness. Don’t push it down. It’s easier said than done, but I think dealing with feelings is the best way to move past them… otherwise they will end up coming up years/relationships later.
JH: Does vulnerability come easy to you or do you think it becomes easier when you’re writing music?
G: I think up until six months ago I would have said vulnerability is easy to me, but I’ve realized every time I’ve thought I was being vulnerable I still maintained control. Lots of therapy but I’ve realized true vulnerability is actually very very hard for me and I am bad at it (working on it though).
JH: What was the easiest song to write on the album and which was the most difficult? Why?
G: I think the easiest was “Really Funny” - it came the quickest but also I think it shows the most of my personality. It uses a lot of my defense mechanisms. The hardest was definitely “How Do You Sleep At Night?”!!!! It was so incredibly impossible to think about/write about someone I loved (and who I thought loved me) and how they couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the life we had made.
omg look there’s 4 of me!
JH: What lyric best captures the meaning of I Sleep Fine Now?
G: The funny lyric that best captures it is “who the fuck moves to Florida.” The earnest lyric that best captures it is “Hearts are for breaking but not mine, I’d say i’m doing just fine living in this lonely life”
JH: In three words how do you want people to feel when they listen to I Sleep Fine Now?
G: Introspective, moved, seen.
JH: If you could feature one of your songs in a movie or tv show, which song would it be and what movie/tv show?
G: I really want a song in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” because they always have my favorite artists’ songs in it (chalk full of Taylor Swift). I think “What If I Love You” or “When You’re Breaking My Heart” would smash in that show.
