PHOTOGRAPHY Ella Margolin
With her cleverly titled debut album – My First Album – London-based pop artist Jessica Winter is fully stepping into herself. Drawing from a childhood full of camp glamour, queer joy, and feminine power, Winter fuses 80s-inspired visuals with deeply personal storytelling to craft a world that’s entirely her own.
Rooted in the influences of her mother, a glamour model in the 80s, and her uncle, a proud gay man of the same era, Winter leans into her upbringing with pride and theatricality. My First Album is a love letter to the versions of herself that have been shaped by resilience, creativity, and a refusal to conform. From the loud edges of her aesthetic to the intimate depth of her lyrics, Winter’s latest body of work reflects a woman determined to tell her story, on her own terms.
At its heart, the project is about healing, identity, and becoming: the often painful, always powerful process of facing who you are and sharing that with the world unapologetically.
Congratulations on the release of My First Album. Do you have any plans to celebrate?
Thank you! I’m actually not usually one for birthday parties or big celebrations, but for some reason, this year I ended up throwing a proper birthday party. And then I thought, well, I have to do something for the album too. So, we’re doing a record store tour around the UK starting on release day. The first one will be in London, of course, and then we’ll head to most parts of the UK – though sadly not up to Scotland, which I’m gutted about.
Is there a specific inspiration behind the fashion and aesthetic of your debut album?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve been doing music in different forms for a long time, and this album felt like an opportunity to really define who I am, especially as a female pop artist. I wanted to be front and centre, just staring into the camera. The concept was created by me and my best friend, Nan Moore. She knows me inside out, so we wanted to encapsulate this idea of a woman, alone, telling her story. A one-woman show. One voice, trying to be as authentic as possible.
I love 80s design – the lingerie, the colours, the drama. My mum was actually a glamour model in the 80s, so she’s been a huge influence visually.
Visually, it’s got a kind of gothy, 80s glam vibe. I love 80s design – the lingerie, the colours, the drama. My mum was actually a glamour model in the 80s, so she’s been a huge influence visually. And my uncle is a gay man from the 80s, too. I grew up with both of them at different points, so my upbringing was really feminine, really camp, really fabulous. It all just seeped into who I am.
I’ve always resonated with The Addams Family – especially Wednesday Addams. That idea of being a little bit of a misfit, growing up in a world that feels off-kilter, but carving out your own path anyway. I think the album reflects that: building a world that’s mine, whether people accept it or not. Making an album is like holding a mirror up to yourself constantly – it brings up all kinds of emotions, identity questions, and weird little crises. But that’s part of the beauty of it.
This is your first release since All I Need. How does it feel to be putting out a full album instead of a single or an EP?
It’s definitely a different kind of pressure. For me, it’s another body of work I’m really proud of – no matter what happens. But the pressure for a debut album these days is wild. You get people around you saying, “This is it. It’s make or break.” And honestly, I’ve had that pressure ever since I was 18, people telling me I had to make it now because I was young. The industry has all this ageism and urgency built into it.
But here’s the thing: I’m still here. I’ve lived through all of that. I’ve survived the pressure, and I’m still doing music. This is my first album, and hopefully not my last. No one can take that away from me. And anytime I feel overwhelmed, I come back to the album’s title – it reminds me that, yeah, this is the beginning, not the end.
The industry has all this ageism and urgency built into it.
What did you learn about yourself during the writing process?
A lot, actually. I spent time writing for other people, which gave me new perspectives. People know my name a bit now. I’ve done three EPs, and people have seen me around. But for this album, I really wanted to go back to the core of who I am. That meant tapping into my childhood and the innocence of why I started making music in the first place. Even though I’ve been around, this still feels like my first proper introduction.
It’s hard to pick a favourite, but is there a song you feel especially proud of?
Definitely “Big Star.” I love the narrative and the way it balances playfulness with deep honesty. That’s kind of my whole thing – writing songs that feel real but still have a sense of fun or irony. I find overly sincere music kind of uncomfortable – it can feel a bit much. I always want to twist it a little, make it feel layered and a bit cheeky. I like nuance and irony and messing around with ideas. That’s what “Big Star” does, and that’s why I’m proud of it.
Stream Jessica Winter’s My First Album, out now.
Enjoyed this story? Help keep independent queer-led publishing alive and unlock the BRICKS Learner Platform, full of resources for emerging and aspiring creatives sent to you every week via newsletter. Start your 30-day free trial now.