NME’s latest star of The Cover, Dora Jar, has shared a playlist exclusively to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The alt-pop artist is on this week’s (September 2) edition of The Cover, a renewal of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read the profile of Dora Jar here, written by Kayleigh Watson and featuring photography by Kristen Jan Wong.
Accompanying the story is an exclusive playlist of Jar has compiled, titled ‘Songs that swallow me up’, an eclectic collection features Hudson Mohawke, Kara Jackson, The Marias, Tom Waits and more.
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Dora Jar’s appearance on The Cover comes ahead of her debut album ‘No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire’. The record is a reflection of what the California artist went through in its two-year creation, following a whirlwind time that included going on tour with Billie Eilish and The 1975. Though it was an honour to tour with these artists – including Eilish, whom Jar says “broke my mind open again about what music could be” – she struggled with imposter syndrome afterward. “[I was] so confused and I [didn’t] feel like I deserved any of that.”
To make her album, Jar had to get back in touch with her whimsical side: “I forgot that my nature is to be playful. I really detached from that and took so much all of a sudden so seriously.” Jar further characterises her sound to NME as “detailed and probably a bit intense”. She adds: “Whether it’s a lullaby or upbeat, there’s a demanding call to be listened to. I’m very interested in things that are confusing, because I felt confused my whole life.”
Find out more about Dora Jar in the full Cover story here and see who else has been on The Cover here.