Jessie Murph, Rising Star With A Powerful Voice, Talks About Her Excellent Debut Album, And Her Hits “High Road” And “Wild Ones”

Over the past three years, 19-year-old Jessie Murph has emerged as a dynamic and exceptional artist to watch. She has a powerful, gritty singing voice and she writes deeply personal songs. Murph has already had two hit singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, due to her duet performances with Jelly Roll (“Wild Ones”) and Koe Wetzel (“High Road”).

Now this month (Sept. 2024), Murph has released her highly anticipated debut album, That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil (on Columbia Records). This album is everything her fans have been hoping for and more. It’s a great debut album, that demonstrates her talent goes far beyond the duet songs she’s known for.

That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil (which is a line from her song “Son of a Bitch”) contains 12 songs that blend Murph’s blues, country, rock & hip-hop roots into a seamless, compelling style. The album has big, soulful ballads (like “I Hope It Hurts’ and “It Ain’t Right”) that capture the vocal intensity and emotion of Amy Winehouse’s and Lady Gaga’s best performances. It also features strong, uptempo songs (such as “Son of a Bitch” and “Love Lies”) that present Murph’s rapid-fire, hip-hop vocal phrasing and edgy personality.

In addition, the album includes four of her duet collaborations with top artists. Three of these songs have already made the charts—“Wild Ones” with Jelly Roll, “High Road” with Koe Wetzel, and “Dirty” with Teddy Swims. And it’s impressive that these songs show that Murph can vocally hold her own with these artists who are known for being powerful singers. Murph also sings a new duet (“Someone In This Room”) with country star, Bailey Zimmerman.

All of the album’s songs were co-written by Murph and display her lyrical depth and unique personality. These songs are not happy, easygoing pop tunes about being in love and having a carefree life. Instead, these songs show a darker, more intense side, with moments of heartache, anger, frustration and even revenge.

Murph was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and she grew up in Alabama (Huntsville & Athens). She’s been singing for as long as she can remember, and she started writing songs when she was 11. By age 15, she started gaining exposure, when she began posting videos on TikTok, singing cover songs and her own songs.

It was three years ago (2021) that she had a breakthrough, when she independently released her song, “Upgrade.” This single caught the attention of music fans and records labels, and it led to her signing with Columbia Records. Then in February 2023, she released her 11-song mixtape called Drowning, that contained her songs “Always Been You,” “Pray,” “Drunk in the Bathtub” and “How Could You.”

In the past year, Murph had chart success with her duets with Jelly Roll, Teddy Swims and Koe Wetzel. Notably, she has also collaborated with Maren Morris (on “Texas”) and Diplo & Polo G (on “Heartbroken”).

Now with the release of her That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil album, Murph will be launching her fall concert tour, playing 20 shows across the U.S. including stops in Las Vegas, Arizona, New Jersey and Georgia, culminating with a special headline arena show in her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Jessie Murph. She tells how she got started with music at a young age, and she discusses the making of her new album. She also talks about her hit collaborations, and what collaborations she’d like to work on in the future.

DK: I read that you were born in Tennessee, and then you grew up in Alabama. How did you get started with singing and writing songs?

Jessie Murph: I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember…I always wanted to do it. And the older I got, the more intense I got with it and the more I did it. I wrote my first song when I was 10 or 11.

DK: You started out as an indie artist who posted songs on TikTok. Is that how people started to find out about you and your music?

Murph: I think so. I was 14 or 15 when I started posting on TikTok.

DK: Eventually you signed with Columbia Records. How did you connect with them?

Murph: I think I was 17 when I signed with Columbia. I remember my mom helped me a lot with all of that. And I found a great management team and they helped me with everything.

DK: You’re 19 years old, and you already have a powerful, soulful voice and you write personal, unique songs. So how did you dig so deep with your music at such a young age, to create such strong songs and vocals?

Murph: I think I’ve always been super observant. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, and I’ve been through a lot of things. I feel things very deeply whether it’s good or bad, which is great for songwriting. And I’ve taken everything I’ve seen and experienced, and I like to put it into music, ‘cause I’ve gotta put it somewhere.

DK: I like your first single “Upgrade,” which you released two years ago. Can you talk about writing that song?

Murph: I don’t even remember what I was mad about (laughs), but I was mad about something. So I wrote that song and put it on TikTok, and I think I got signed after that song.

DK: Early last year you released your mixtape called Drowning which had 11 songs on it. Can you talk about that mixtape, and your favorite songs on it?

Murph: Ooh there’s a lot of songs I like. That mixtape is just real sad, but I think it’s helped a lot of people. So I’m grateful for that music. There’s a lot of different songs on there that I love. Wow it feels like I’m having to pick a favorite kid or something…it’s hard (laughs). “Drunk in the Bathtub” and “How Could You” are probably my top two on that project.

DK: Last year you had a hit, “Wild Ones,” with Jelly Roll. How did you connect with Jelly Roll to do that song with him?

Murph: I had “Wild Ones,” and originally it wasn’t going to be a collab. Jelly Roll invited me to a show, and I came out and I sang “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was my first time singing in an arena and it was really crazy (laughs). So we were kind of friends, and then I made “Wild Ones” and it wasn’t supposed to be a collab. But then I was thinking about it and I sent it to him. Then we got in and he did his verse, and it was just crazy. And the rest was history.

DK: Currently on the charts, you have the hit “High Road” with Koe Wetzel. How did you connect with Koe and do that song with him?

Murph: Me and Koe have been friends for a minute. We’ve worked together a couple times and we’ve always been in touch. He sent “High Road” to me and I was like, “This is incredible.” So I got in and did a verse, and it ended up working. And then I put it on TikTok and now we’re here (laughs).

DK: You’re about to release your debut album called That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil. First, how did you come up with this album title?

Murph: That title was actually a lyric in one of the first songs off the album called “Son of a Bitch.” I always loved that line so much, and it felt bigger than just a line in a song. So I always knew it was going to be the album title.

DK: Can you talk about the making of your album?

Murph: Yeah I made this album over the last year-and-a-half. It was made in Nashville for half of it, and half of it was in L.A.

DK: I like your new ballad “I Hope It Hurts.” What inspired you to write that song?

Murph: I think I was definitely hurt, obviously (laughs). I was going through a lot. Something had happened and I was just so angry. Then I got into the studio and they gave me a mic…people were on instruments and they started playing chords, and I just sang it. So a large majority of that song was kind of freestyle.

DK: Also on your album, you sing duets with Teddy Swims on “Dirty” and with Bailey Zimmerman on “Someone In This Room.” How did you connect with Teddy and Bailey on those songs?

Murph: Most of the songs—the collabs for this album—have been through community and just knowing people. For instance, the whole Bailey thing, we’ve been friends for a long time, and I made “Someone In This Room” and I thought his voice was perfect for it. So we got in and he wrote his verse, and it ended up being perfect. And it was a similar situation with Teddy.

DK: You’ve also done a duet with Maren Morris on the song “Texas.” Have you known Maren for a long time?

Murph: No, but I’ve always been a massive fan of hers. I think that was my first collab…it was such a surreal collab. I’m so grateful to have done that with her. I think she’s an icon.

DK: You’ve become known for doing collabs. So have other big artists reached out to collaborate with you?

Murph: I’ve definitely had some crazy people [reach out to me]. I’ve done so many collabs and I love doing collabs. But I’ve done a lot of country collabs, and I think I’d like to move into the hip-hop space more, which is something I’m looking forward to.

DK: Some of your songs have hip-hop phrasing like “Son of a Bitch” and “Love Lies.” Are you a big fan of hip-hop?

Murph: Yeah I’ve always loved hip-hop. I find it so inspiring. I don’t know…when I’m singing it just comes out like that, depending on what emotion I’m conveying. But yeah, I love that shit.

DK: On your new album, besides the songs we’ve discussed, what are your favorite songs?

Murph: “It Ain’t Right” is one of my favorites. I just love it. I think it’s dark, and sonically I like it a lot. And “I Could Go Bad” is really vulnerable, and I feel it wraps up the album well and kind of gives reason for all the anger on the album. Those are two of my favorites right now, but that changes a lot.

DK: I visited your website tour page, and you’re playing a lot of shows across the country. Can you talk about your live show and tour?

Murph: I’ve always tried to make sure that my main thing with these shows is people feeling safe, because I think a lot of people come to concerts, or at least to my shows, to let emotion out and be in a safe space. Because there’s a lot of people who are hurting at these shows, and that’s what I’ve witnessed. So I’ve always tried to create a safe space and make sure everybody feels heard at these shows. But mainly, it’s a time for everybody to connect and be present, and that’s something that I really make adamant. But we have a good time, too.