1. JOURNAL
180 AUGUSTMAN OCTOBER2014
SOUL GODDESSThe girl from the big LA has just released her first debut album Goddess last month and fans are yearning for more.
Banks prove why she is taking over 2014 with her music
WORDS BY JULIE YIM PICTURES BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC MALAYSIA AND ALL IS AMAZING
B
y day, she’s a regular LA girl who loves
dancing and singing along to Missy
Elliot’s beats. By night, she moonlights
as a mysterious, sexy goddess on stage,
floating around with her cape and entrancing
the audience with her sultry voice. 25-year-
old singer-songwriter Jillian Banks, more
popularly known as Banks, not only made it to
the top of 2014’s Ones To Watch and Next Big
Thing lists, but has also garnered the thumbs
up from fellow music peers Katy Perry and
Tinie Tempah. Fresh from releasing her debut
album Goddess last month, Banks has already
toured with names like the Weeknd and Ellie
Goulding, securing a steady stream of fans
even before her album’s release. Banks recently
performed at the Good Vibes Festival 2014
held at Sepang Go Kart Circuit and AugustMan
Malaysia caught up with the talented singer to
probe further into her obscure background.
“Hi everyone,” Banks greets the media a little
shyly while stepping into the room before
announcing that this is the first time she’s
ever done a group interview. She’s clad in a
black structured top and plaid skirt which she
changes later into her signature cape jacket
and flowing skirt for her performance on
stage at the festival. She sends the room into
a fit of laughter and breaks the ice when she
speaks of her experience touring in Asia, citing
juicy fruits as one of Asia’s lure. Though her
music has been categorised under dark R&B,
Banks has proved that her sound isn’t just
about conjuring chords and electronic beats
when her arresting haunting vocals shine
through acoustic numbers like Warm Water,
suggesting a frail vulnerability underneath
that exterior. “Putting Goddess together was
like self-acceptance. It was putting my heart
out, accepting every thought I’ve had whether
it was heartache, anger, feeling like the sexiest
goddess in the world or the weakest most

2. JOURNAL
OCTOBER2014AUGUSTMAN 181
“Ijustwantedtolearnmoreabouthowtheminddevelopsand
thechemicalsinyourbrainthatmakeyousadandhappyasit’salways
intriguedme”
fragile human. Just accepting it, writing it and
putting it out to the world is a very liberating
thing,” she reveals.
It’s no secret that Banks first started writing
songs when she was 14, after she was given a
keyboard to pour out her emotions when she
was going through a tough period
during her parents’ divorce.
Listening to her tracks, there
is a clear distinctive British
influence as Banks has
cited that she’s inspired by
musicians like James Blake
and Aaliyah. The British edge
can also be attributed to the
fact that she has worked with
UK producers Totally Enormous
Extinct Dinosaurs, Jamie Woon,
Sohn and Lil Silva on the album. Though
she has been writing music since a young
age, Banks chose to keep her music under
wraps for a while as she pursued psychology
at University of Southern California (USC).
“First of all, I’m a very sensitive person. I’m
very intuitive and when I was growing up, I
remember my parents splitting and it hurt
so much because I saw two people who are
the most special humans to me drift apart. I
saw how these dynamics and layers between
people could get so complicated that it
completely shattered my heart. I just wanted
to learn more about how the mind develops
and the chemicals in your brain that make you
sad and happy as it’s always intrigued me,”
she says. Perhaps, it is her ability to
feel and understand people that
bring out the soulful nature
in her music. Her songs have
a sombre melancholy to
it, yet there is a source of
empowerment that surfaces and takes over as
she reassures the listener to step up and take
control.
“I’ve been writing for 10 years and I kept it
quiet for so long that I
have so much material
that represents me
though I feel that every
song on the album really
touched on every layer
that makes me who I am
in this moment right now.
The songs that aren’t
on the album will have
a place and time to be
released but I’m really
happy with the group
of songs that are on it,” she says. Banks is
also making a name for herself in the fashion
world, sharing front row seats with names like
Lily Collins at Chanel’s runway show in Paris.
When asked to describe her style, Banks aptly
put it as moody. “I like feeling feminine and
strong. I like wearing things that flow and on
stage, I like feeling like this powerful witch
goddess creature where I wear a cape and long
skirt. I also like feeling sexy without showing
too much. Sometimes I put my hair up in a bun
and wear one of those heavy blazers that boys
wear,” she discloses.
Citing major female influencers like Fiona
Apple and Lauren Hill as her inspiration, Banks
also reveals that her ultimate goddess is Missy
Elliot as she finds her most empowering. Warm
ups before any of her shows involve making
ridiculous dances to Missy Elliot’s tunes (her
Instagram account @hernameisbanks has a
sneak peak of her dancing). Unlike other big
music acts who rely on social media to connect
with their fans, Banks was known as the girl
who put her real number on her Facebook
(managed by her management) as she didn’t
believe in the power of social media. However,
she’s finally succumbed to Instagram and that
adds less to the enigma surrounding this star
as she’s ready to take on the world with her
music, one beat at a time.
Banks performing at Good
Vibes Festival 2014
Her debut album
Goddess was
released in
September 2014