Jessica Winter Single Review: ‘Wannabe’

Jessica Winter, shot by Luke Black

Jessica Winter’s latest single is a timely meditation on jealousy and dissatisfaction in the digital age

As part of her debut album rollout, cheekily titled My First Album, Jessica Winter has just dropped her newest single, Wannabe. Contrary to the theatrical and maximalist style of the two previous singles, Wannabe showcases a more vulnerable side to Jessica as she reflects on the destructive effects of doomscrolling.

The song’s arrangement is stripped back, but there’s a propulsive quality to it. Jessica’s filtered vocals croon over a rhythmic acoustic guitar. The grungy instrumentation evokes the feeling of trying your best to power through the pain. After all, despite the doldrums, the world keeps turning.

Comparison is the thief of joy, yet in the social media era, the proverbial measuring stick is omnipresent. The sentiments expressed in Wannabe will feel familiar to many. “And when I’m scrolling in the morning, my life is boring, and yours is fine”, she laments. Jessica doesn’t mince words. Instead, she leverages her blunt lyricism to call out the ways social media has exacerbated sentiments of loneliness and inadequacy.

While she may be known for her hyperpop persona, Wannabe is proof of Jessica Winter’s musical versatility and is truly unafraid to tell it like it is.