Loote On Their Collaboration With Joe Jonas & Debut EP: Interview
Since meeting at college, Jackson Foote and Emma Lov have been on the same wavelength when it comes to pop. Their shared appreciation for the genre comes through in the hits they write for other artists (they penned Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato’s “No Promises”) as well as their own music. Since launching Loote, a portmanteau of their last names, the duo has landed streaming hits with “Out Of My Head,” “High Without Your Love” and “Your Side Of The Bed” — a trend that is set to continue with “Longer Than I Thought,” a collaboration with Joe Jonas.
I had a quick chat with Jackson and Emma their new single and they explained why Joe was the perfect collaborator for the song (they all identify with the lyrics). The hitmakers also opened up about their penchant for writing songs about exes and revealed that all four of their singles will be on their debut EP, Single. The seven-song set will be released on June 15. That coincides with their supporting slot on K-Pop star Eric Nam’s North American tour, which kicks off on June 5 in Los Angeles. Get to know the duo a little better in our Q&A below.
Tell me about “Longer Than I Thought.” How did you get connected with Joe Jonas?
Jackson: It was an idea that me and Emma started. It was one of those one-hour miracle songs that came together in the studio. We decided that it was really special and just evolved over the next couple of months. Then we decided to pair with another artist, because we felt like it would be the ribbon that tied everything together. We explored other options, but Joe sounds amazing on it.
Emma: All three of us had a similar experience and could identify with the lyrics.
Have you filmed the video yet?
Emma: We haven’t. Joe is currently in Australia, but we’ll link up when he comes back.
Jackson: We have a couple of music video ideas. We’ve been trying to brainstorm and get some ideas down for the video and we’re going to bounce them off Joe. I think he had an idea too when we were talking to him last week. So, yeah that’s going to be crazy.
Your EP is coming out soon. Will all the singles be on it?
Emma: Yeah. All the singles and new music. Got to give the people what they want, so it’s seven songs. Our three singles as well as “Longer Than I Thought” and three new ones. That are not to be spoken about yet.
Jackson: But they are super fire, super fire flames.
Emma: They’re fiery.
Emma: The EP comes out June 15 as of now.
Jackson: We’re doing a large seven-song EP and then we have one or two more songs that we want to release later in the year. This is an exciting time for us.
It’s almost like a mini-album with seven songs.
Emma: I agree. It’s definitely a long EP, but we had a lot to write about our exes. [Laughs].
Jackson: Each song felt so special to us that we wanted all of them to have their moment.
You do write a lot of songs about your exes.
Emma: Oh, we’re going to be writing songs about them for the rest of our lives. I mean the title of the EP is called Single, so it’s definitely about us being single.
Jackson: When Emma and I started working together, were in long term relationships and now we’re both out of those.
Emma: Kind of our separate and together journeys from being in relationships to getting out of them and figuring out ourselves as people as well as the relationship aspect. But it’s not just about our exes, it’s figuring yourself out, it’s about growing up. I was 17 when we started writing together, now I’m 22.
Jackson: It’s just naturally where our personalities and brains meet in a collaborative sense. We’re so close that it’s one brain really. We know everything about each other’s lives because we travel together and are together all the time, so we know what’s going on and we know if there’s not a lot going on in my life, then there’s probably a lot with Emma. So one of us is usually going through some shit.
I love about your music is so unashamedly pop. Was that a conscious decision?
Emma: Honestly, when we first started writing, I think we tried and failed spectacularly at making it not pop music. We were kind of like, “No, it’s pop music.” Our influences are not only pop, but whenever we go to write, I end up sounding bubbly as hell on everything I sing.
Jackson: I’m obsessed with pop music. As songwriters, we wrote for other artists before we rolled out our artist project. We have a background in pitch writing and sitting down, trying to write a song that you think could be a hit for another artist. You don’t want to try to put a lid on it or try to make it something it’s not, it just kind of naturally how our stuff falls.
Emma: When I was younger, I was really embarrassed that I loved pop songs. I was so embarrassed that I was a pop singer/songwriter and I would try really hard to not sound like that, but no matter what I did, I would always sound like that. So when I got to college and Jackson and I got paired together for this random assignment, I showed him an idea that I had been working on and he was the perfect person flesh it out. We were both like, “Oh my god, this is a dope pop song.” It was the first time I clicked with somebody that was into the same thing I was into.
Are you still writing songs for other people? I loved “No Promises.”
Emma: Yeah, we actually we’re in the middle of something right now.
Jackson: We have one we wrote a couple months ago and a couple really big DJs are both really interested in it, so we’re in that phase where we’re like, “Oh this might be a whole thing that we’re not even aware of.”
Emma: It kind of feels similar to “No Promises,” actually. All of a sudden it’s just like, “Oh, it’s real.”
Are there any songs you wish you wrote?
Jackson: I mean, most of them. Let’s see, off the top of my head, “The Middle.” I’m obsessed with that song.
Emma: One of my favorite songs is “Toxic.” It’s definitely an oldie at this point, but I really wish I wrote that song. Every time I hear that song I wish I wrote it.
You’re going to be touring with Eric Nam. Are you in K-Pop?
Emma: I’m getting more into it now.
Jackson: Yeah, it wasn’t even on our radar until we became involved through Eric Nam and BTS.
Emma: One of the guys from BTS had our song in one of his tour diary videos. It’s funny, I ran into two fans of theirs in the bathroom at the Billboard Music Awards. They were talking about him and then they saw me and vaguely knew who I was and I was like, “Yeah my song was in that video.” And they were like, “Oh my god, that’s how we know you,” and these three girls were just talking to me for twenty minutes. It’s such a fandom, it’s amazing.
You have collaborated with Martin Jensen and Joe Jonas. Who else is on the list?
Jackson: Oh my gosh, so many. I’d love to work with Julia Michaels. I know I probably just took Emma’s answer. Julia Michaels and Shawn Mendes. As a songwriter, my dream collaborator would be Max Martin.
Emma: I would want to work with Brendon Urie or Halsey. He did take my Julia Michaels answer, but it’s okay we can work with her together. I also want to work with Twenty One Pilots except that I know that Tyler Joesph doesn’t work with anybody, so even in my head that just immediately is not an option.
Good luck with the song!
Jackson:Emma:Thank you!
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