Will Jones
On October 30, Jessi Jae Joplin releases “Let Me Go,” a new single exploring déjà vu, lucid dreams and the experience of letting go. Accompanied by a surreal, psychedelic music video, the release arrives just ahead of her Halloween DJ set for Out & About at Los Globos in Los Angeles.
There is something seductive about an artist who refuses to separate the music from the fantasy.
Jessi Jae Joplin has never been interested in limiting herself to one sound or aesthetic. Her music blends elements of rock, pop and house, while her visuals draw from an eclectic mix of influences. For Joplin, it’s about the whole picture. The music. The image. The movement.
Her latest single, “Let Me Go,” blends an old-school house beat with lush vocal harmonies, pairing danceable production with a more introspective story about change and letting go. Joplin wrote the song during a period of transition, capturing that strange in-between of outgrowing the life you know without knowing exactly what comes next.
That feeling of uncertainty found its way into her fascination with lucid dreams, aliens and the possibility of parallel realities.
“I’m really fascinated by quantum physics, simultaneous timelines and the idea that multiple versions of our lives could be happening at once,” Joplin says. “The song plays with that feeling of not totally knowing what’s real, what’s a memory and what might be a dream.”
One of her favorite lyrics, “I’m staring at a version of me I never knew,” brings those ideas back to something personal: the strange experience of becoming someone new while learning to leave parts of yourself behind.
The accompanying music video unfolds like a sequence of dreams: color, movement, changing environments and images that don’t necessarily belong together but somehow make sense when they do. Drawing inspiration from psychedelic imagery, early internet aesthetics and the surreal nature of lucid dreaming, Joplin brings her eclectic visual world to life through a series of unexpected scenes.
“It’s almost like a collage of dream sequences,” Joplin says. “This one is really just a piece of visual art. I wanted to make something interesting to look at and let people interpret it the way they would a painting. There is no plot to solve or hidden meaning to decode.”
The video also reflects Joplin’s hands-on approach to her creative work. From styling and visual direction to choreography and production, she is deeply involved in shaping what audiences see and hear, working alongside a close-knit team of collaborators to bring her ideas to life.
And then, after all that dreaming, she takes it to the club.
A regular fixture behind the decks at clubs and parties throughout Los Angeles, Joplin brings the same eclectic sensibility to her DJ sets, moving between house, hip-hop and pop, unexpected remixes and familiar favorites. Her next stop is Out & About’s Halloween party at Los Globos on October 31, where she’s hoping for a night that’s glamorous, weird and just a little unhinged.
Her Halloween inspiration? London Tipton.
“She’s peak spoiled Y2K heiress energy,” Joplin says. “Obsessed with her.” And somewhere in the night, “Let Me Go” will hit the dance floor.
For all the imagined worlds surrounding Jessi Jae Joplin, the music and the experiences behind it are very real.
Los Angeles is where much of Joplin’s creative life comes together.
“LA is like my home base,” she says. “So much of my creative life is here, and I’ve met so many incredible people. I travel a lot, so I love having a place that always feels familiar to come back to.”
With her album nearly complete, Joplin is looking ahead to more music, videos, live performances, and a film project in development. After a period of personal change and creative exploration, she’s finding herself increasingly confident in her artistic direction.
“I feel like I’m finally finding my groove,” she says. “I’ve always known who I am, but I’m much more sure of what I want now. I don’t overthink things as much when I create. I just do it, and I trust myself a lot more.”
And for Joplin, there’s something especially meaningful about sharing that music with an audience.
“Growing up, I didn’t really see Black girls making the kind of music I wanted to make, so I hope it reaches anyone who felt the way I did.”
More music. More film. More worlds to explore.
Jessi Jae Joplin isn’t asking you to understand the fantasy.
She’s inviting you to experience it.
Jessi Jae Joplin’s “Let Me Go” and accompanying music video arrive October 30. Listen on Spotify and Apple Music, and watch on YouTube. Catch her DJing Out & About’s Halloween party at Los Globos on October 31.