Jade Novah is many things — a singer, songwriter, a Beyoncé impersonator, but she is decidedly a woman madly in love with her man. The multifaceted entertainer made it hard to deny at Amos’ Southend in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of her Moon in Pisces Tour.
Novah embarked on a national tour with her husband Devin Johnson as her sidekick, playing drums and keys. He also served as her muse for most of the setlist, relentlessly bouncing between tempos and moods that chronicled aspects of their relationship and where she’s at right now.
The songs on Moon in Pisces, her most recent EP, showcase their durable bond. “It’s a full musical journey where we navigate our ups and downs in love while healing and self-reflecting,” Novah said in a press statement.
Featured songs on Moon in Pisces include the lead single “I Just Wanna Know” and the current focus track “Trip.” She just released a music video for the latter, which Rafael Gutierrez directed.
Although she just released Moon in Pisces, Novah is already in album mode for the follow-up to 2020’s Stages. “It’s just the beginning,” she tells Rated R&B.
Following Novah’s extraordinary hour-long set and special performances by Dondria and Jared Brady, she invited Rated R&B to her green room for wine and conversation. She reflected on touring the new EP with her husband, collaborating with Kenyon Dixon and more. Check out Rated R&B’s interview with Jade Novah below.
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You wrote and recorded Moon in Pisces with your husband, Devin Johnson, and toured it with him. What’s the energy been like performing the songs you created together?
The live show is such a reflective experience. It’s a healing experience for both of us because when we created the concept for the project and the tour, we both relived a lot of moments. I was telling a story [on stage], some of it was about us, but some was about our past relationships. So telling those stories and talking to each other about those things, we were able to get this stronger bond and this stronger appreciation for the connection that we have. Living it every day, performing it, and just telling this story through art together has been some sort of transformation that has gotten us even deeper in our love in our relationship just from doing all these things together. It’s been beautiful.
You’ve been out on the road for most of the summer. How does performing on tour affect what to do next in your music?
For this tour specifically, it was the first time we really used all of my gifts of storytelling, comedy, and music because the variety show is ultimately what I’m trying to create. Seeing the reactions and energy from people is just affirming.
You’ve mastered diva impersonations of Beyoncé, Toni Braxton, and Cardi B, among others. What’s another diva impersonation that you’d like to include in the future?
I’ve been working on Doja Cat (laughs). I’m going to work that one out. I’d love to incorporate Megan Thee Stallion. Hopefully, those ladies come on soon.
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You mentioned this tour has been healing your inner child. Why is that?
The whole inner Js (Jo, Jewel and Jaz) concept. Sitting with my emotions and after quarantine, going to therapy, and dealing with myself for the first time. I wanted a creative way to show that process of how I’ve healed in real life. Just reliving some of my traumas and experiences and doing it in a playful way by giving these parts of myself a name and a space to play and manifest is inner child work. It’s imagination. It’s dress up and giving myself the space to embody all these parts of myself like they’re real people. It’s all inner child. It’s all fun. It’s all play.
What kind of sounds are you trying to explore on your upcoming album?
R&B through and through. Honestly, R&B has been getting attacked so much. I hate even giving it life and speaking on it. It’s nonsense. I think a lot of people are trolling to promote something. I don’t think there’s any validity because there’s way too many incredible artists out here to even make that statement valid. You guys highlight R&B constantly. Y’all are R&B enthusiasts at Rated R&B.
So, just honestly getting back to the R&B space. I feel like the EP definitely did that and I want more of it. Storytelling. Authentic R&B. And there’s this feature that is supposed to happen.
Kenyon Dixon is someone you collaborated with on Moon in Pisces. Although he’s been around, he’s still considered a new face to many, standing his ground on the principles of R&B. What made you want to team up with him on “Rollercoaster”? Also, talk about your thoughts on his advocacy for R&B.
I love Kenyon. I always sing his praises. I was a fan before I was his friend. It’s like that for me with a lot of my friends — India Shawn [and] Dondria. I was [a] fan first. I feel like [Kenyon] is the male counterpart of me in this industry, like where we are right now. We’re both independent artists. We both just did our headlining tour. We both used to sing background for other artists and had to figure out our way.
This is our second time collaborating. For his project, Expectations, we did “Stay Down,” which was so much fun, and he returned the favor and hopped on “Rollercoaster.”
He’s an incredible writer. And you’re right, he is an advocate for R&B. Anytime someone says R&B is dead, I know I’m gonna go on Kenyon’s page [to see his reaction]. He is the embodiment of R&B. I think he has every right to feel how he feels because it’s a slap in the face of all he creates because he’s consistent. We’re both about to do something really dope together.
R&B is forever a hot topic, right now more than ever. Can you tell me one way fans can help the genre thrive?
To support independent art and to find new ways to discover R&B outside of how they’re trying to push music through TikTok. Do the research and create playlists like you guys do to keep our art in rotation and challenge that narrative (R&B is dead) because it’s not true.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before the end of 2022?
I feel like so much has gone down — the tour is done, put out a project. But to secure my dream collaboration.
Listen to Jade Novah’s EP Moon in Pisces below.
