Jenny Lewis Is Ready to Rave at the Palladium But Her Memoir Will Have to Wait

Jenny Lewis of The Postal Service performs during Riot Fest 2023 at Douglass Park on September 16, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

Jenny Lewis has got plenty of skin in the indie music game. In fact, she's got well over 20 years of it. From Rilo Kiley to The Postal Service, she's covered a lot of ground.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of her career, however, is her solo endeavors. Rather than navigating the already-established indie heritage she has, Lewis embarks on journeys through country, folk, and pop. Her latest release, Joy'All, is a lead candidate for the greatest example of this exploration, with "Puppy and a Truck," "Apples and Oranges," and "Psychos" all displaying the 47-year-old's extensive range.

The album run culminates with a one-time celebration of all things Jenny at the Hollywood Palladium—a true Joy'All ball. Before she took on the venue, Los Angeles magazine caught up with Lewis.

Julius Miller: Let's talk about Joy'All. It's sweet. It's flowy. It's a very cool 32-minute-long listen. How did it come to be?

Lewis: Some of the songs I had been working on in 2019, even before the world shut down. So, I had about half the songs. And then the world shut down, I put those aside, solo quarantined, and reconnected with other aspects of my humanity. 

I took a flight to Nashville in October 2020, and... met Dave Cobb, and thought "Okay, this is cool. I'd like to make a record here." I had about five or six more songs that I had written in a workshop, so I sent them all to Dave. He set aside some time for me, and we cut it really fast—like 10 songs.

The country influence has always been there in your music, but what was behind the decision to return to it?

Honestly, with Joy'All in talking to Dave Cobb, my reference was Tracy Chapman. And I wanted to make a very acoustic, intimate record and also have some kind of groove, and Sade was also another reference.

Back in 2006, you said in an interview with The New York Times that you found "most modern country virtually unlistenable." Do you still feel that way or have things taken a turn for the better?

What I listen to tends to be pre-'90s Rock Country music and there's a whole world that I wasn't exposed to because I grew up in L.A. I'm not really well versed in mainstream country, but certainly, there's a whole world of Americana that's great, like Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and Margo Price. People are doing interesting stuff that doesn't feel like cynical pop country. 

How's it been on Blue Note Records, your new label?

I am a huge jazz head and I have been since I was a kid. My godfather, Jerry, would take me to the Virgin Megastore on Sunset, and he'd say "Pick out 10 CDs, but they have to be from the jazz section."

So being on Blue Note, it weirdly makes sense. I feel like Jerry manifested it for me. I've been making records for 25 years and it feels very safe here. I can follow the muse and make something beautiful and musical. It doesn't have to be a TikTok thing or whatever, you know?

You've got a big date coming up in L.A. What are you looking forward to most about it?

Well, it's the Joy'All ball! I think everyone's feeling the heaviness of the times, so we're going to bring a little joy and a little Christmas cheer. It's gonna be great. And we're playing at the Palladium, which is probably my favorite venue in Hollywood. I went to a couple of raves there in the '90s—I was a big raver.

So, in my mind, I'm going back to raver Jenny Lewis and hopefully, we'll have a bit of a rave at the Palladium.

I noticed a lot of musicians have been releasing books lately. Have you ever thought about writing one to chronicle at all?

I have been approached to write a memoir by several publishers and I think it's very interesting. But I don't know if I'm ready to tell the whole story, because once you put it out there, it's out there. 

So we have to wait a little longer?

Wait for it! I mean, it's gonna be pure shit-talking.