We caught up with the brilliant and insightful DeEtta Jain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

DeEtta , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project I’ve gotten to create would definitely be “Boys to Men”. It is a six song conceptual EP I released last December. For me, the work was about gender expectation, the corners those expectations can back one into, s*icide ideation, and an overall critique/observation on society. I’ve grown to be so frustrated with the parameters of femininity and masculinity. I grew up very worried that I wasn’t gentle, soft, or attractive enough. One might say I was shackled by the male gaze and desperately wanted to fit in to that corner. “Handsome” is a song on the EP that really dives into these ideas. I feel free when I listen to that song or when I perform that song. I feel free when I listen through the whole album We made three stunning videos to accompany the album and its ideas. “8 Count” is the opening track and video. Within the video you see me come across a filing cabinet in a field. In the filing cabinet are all these red manila folders that hold imagery the project was inspired by. Photos, ideas, still frames from movies that have always stuck to my bones. Things that haunt me. At the end of the video I chuck all of the folders into the air as a way of releasing/overcoming these hauntings. The filing cabinet of my mind. The song starts out with a steady chant “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8”. In my most stressful moments mentally, I find myself counting to eight in my head again and again. Over ten years of dance training will do that to a person! I also attribute some of my battles in regards to my body image and my obsession over physical appearance, to dance. It can be a negative thing, to be so aware of our physical form. 8 Count is an acknowledgment of where many of my troubles began
The next track is “Taller”. I was always so fascinated with our society’s focus on height. The boys always wanted to be taller. I think of Skyscrapers, models, the hierarchy that seems to reside in everything. People would constantly comment on

how short I was as though it were a negative thing. As though I should feel weird about it. We judge cisgender couples when the woman is taller than the man. We try to get closer to God by creating buildings higher and higher and higher. Whatever it takes to be “above” another. This has always fascinated me. One’s energy can truly soar past their physical height and that is what the song is about
The next track and video is titled “Forfeit”. I’m no stranger to wanting to end it all. As frightening and as shameful as that can feel, I truly do understand those that decide to forfeit on the game of life, This society only accepts one type of person in my opinion. If you fall outside the lines, you eventually, in some way or another, get left behind. I hate it. I hate the linear confines we’ve created. In the song I ask one not to forfeit, while wearing an odd sort of ship wrecked ensemble. It’s a deeply special video to me.
Next up is “Will”. To expand on Forfeit, I wrote a song for a specific person I knew that decided to exit this physical realm early. It broke my heart into a million tiny pieces. I’ve thought about Will every single day since it happened. The song was intended to sound like ascension and freedom and relief. I wanted to honor this person and immortalize their spirit in a song.
After “Will” comes “Unleashed”. In 2020 I had to move back into my childhood bedroom and away from the newfound independence/life I created in NYC. I had to come back. So, I packed up my wins, losses, lessons, and dreams into my suitcase and defeatedly returned home. This murdered my ego. All of the sudden I was nose to nose with my childhood self and we had to have some seriously uncomfortable conversations. Through this alchemy, I unleashed myself. I unleashed myself from shame, expectations, and preconceived notions on what failure looks like. The video we made for this track illustrates that in a beautiful way utilizing the suitcase and a stunning younger actress named Lexi
Lastly, there is “Handsome”. My audible alchemy. I mentioned a bit about this song earlier on. It truly is my way of working toward acceptance while embracing my masculine qualities. It is for all the handsome ladies, all the pretty guys. Gender and the ways we cling to gender can be so deafening. I’ve enjoyed my journey of acceptance but am definitely still smack dab in the middle of my progress. Some days I go backwards and start to ponder a boob job or lip injections. It’s a difficult thing to overcome in this society.
So that is Boys to Men. It is a project that I put my entire soul into. A team of incredible creative people made it a reality for me and I am eternally grateful to each of them.
On April 1st of this year, I organized and hosted a variety show encompassing artists that so naturally express some of these ideas through their work. It was an incredible night. I actually still have some of the zines Jordan Altergott and I created that were made with the intention of walking someone through the album, the visuals, and the words. It’s a beautiful read :)

DeEtta , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is DeEtta Jain and I believe in the nonlinear. There are no straight lines from where I stand. That is why my website is called www.nonlinear-bin.com. I’ve been encouraged to change it to deettajain.com but I’m deeply attached to my philosophy. The nonlinear narrative creates more room for mistakes, changes of direction, and expansions of character. It creates room for discovery, like going to the “bins” to thrift. Most of my professional training is rooted in dance. Through dance I learned discipline, expression, and that music is one of the most important things in my life. My two final years of schooling were spent at an arts high school. My eyes were opened to the endless possibilities of creation as well as my many capabilities. Since then I’ve worked in the fashion industry in New York, completed a fashion film on the idea of childhood, and launched my career as a solo artist. Music allows me to include my love for words/writing, movement, clothing, collaboration, and film. It’s very important to me that I can express through all of these different mediums without sacrificing one for the other. In this society we’re taught to pick one thing, master it, and stick with it forever. Especially if it makes one a lot of money. That feels super linear. I enjoy swimming against that as much as possible. I think this limitless nature is what sets myself and my work apart. You can’t pin me down to any one craft, genre, skill, or purpose. It is with high hopes that I can continue to improve technically and creatively. After all is said in done in this chapter of performance and production, I want to become a death doula and incorporate these art forms into the practice. I think the transition into death is very sacred and once again, our society has an odd relationship to it. There’s so much room for music, movement, and art in the passing of life. If not for the individual passing, for the loved ones left behind. There are no straight lines

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Community. There’s no doubt in my mind that that is the best part. I cherish any moment that I get to witness someone doing what they love. I love to listen. I love to watch. I deeply appreciate the conversations and the joy that being in a room full of open minded people fosters. At my events, I provide about ten disposable film cameras for everyone to play with. It has quickly become my favorite aspect of doing the events. I’m naturally introverted and can stow myself away for months. When I revisit the images taken on the cameras, it reminds me of why I do what I do, and that nothing I do would matter without the community. It reminds me that there is so much to be felt and experienced on the other side of fear and isolation. Community, and the community that creation provides can actually save lives and make people want to stick around another day. That is everything to me

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

To be honest, a less greed infested and corrupted government would impact artists in the most positive way. We need affordable housing, access to mental healthcare, and a population that views art as worth compensating. Too often are we told that we need to “get real”, or “get with the program”. Creative people suffer in such an unforgiving and upside down climate. Creative people deserve to lead creative lives. It makes me feel devastated when someone has to give up their true purpose so that they can barely afford to pay rent and barely get by. This doesn’t make sense to me. John D Rockefeller once said “I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers.” This is the man who designed our education system. You catch my drift

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nonlinear-bin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deettajain/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deettajain
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeEttaJain
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOTQIbjhUx2WARnG21OWsNA/featured

Image Credits
Emily Mahon @baddiecrocker Jordan Altergott @jordanaltergott Kaia Miller @k.m