Words by: Amanda Marano

JJ Wilde [your new favorite artist, trust us] is back with a dance-inducing, free-loving single and video, “Best Boy.” The riff-heavy track is an ode to self-expression and the freedom to be yourself. The video features JJ and friends dancing around their rooms in their underwear. Cloaked in red and orange tones, the fiery warmth of JJ Wilde seeps out of the screen, amplifying her unapologetic IDGAF attitude.

Speaking on the song, JJ shared, “For me, this song is about trying to change the narrative that society has accepted about women. It is clear, especially in the music industry that women are viewed more like objects a lot of the time than actual humans — seen not heard type of thing. Well, I want that to change – what women “should and shouldn’t do”, what society deems acceptable, what women are shamed for. All of the above. We are beautiful creatures. And I don’t think we should feel ashamed to express that. This song is taking a stab at what men have always been free to talk about in songs — doing whatever they want with whoever they want — but from a woman’s perspective.”

Discussing the video, she tells, “The music video for ‘Best Boy’ was so empowering to film. I wanted all kinds of different people expressing themselves and being free when they heard the song, and try to capture that feeling. For me, it was really special. The night before we shot, I had cold feet, thinking ‘What if I over sexualize myself, what if people don’t take me seriously?’ All of those thoughts crossed my mind. Then when we started shooting, I felt so empowered, I was having so much fun and never felt ashamed of what I was doing. And that feeling is exactly what I want people – especially women – to feel when they watch it. There is no reason for me to have had that self-doubt go through my mind, but it did. And that is what I want to change. No one should feel ashamed of self-expression.”

In the past year, JJ Wilde went from playing whatever shows she could find and taking any opportunity she stumbled across, to becoming the first female artist to have a debut single go No. 1 on all three Canadian rock radio formats. This elevated her status to something akin to iconic artists like The Killers, The Black Keys, and Billy Talent. The picture-perfect rock star has toured alongside The Struts, Incubus, The Blue Stones, and The Glorious Sons. Her debut LP, Ruthless, came out this past June, and boasted her hit single “The Rush.” American Songwriter called the LP “profoundly moving,” while Earmilk praising her “undeniable grit.” Whatever JJ Wilde is cooking up next, we can’t wait to see her deliver.

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