In this episode of Curious Goldfish, host Jason English sits down with Jaki Nelson, a prominent figure in the pop and EDM scene, during a songwriters retreat in Nashville. Known for her high-energy dance tracks and a voice that feels custom-built for festival stages, Nelson has carved out a massive digital footprint. Her cover of "Seven Nation Army" with DJ Fluke has amassed over 82 million streams on Spotify alone, a feat she attributes to a radical shift in her career strategy during the 2020 lockdown.

For Nelson, curiosity isn't just a personality trait; it is a professional necessity. She describes it as the "key to learning anything" and the essential "first step towards interest". While many artists focus on the end result, Nelson remains fixated on the "how." Currently, she is exploring the nuances of "simple pop percussion," moving away from the massive sonic walls of dance music to find rhythm in the "short tail" sounds.

Nelson candidly discusses the moment she realized her efforts were misplaced. Before 2020, she was "throwing social media at the wall," which secured tours but didn't translate to a loyal online listenership. She made the bold decision to abandon social media temporarily and focus purely on music output. This strategic move saw her monthly listeners skyrocket from 13,000 to as high as 1.9 million.

While she "rolled out of the womb" singing, Nelson’s true love is production. Unlike her fast-paced songwriting—where she churns out roughly four songs a week—she takes a meticulous approach to production. She will spend weeks on a single track, hunting for "ear candy" and ensuring every "teeny tiny moment" is perfected. Her upcoming single, "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum," represents this evolution: a "stark difference" from her usual work that serves as an allegory for the pressures of performance in the music industry.