Fall 2018 Cover Star Jax Anderson Begins New Journey

Flashback to fall of 2018. Our print issue  — The Divine Issue  —  had just hit stands, featuring an artist known as Flint Eastwood, a rebel rousing, charismatic DIY pop queen out of Detroit, on the cover.

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From Milwaukee to Australia, we couldn’t look away. Her latest release This is a Coping Mechanism for a Broken Heart had us deep in our feelings, carrying us through a raw exposure of her heart, one chapter at a time. Push towards today and a new revolution has begun. Jax Anderson, the voice and embodiment of the Flint Eastwood identity, has renounced the pseudonym, striving to create from here on out as herself, under her own name. After a quiet few months, with only a handful of brief updates cast out here and there, including a doodle of a tombstone reading “R.I.P. F.E. 2014ish – 2019” that sent her following into high alert, Anderson made the following announcement via Instagram:

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Y’ALL REALLY THOUGHT I WAS DONE MAKIN MUSIC?!? —————————————— hello lovelies - what a journey it’s been. thank you for being here every step of the way. through the victories & the valleys, the shows in tiny rooms & amphitheaters, the long nights & plane rides, the heart to hearts & the celebrations, you have been my community. i’ve been running with this dream for a long time & couldn’t be where i am without you. the fact that you have stuck by me is mind blowing & it truly means the world!! i create art because i want to feel connected. i want to let others know that they aren’t alone, & to give people hope that things aren’t always what they seem (in the best ways). i’ve always tried to encourage people to be their most honest, vulnerable, & true selves. i’ve spent the majority of this year digging deeper into what that means for me & how i create & came to the realization that there are changes that need to be made. i finally feel like i’m ready to take a leap i’ve been wanting to take for quite sometime. so, here goes nothing... hello, i’m a musician/director/photographer/artist & from this post forward I will be creating art under my name, jax anderson (DAMN Y’ALL THAT FEELS GOOD TO WRITE!!!!) the name flint eastwood has treated me well over the years, but it no longer feels like me. i want to break down the barriers - no more hiding behind names or costumes. i feel like i finally have more I want to say & am ready to say it - this time purely as me. whether it’s music or photo or film or design or whatever, i’m ready. & as always, i hope you’ll come along with me. thank you thank you THANK YOU for caring. again, I couldn’t do this without you. thank you for believing in this ginger from detroit who decided to try & make some dreams happen. i hope you’re feeling inspired & that life feels open to you. i’m so incredibly excited to release all the art i’ve been hoarding (gotta do it right, ya know?) even more news coming so soon :) :) :) - I love you, jax anderson - AHHHHH YESSSSS FINALLYYYYYYY!!!!! - ps. for anyone with flint eastwood tattoos... my bad

A post shared by Jax Anderson (@jaxanderson) on Jul 15, 2019 at 8:08am PDT

Following this announcement came a wave of support from long time followers of Anderson as Flint Eastwood (of which joined in on reimagining existing Flint Eastwood merch, crossing out the name and writing JAX ANDERSON over the top with paint pens and markers to signal the start of the new era), a freshly remastered version of fan-favorite “Queen” (listen here), and a fall 2019 tour run with Bishop Briggs and Miya Folick (tickets available soon). What a badass.

To honor this moment of growth, we’re celebrating Anderson now — as we’ve done before — and have asked her to share a little bit more on this next part of her artistic journey.

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EMMIE: When people remember “Flint Eastwood,” what do you hope they’ll think of? What is the legacy you hope to have left behind?

JAX ANDERSON: To me it feels like I’m not leaving Flint Eastwood behind, but sort of evolving out of it. It’s pretty much always been just me as the project with Flint Eastwood serving as a title for what I create. By going by my name, I wanted to break down those barriers & expectations that I unintentionally placed on myself. In order for me to feel fully open & authentic with my art, I needed to show up 100% as me.

What are you doing for you right now (besides, of course, releasing parts of your past)?

JA: I’m now in creation mode, but for the last 4-ish months I had been resting. I took a 2 month break from social media to clear my head & rediscover what was important to me. I cooked. I gardened. I took photos & made collages & created art that no one will ever see. It was refreshing & very much needed. 

“Flint Eastwood.” Jax Anderson. You’ve always been you, but what is something you are looking forward to experiencing with your music this time around?

JA: I’m very much looking forward to showing up as myself & creating the way I want to create. I’m excited to say no to more things that don’t feel like me & to say “absolutely” to things that make my blood run quicker. I’m excited to release a lot more music & to get a lot weirder with art in general. I’m so unbelievably grateful for the present & unbelievably excited for the future.

Join us in congratulating Jax Anderson on this momentous moment in her career and allow yourself the time to fall back in love with The Divine Issue, while you’re at it.

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY GEORDON WOLLNER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (2019-2020)