Jess Cornelius’ Sudsy Self-Reckoning on Display

In recent years, self-care culture has exploded beyond simple millennial infatuation; the term, which refers to the conscious integration of health and wellness practices into daily life, is equal parts lifestyle manifesto and multi-billion dollar industry. “No Difference”, the latest single from New Zealand-born singer Jess Cornelius, addresses the individual reckoning that occurs in the most intimate corner of the self-care sphere – the bathroom.

As Cornelius explains, “We use the bathroom – and the bathroom mirror – to collect ourselves, to recover, to psych ourselves up, to escape, to self-destruct, to castigate ourselves, to tally up our worth, to make deals with ourselves, to re-evaluate, to preen and primp and steel ourselves.”

After three releases fronting Melbourne-based band Teeth & Tongue, Cornelius split off in 2017 to focus on more personal recordings, and, in the same year, shared her debut solo EP, Nothing Is Lost. “No Difference” marks the singer’s literal and figurative entrance onto the US stage. Last autumn, she picked up roots and settled in Los Angeles – a logical incubator for the questions of womanhood, aging and vanity that Cornelius seeks to answer.

Original article by Adelaide Sandstrom, NPR, February 26, 2019.