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Jessica Bartolini

@jessicabartph

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I didn’t expect anything from the night, I just ran to be on time, sweating out all the sleep I hadn’t had the night before. I was in a strange, calm mood, the kind that usually comes before the storm plays its dance.

In the early morning, I saw two skies, one slightly golden and the other a little grey. I didn’t have a preference, just curiosity about how colours can blend so perfectly together in that incredible gradient. That desire is what guides me all the time, especially when talking about music.

On my way to the venue that evening, I heard people around me chatting about Djo, each carrying their own expectations of what the show would be. I was the opposite, I didn’t know what to expect.

Honestly, I only knew a couple of Joe’s songs. I liked them, especially End of Beginning, because in that song I felt and saw my own life being sung back to me with words that are simply true. Returning to places where I used to live another version of myself is something extremely touching. I have walked through those same streets and watched them change, feeling as If I were standing inside a scene I once belonged to, but that was no longer mine. The chaos moves around me, like something we have seen on TV, except this time I am not the main subject of it. I am just a part of the landscape, watching the self I left behind still living somewhere within it.

I didn’t check out more of his music. I put the album on pause, thinking I’d have time to explore that world, and in the meantime, I listened to other things.

Well, today I can say that choice goes on the list of bad decisions I’ve made in my life.

His show was completely unexpected. It was much more rock-oriented than I had imagined when I first listened to his music. The stage was on fire thanks to Djo’s energy, which was completely in sync with his musicians, while the audience was totally captivated by his presence, myself included.

Only a few artists have surprised me in such a positive way, and Joe did. I think that’s always one of the best things we can ask from music, to leave us with something small to carry with us, until one day we realise what that tiny key was meant to open.

Thank you, Joe. Djo (Joe Keery) performs his songs playing guitar at Parco della musica in Milan while wearing sunglasses. Blue and green colours on him by @jessicabartph

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a month ago

I always try to look through words as a way to express those moments in life that you’ll remember until your soul meets the ground. Like when strangers catch your attention while waiting for a train, in a queue at the store, during a gig. After a few seconds, you part ways and think you’ll never see them, him or her, again.

Exploring this feeling, I found an expression online “ships passing in the night” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I had never heard of him before, but these words have fascinated me all my life, because unknown paths could change everything. Endless scribbles suggesting new roads, because there isn’t one more worthy than another.

Only a second, and that magic works, following its own rules. And then someone like me, thinking about a stranger's voice in this way, starts to create possibilities.

If we got a chance to talk to each other, what would it be like? What would be the touch of those invisible letters on our ears?

Probably, it is a weird thing to reflect upon while simply observing life, but there are human tones that enchant you, entering your mind with polite permission, and it is complicated not to think about them.

I saw Liam more than once over these years, playing with Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee, and I remember him really well because of his presence on the stage. He was interesting, so calm that playing music and singing seemed so easy that I could do It as well, even if I never studied music professionally.

There is something in his voice that resonates with my inner self. If I explore the reason too much, I have the sensation that it could lose this poetic aspect, and that is what I want to protect.

I've come to understand how it works with me and my relationship with music, where we grow up together and listen to each other’s needs. Liam’s own music has been a beautiful and delicate surprise, like seeing a plant blossom unexpectedly in a winter ray.

His songs have been with me through so many sleepless nights, and they relieve me from the feeling that the darkness has kept the light hidden for too long.

As he sings, music is so easy you just have to count to three four.

Thank you Liam. Liam Kazar performs his songs live in Vienna, colours flowing through him as he takes a moment between songs. by @jessicabartph

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2 months ago

Every first meeting with someone, for whatever reason, is always shaped by the unknown. There are expectations, wishes, hopes, and everything in between. Some leave behind something unexpected that stays with us. A few of mine remain vivid in my memory, leaving a mark that time never erased.

That year in Wales marked my first encounter with that wonderful place after moving to the UK. It was a weird and challenging period of my life, but also one of the best. I hold onto it because of everything that began to flourish there for my future self, not in physical things, but in something far more meaningful. I felt incredibly grateful to be there and, with that feeling of gratitude, allowed myself to be surprised by my surroundings.

The line-up was a dream, the weather was cuddling us, and running from one stage to another was all that mattered. Then came the moment every film builds towards. I knew I had just discovered something that would stay with me.

I looked up, my camera in my hands, as a singer and his musicians walked onto the stage. I checked the schedule to see who he was. After the first song, I was so impressed that I found myself repeating his name over and over in my mind, afraid I might forget it, but that never happened.

That was my introduction to Kevin.

His confidence on stage, his personality, and his fixed gaze, hungry to play as if it were the last day on Earth, are still crystal clear in my memory. I relive them every time I have the pleasure of seeing Kevin play.

Photographing this show has been one of the best nights of this year. The energy in that rectangular room was so infectious that I wished I could experience it all over again. I left feeling completely recharged, walking home with the fresh wind on my skin, smiling at strangers.

It’s been an honour to follow his journey since that sunny day in Glanusk Estate and to watch Kevin continue to evolve, both as a person and as a musician, while staying true to who he is as an artist.

Some nights are impossible to leave behind. They become part of your story, waiting quietly in your archive until another show reminds you where it all began.

Thank you Kevin, and your amazing team. Black and white photo of Kevin Morby playing and singing with closed eyes his guitar, sunflowers reflect on him by @jessicabartph

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3 months ago

Returning to a certain artist is like coming home after a long trip. You breathe and look around, nothing changes, yet nothing stays the same, and you are not the same person who left. They are the empty room in your house that had been waiting to be completed.

While time flies and the world changes without waiting for us, their music seems to heal us in moments of darkness. It is what I still feel at the end of my days, even after all these years.

I used to have this strange idea that I was the only one walking unsteadily, imagining myself to be a different kind of funambulist, but it wasn’t true. Music reached my ears and offered a quiet moment where I could stay still, lost in the colour of the ceiling, looking for someone who could understand the chaos that was shaping my brain and my heart, irregularly, on tiny pieces of paper.

Sometimes things find you exactly when you need them to. When Parallels closed Masterpiece, it confirmed that there was something in their music I had been searching for without even knowing it. I connected with the songs long before I could fully understand the words. What a beautiful shock it was to remove my earphones in that room with a grey roller blind and sit there with a head full of rainbow emotions.

That was the first time Big Thief came into my life, and I never let them go.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to see them more than once. Every time they have owned the stage and captivated the crowd, but most importantly, when their music begins and Adrianne starts to sing, I enter a peaceful dimension where the hope inside me devours the things that are causing me pain.

Even as their career grows, they remain genuine, authentic, and emotionally powerful in a way that few artists do today. It was deeply moving to be there, to document their show, and to witness the connection they created with the audience throughout the performance. Their songs have a remarkable way of bringing people together and offering a sense of hope that resonates with so many of us.

Singing these words, whether loudly, silently, or only in your mind, is a magical experience, and it is never something to take for granted.

Thank you. Adrianne Lenker Big Thief by @jessicabartph

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4 months ago

I had these words in my mind: “Most of our lives are a series of images, they pass us by like towns on the highway.” I could add to that the feeling of finding myself singing a song to describe a moment, looking outside the window at life continuing on even when you are still, or moving slowly through public transport with dry tears that have left imprints across your face.

It was a journey, and in that moment, almost like a shock, Julia’s first song felt real and deeply relatable to me. It gave me hope and confidence that everything I have done in my life has meaning simply because it is mine. I still have more downs than ups, and I often question whether all the directions I took and the choices I made were truly what I wanted, or merely mistakes I will never be able to fix.

The strength I found in that song stays with me every time I play it, freeing me from my negative thoughts. There are words in this record that strike me deeply, and I always think about how beautiful it is to discover people you do not know, living far away, who can create something magical that makes you feel understood.

It was not a surprise, I had loved Julia’s band long before this project. When “Twentytwo in blue” came into my life, it felt like a discovery and helped turn my black holes into gradients. There is a special song on it that is my favourite because of the sense of freedom I could almost touch while listening to it.

I organised a trip to see them live just a few days before the show. It was one of the best gigs I saw at KOKO. Their stage presence was captivating, and Julia’s voice was both delicate and powerful. I still remember her white dress glowing beneath the yellow lights.

My life has intertwined with their music more than once, and I am always grateful for that, especially now with Julia’s solo project. It makes me want to rewind the tape as soon as it ends, because every listen feels different, deeper than the last, offering a delicate strength to hold onto.

I do not follow what society thinks is cool or meaningful. I decide to invest my time in something only when the music moves me, and this is one of those cases.

Thanks Julia, I hope to do it all again Photo shared by Jessica Bartolini on May 21, 2026 tagging @partisanrecords, and @juliacumming. May be an image of tambourine, concert and text. by @jessicabartph

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5 months ago

There are artists more precious than diamonds, and finding them opens new horizons before us. Dazzled by their lights, we stare at their silhouettes, waiting to discover what they will bring to the stage, knowing it will become something to hold in our hands until it blends with our skin.

That's just how it goes, even days later, you're still thinking about those magical moments you were lucky enough to experience. @mymymayla were so hopeful and real, and I could listen to their words forever.

I'm always enchanted by people like you. Your passion is tangible, beautiful to see and to feel. At the same time, you teach me new things, help me see the world differently, and inspire me to become a better person. That is the greatest gift anyone can receive.

Thank you @mymymayla , I'm so glad to live in a world where you exist, and I can't wait to see you shine as only you know how.
With love J. by @jessicabartph

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6 months ago

What we remember about a song is the moment when the emotional feeling reaches its highest point. I read that in a book about Lynch, and I thought it was completely true for me as well. To remember it, I wrote it down in my blue notebook, where I usually add English words or expressions that I haven’t learned yet.

There are songs that surround your heart with thousands of gentle touches, making you lose track of time and of who you were before listening to them. The waking up is slow, delicate, and white, like the quiet movement of clouds. Words, like flickering lights, illuminate thoughts like candles on the pavement of your mind.

Nothing remains the same as it was before.

Discovering Jacob’s songs has been everything I described unforgettable. They are so inspiring that I wish I had found them earlier, to stay awake and watch the flowers grow.

As they said, waking up these days is difficult, and that feels completely true. For me, it has always been complicated, even since I was young. Jacob’s voice has offered me a safe place, where fear and shame do not control how we act.

Feeling part of a community full of love, one that has the power to transform us, is what we need today.

Thank you @jacobalon for your music, and thanks to the @bristoltrinity , my second home, a place that has welcomed me since the beginning of my journey years ago, and where I have spent some of the most memorable times of my life.
With love J. by @jessicabartph

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6 months ago

It took me time to write these words to communicate what @waterfromyoureyes means to me. Usually, it is complicated to find sentences that satisfy me; I make a lot of drafts, but none of them work for me the way they do in my mind. Most of the time, I prefer to start again on a blank sheet of paper or a digital tool where letters sit in front of me, asking me to create a connection with them.

Curiosity leads my hands, because sometimes ideas lack a decisive sense, but suddenly, like tonight, they work together to play a game I don’t always know how to play, while the screen starts to draw a new picture. I’ve had "Playing Classics" sound ringing in my brain since the first time I heard it. It feels as though the drum’s rhythm wants me to dance with feet and legs made of rubber, so every gesture is possible as they take control of my body.

There is something fascinating about this physical sensation, you can’t ignore it even if you are doing something completely different, like washing your face or trying to solve a problem that has pestered you for countless days, like a mosquito that wakes you up every week.

Unexpectedly, details bloom with every step you take, and you are there again, in the middle of the crowd, discovering the beginning of the unknown. As someone said, this year should be theirs, and I will be there to navigate this untraveled path.
Thank you @waterfromyoureyes

#waterfromyoureyes #livemusic Photo shared by Jessica Bartolini on March 17, 2026 tagging @waterfromyoureyes. May be an image of tambourine, glasses, concert and text. by @jessicabartph

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7 months ago

I’ve always thought that being surprised is a privilege in life. This year, which has just begun, has reminded me how lucky we are to find the things that make us feel human and alive, despite the darkness around us.

In the last couple of months, I’ve been listening again to a band that impressed me in 2025, with that dreamy world that has always been part of who I am and how I see things. Losing yourself in someone else’s words, words that feel as though they could be your own, is like truly being understood. Your barriers fall, and the heavy weight you carry drifts away, turning into soft white clouds in a clear sky.

In those moments, my mind and my body feel like a rechargeable battery, energised by sounds that move through me in ways I still can’t fully explain. Like a magnet, I found myself drawn back to this band, just as I was the first time I discovered them.

Paige’s voice captivates me, while Lee, Mistine and Puma weave new patterns of sound that bloom like the first flower of spring, announcing the season’s arrival. I’ll repeat myself when I say this band was born for big stages, nothing remains the same after they pass through, just like my own words, one scattered and chaotic, slowly finding their place.

I know I could express this better, but whenever I truly care about something, I tend to make a beautiful mess with my words.

As always, thank you @sunday1994forever for your kindness, a rare cure in this modern era.

#sunday1994forever #livemusic Paige looks at her hand while singing with a white dress by @jessicabartph

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7 months ago

It’s interesting how things from the past come knocking on your mind when you thought you had forgotten them. Suddenly, I remembered words from a TV series I loved when I was young. One of the characters was a visual artist in love with music, and I saw part of myself in her, images created with professional equipment overlapping this imperfect reality.

It was fiction, but there was a moment when this young woman, trying to explain her world, said words that touched me deeply: “It’s like when you go and see a really great band live for the first time. You know nobody’s saying it, but everybody’s thinking it: we have something to believe in again.”

That’s exactly what I felt, through words, watching The Last Dinner Party play a magical show. With steady eyes, I witnessed how music can be that one thing that awakens something inside people. Everyone around me was completely absorbed in the moment, smiling as if they had just learned how to do it.

When “Nothing Matters” came out years ago, I was certain these women had that extremely rare sparkle. It wasn’t just a sensation, it was strong and impossible to ignore. It took ages for my path to cross theirs, but when it finally happened, everything was simply a confirmation of what I had always believed about them.

Abigail, Georgia, Lizzie, Emily and Aurora are a group, but probably more than that. Each of them conquers the stage with their personality and plays their instruments as effortlessly as if they were drinking a glass of wine during a summer holiday, while the sun paints your skin a different shade and you forget to put on more sunscreen.

There are moments like these when hope is alive and burns aways all the dark screams that whisper goodbye inside you. Music can change the world, and this band has everything we need today, and a special power that encourages us to be proud of our true selves and to keep fighting for something better.
Thank you @thelastdinnerparty

#thelastdinnerparty #livemusic The last dinner party with a red background and Abigail the leader on front by @jessicabartph

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8 months ago

My heart was beating so quickly that it felt as if it were leaving my body, and my feet seemed glued to the floor, keeping me from running to grab it. Maybe it needed to release all the liquid emotion it had held inside after the years I spent chasing @perfumegenius just to witness this project. It was one of those shows, before the world became what it is today, that I wanted to photograph with every part of my body. All of me was burning during the performance, because the music is emotional and vulnerable, yet strong for those very reasons. It travels through every vein until it reaches your heart and mind, making you feel everything, even if you’re not ready.

I think Michael’s movements on stage are so delicate and fragile that they seem like those of a human crystal, commanding presence without losing complexity or power. Layers of life, woven from words and memories, danced freely on those soft notes rising like a pyramid. I wished I had that kind of beautiful sensibility under my skin, so I could become better. My eyes saw a colourful painting unfolding into the scenes I found myself inside. Something about it made me think of “What Dreams May Come”. Being so close to Michael’s art almost scared me, because I didn’t want to ruin it with my imperfect hands.

After some days, I believe the Perfume Genius gig was one of the best I’ve seen this year, for its intensity and the beautiful humanity brought to the stage. It was life happening through questions with no easy answers. Documenting this experience and being there inspired me in countless ways, and I still see the world with wet eyes. Thank you.

#perfumegenius #livemusic by @jessicabartph

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a year ago

Inside that movie there was a soundtrack that I couldn’t stop listening to, and that was just the beginning. The sun was up, strange for that city, the temperature was unusually high for the season. I looked around to see what felt different. I had been running all day, trying to fit everything in before the daylight left me and the venue where I had been once before still felt like a new one.

I was concentrating on both the light and the equipment when a charming band came on stage, and they were so dazzling that I couldn’t see anything other than them. In a second, their charisma captured everyone’s expressions as the crowd enjoyed every single note. Paige’s voice had something intimate about it, as If she were speaking softly right next to you, like the two of you were alone in your room with no one else.

The stage became an extension of their elegant bodies, moving softly, reflecting shadows and lights like mirrors. They knew the space as if they had always lived there. The movie was running in front of me, and it felt like leaving this world and entering another at the touch of the music. All the worries I had were quiet for a moment.

I wished I had met these musicians before, as I watched them through the viewfinder. I think there was a reason that guided me to them, because something in me changed. They reminded me what love is able to do, being passionate, being good at something that makes you feel alive. My heart felt every gentle touch deeply, and at the end of the night I experienced what they sang: “I missed you before I left you”.

Thank you Paige, Lee, Mistine and Jordi for your time and kindness. I am absolutely certain your career will only grow, with even bigger shows and countless people falling in love with your music. I was glad and honoured to be there for this phase of your musical journey, and I can’t wait until our paths cross again. With love J x

@sunday1994forever
#sunday1994 #livemusic by @jessicabartph

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a year ago