Jonie’s “better at this” seamlessly weaves Oklahoma folk with L.A.’s vibrant soundscape

Words by Staff Writer: Leah Korenberg | Photos: RJ.CR Photo | Model: Jonie

In her latest single “better at this,” Jonie blends melancholic and vulnerable lyricism with graceful finger-style guitar arrangements that cultivate a sense of optimism, whimsy, and brighter days ahead amid a wave of self-doubt. 

As a Los Angeles-based musician born and raised in the birthplace of red dirt and Oklahoma folk, Jonie’s distinctive sound embraces her folk roots. She’s influenced by her experience of moving and L.A.’s vibrant music soundscape, drawing inspiration from Adrianne Lenker, Ken Pomeroy, Samantha Crain, and Kaitlin Butts.

​​”I feel like ‘better at this’ is a sad song, but sonically, it feels more hopeful or, like, bright, and I think L.A., just like this sunny, gorgeous lightheartedness, absolutely has been affecting my music in a good way,” said Jonie. 

The song’s accompanying photoshoot is set in a picturesque meadow. Jonie is channeling her inner fairy, embodying the ethereality conveyed in her music, which engulfs listeners in their own reverie. 

Jonie’s musical odyssey began at thirteen, when her mother encouraged her and twin sister Sophie Bird (@sophiebirdsongs) to write music to cope with the loss of their father, eventually forming their band Companion in 2012. After taking a break as a duo, they began their solo careers in 2024. For Jonie, making music became therapeutic and instrumental in facilitating a purificatory release of her emotions in their truest form. 

“I started writing songs from such a diaristic point and such a vulnerable place with grief and loss being the first things I ever wrote my songs about, and so at this point, writing to me and picking up my guitar and writing a song, and even the act of singing is so cathartic, and it just feels like it's what I need to say in that moment, and once it's out of me, it's out of me,” said Jonie. 

Growing up in Oklahoma, homeschooled with eleven other siblings, Jonie took the untraditional route as a young musician since committing to artistry in Oklahoma was considered an uncommon career path. After her first few performances, Jonie got introduced to other local artists who validated music as a sustainable career. While balancing her music career, Jonie also held a full-time job in marketing for the past four years while also pursuing photography. As of last year, Jonie quit her job in marketing to prioritize her music full-time, giving her the freedom to pursue her dreams and go against the grain.

“Music has definitely shaped my perspective in that you can have a very unconventional life.”

“It just showed me that you can do whatever the fuck you want. It might be hard. But you don't have to be in marketing your whole life, you know?” said Jonie.

The transition between childhood and adulthood is often characterized by moments of self-doubt and insecurity, especially when stepping into a new role and pursuing your passion. “better at this” perfectly captures the energy of i-candy's first issue theme "coffee ice cream," because it allows listeners to acknowledge how we tend to internalize uncertainty. Jonie reminds us that our accomplishments are not a small feat, revealing that we don’t have to be better when we’re already trying our best. 

“Ironically, whenever I feel down about my music and where I'm at or what's gonna happen next, I just fall back into that feeling of (better at this), even in the midst of its release. I keep finding myself being like, I don't know how to be better. said Jonie.  “It's a universal feeling of, like, I'm doing it as good as I possibly can, and yet somehow I still have to do better. Like, what the fuck? I feel that many times a month.”

As a recent college graduate, I closely resonated with Jonie’s emphasis on perpetual self-doubt. This final semester was shaped by many moments of inadequacy and feeling like I’m not worthy or intelligent enough to complete my degree. It’s comforting to remind ourselves that we’re not alone in these emotions and to find assurance that we’ve made it this far. We owe to ourselves to actively combat a mindset of insecurity by not undermining any achievements and to recognize that growth isn’t always linear. 

Jonie credits the great outdoors as a catalyst for stimulating her songwriting process and getting her creative juices flowing. Some of the moments that brought her the most inspiration after moving to L.A. were spent on days at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center, with serenity and seclusion being the perfect details to a day of writing music.

“I think being outside is so key for me to just think creatively. When I play guitar outside, it feels really natural, like I'm just adding sound on a wooden instrument to the natural world,” said Jonie.

In an industry that perpetually correlates success with age, Jonie is determined to defeat the mindset that you must be successful by a certain age and that you’re never too old to launch a new creative endeavour.

“It's my personal goal to embrace my own age and to embrace that I've come to the right place, the right time, because it was meant to be that way, and not because I'm late,” said Jonie. 

Arguably, it’s more admirable for an artist to begin their careers later in life since aging comes with a deeper acceptance of self and heightened emotional intelligence. An artist in their thirties or forties is more emotionally equipped to endure the public eye compared to an artist in their teens or early twenties. 

“I also know a lot of (female) musicians who are around thirty five to fourty, and they're honestly just now hitting their stride, and that's kind of the way it should be because, you know who you are,” said Jonie. “So you're able to build your career based on what you want, whereas if you start music at a young age, which I did, but if you hit it big at eighteen, you're kind of locked into what eighteen-year-old you wanted, which is very different than what thirty-year-old you wants.” 

As a proponent of zine creation, Jonie began designing zines for each of her shows after attending a zine-making workshop hosted by Junior High, a nonprofit organization, gallery, and event space in Glendale. Junior High taught Jonie how to create eight-page folded zines out of a single sheet of paper, and she started a tradition of giving them away for free at her shows so that attendees could take a piece of her with them.

“​​It's kind of like my form of giving someone something to hold onto since I don't have music out (yet),” said Jonie. “I like making them interactive when possible, so sometimes I'll have, like, what are you grateful for? What do you love about your craft or meet someone new and what's their favorite color, that sort of thing. 
Just making it fun.”

In an era where concerts can feel impersonal in a sea of crowded phones, Jonie’s interactive zines are foundational to niche community building, serve as conversation starters to meet people at shows, and forge intimate connections between artists and their supporters. This type of personal touch speaks to Jonie’s love for her supporters and creates a community where artists and listeners get to experience the music physically.

“The music community only exists because of other musicians supporting each other and going to each other's shows, and you really can't make it to that big, the outer public knows you, stage, unless you have a support system and a community around you,” said Jonie.—

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Listen to “better at this” on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Jonie’s upcoming single release show for “better at this” will be on August 30th at Scribble L.A.