There’s a particular kind of band you only ever seem to find in New York — the ones who blur the line between performance art, emotional honesty, and absolute, unfiltered chaos. Um, Jennifer? are exactly that kind of band. Born from a residency, a performance piece, and (apparently) a ceiling‑fan‑related epiphany, they’ve carved out a space where jazz singers sit comfortably beside breakbeats, where femininity and cannibalism coexist as themes, and where confidence has grown from the messy thrill of early demos into something sharper, louder, and defiantly their own. Speaking from their one‑bedroom, bunk‑bed‑stacked apartment, Fig and Eli unpacked their story with the same energy that fuels their music — part deadpan absurdity, part heartfelt truth, and entirely Um, Jennifer?
Let’s start with the obvious—Um, Jennifer? is such a brilliantly awkward name. What’s the story behind it, and at what point did you know this was the name you were going to live with?
FIG: Pretty immediately. I woke up in a cold sweat and realized I was looking down at our beds from the ceiling. My pajamas had gotten stuck to the ceiling fan so I was spinning pretty fast. Once I got myself unstuck I realized that “Um, Jennifer?” was written on my bedroom wall in some red liquid (blood? I hope not :p ). I called Eli over and we knew that that was our band name!
How did the band actually come together—who met who first, and what was happening in your lives in New York City at the time that made starting a band feel inevitable rather than optional?
ELI: I was throwing a residency for a different band I was in at the time and we hired Fig as an actress for a performance piece we were putting on for the show. I was doing music really seriously at the time and I wanted another outlet that felt more like it was just for fun instead of trying to make it.
If we cracked open the band’s musical DNA, which artists, scenes, or records would we find stitched in there—and are there any unlikely influences that might surprise people who only know your louder, more obvious side?
FIG: The New York scene is just so sickening right now. Estelle Allen, Grumpy, Alana Markel, The Dutch Kills. Chanel Beads, This is Lorelei, and Asher White etc etc. I’m feeling really inspired by autotune and breakbeats which ultimately doesn’t show up in the music a lot but I promise you it’s there.
ELI: Some of my greatest influences are Jazz singers - Betty Carter, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie. Modern day influences are The Strokes, Earl Sweatshirt, and Mitski. I like anything with a really good melody.
When you listen back to your earliest demos versus what you’re making now, what’s changed the most—your songwriting, your relationship with each other, or your sense of what Um, Jennifer? should sound like?
ELI: For me it’s probably mostly the energy has shifted slightly. I think playing live shows has given us more edge that I feel when I’m songwriting now, I can tell how something will feel to perform live and I’m guided by that.
FIG: Our earliest demos were the first time I ever wrote music with someone else so to me it sounds a lot like finding my own voice. To me, Um, Jennifer? now sounds a lot more confident and sure. I’d say we’re both just better players too so it all sounds way tighter.
You’ve been handed the keys to your dream festival in any city in the world. Who are the 3 acts you’re booking on the main stage, where does it take place, and where on the bill do Um, Jennifer? appear?
ELI: We’re gonna headline on the moon and Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo will open for us. God is DJing afters up in heaven
FIG: Ozzy Osbourne 3D hologram performing “Winter Wonderland” with Jessica Simpson. My brother’s psych rock band “Psychic Scream” plays and then we go on. It’s in the woods and you get there by following the noise.
You’re hosting ‘Come Dine With Me: Band Edition.’ What’s your starter, main, and dessert—and which member is most likely to completely derail the evening, either by overcooking something or turning it into a full-blown party?
ELI: Starter will be oysters, main is going to be a boneless ribeye cooked to a perfect medium rare, dessert will be chocolate chip cookies and milk. Our drummer Grayson derails the evening into a neverending rager at their apartment.
FIG: We’re ordering take out thai food and playing Super Smash Bros. I don’t know what Eli said but this is the official answer for the band.
How did this summer treat you—what was a highlight for you?
Fig: This summer was a nightmare for basically everyone I know but the big highlight for us was a sold out headline show with our friends Thesaurus Rex and The Dutch Kills. That was the craziest night of my life for sure.
Where are you with new music right now—are we talking scraps of ideas on phones, a fully mapped-out next record, or something in between—and is there a specific theme, sound, or risk you’re excited (or terrified) to lean into?
Fig: So potentially we’re working on album maybe possiblyyyy. Mostly just exploring deeper into the themes we explored on our last album. Femininity, Cannibalism, Transgenderism.
Every band has at least one piece of weird lore—a superstition, a cursed song, a bizarre pre-show ritual, or a story you only tell at 2 a.m. What’s the most interesting or ridiculous thing about Um, Jennifer? that your fans probably don’t know yet?
Fig: We’re actually roommates! We live in 1 one bedroom with a mini kitchen and a half bath. We sleep in a bunk bed and switch which bed we sleep in every night. What’s funny is that we didn’t know that they actually made bunk beds pre fabricated so we just stacked two normal beds on top of each other. Super unsafe but brings a bit of fire to our relationship.
If each of you had to describe where Um, Jennifer? is heading in one sentence—from your own personal lens, not the ‘official’ band line—what would you say, and how do you want the next year to feel rather than just look on paper?
Fig: Mostly I just want to feel proud of the music we put out. I want it to feel like we’ve made our best, uncompromising music yet.
If there’s one thing that becomes clear after an hour with Um, Jennifer?, it’s that the band’s future won’t be shaped by expectation, trend, or anyone else’s idea of what they should be. Whether they’re headlining on the moon, ordering Thai food instead of cooking, or quietly sketching out the bones of a maybe‑album exploring femininity, cannibalism, and transgenderism, they’re moving with intention — not perfection. As Fig puts it, the next chapter is about pride, about making their most uncompromising work yet. And if their sold‑out summer shows, surreal lore, and sharpened live energy are anything to go by, Um, Jennifer? are heading somewhere bold, strange, and completely unforgettable.
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