Interview: Susannah Joffe Makes Films, Too

The UT senior ditches her Miley Cyrus days of co-writing with her dad for Hannah Montana levels of stardom.

Written by Ellen Daly

Illustrated by Krista McLeod

Photo courtesy of Susannah Joffe

Susannah Joffe is no stranger to the music industry. Raised in Austin, she started off writing songs and playing local venues alongside her dad before enrolling in UT to pursue filmmaking. Now a senior, her college career took an unexpected turn last spring when Joffe found her way back to music. Writing songs in quarantine turned to TikTok fame turned to putting out an EP and playing SXSW. Now, she sits down with Afterglow to talk the trials and tribulations of TikTok, merging interests with music videos, and the merriment of making gay music.

Afterglow: What role has TikTok played in your music career?

Joffe: It’s been very formative, but I have mixed feelings. It's great that artists are able to get exposure to industry people, but TikTok determines your success now. My song “Nobody Wants Me Tonight” started doing well because of TikTok, and then “Backseat” did well on TikTok, and that got me help with the EP, but I haven't had a ton of success with it since then.

I met with a label a couple weeks ago and one of the first things they asked me was, “How many followers do you have on TikTok?” I’m constantly trying to get one video that goes viral — every day, over and over again. It's a shot in the dark.

What was your musical background before that?

I put out music in high school and during my first two years of college, but it was more of a hobby. I played like two shows a year, and it was all songs I’d co-written with my dad. It was so half-assed. My heart wasn’t in it. I was doing it for the wrong reasons — I thought my parents wanted me to. I wasn't passionate about it at all.

During quarantine, I wrote my first song completely on my own, and I finally understood what I wanted my songs to sound like. I shared it with a few friends and got an overwhelmingly positive response. It was a light bulb moment for me — before that I’d been telling myself that I couldn’t write songs. That song made me realize, “I want to keep going. I don't want to stop.”

How did you go from there to actually recording and releasing your songs?

I started really doing the whole fucking thing after I wrote my song “Backseat.” A song I released in high school, “Nobody Wants Me Tonight,” had a little viral moment on TikTok, then got a bunch of streams on Spotify and the music video got a bunch of views, and after that I started writing more and more.

What is it like then making your EP, The Punch?

It was fun, but it took so f-cking long. I get really f-cking perfectionist, especially production-wise. I wanted to try out different genres and play around a lot. I had very specific ideas for each song, and they came to life exactly how I imagined them. That was really rewarding. 

I learned a lot while making the EP. Contracts can get messy, and it’s important to advocate for myself when I’m signing contracts with a bunch of dudes. I also learned how to let go — I wanted to keep going and tweaking little things and sometimes you have to step back and let it be.

How did it feel when you released it?

It was hard. I'm very self-conscious of everything I put out, and it's hard to be proud of myself without being concerned with what people are thinking. It was also emotional because those songs emerged out of a difficult part of my life. I was finally closing that chapter and moving on, saying goodbye to this period of my life of being miserable.

It’s been fun, though, because a lot of gay people are f-cking with it. So many people have reached out to me and been like, “I used your music to break up with my girlfriend,” or saying that it helped them come out. I didn't grow up with any queer music at all, so it's really rewarding that people are connecting with it.

You mentioned you direct your own music videos — what’s that like?

It's really fun. I’ve always been a visually creative person — I did studio art in middle school and high school and was also into photography and film. When I was 11 years old, I was like, “Mom, I want to win an Oscar for best cinematography.” When I make music, images play in my head and I write them down, and, as a film student, I have the resources to then make those videos. It makes the creative process even more fulfilling.

Would you ever want to direct videos for other artists?

I’d rather make short films. I love screenwriting and directing, and I think I’m good at it. I like telling hyperreal stories about everyday people and experiences. I made a lot of short films my senior year of high school and first two years of college, and I’m really proud of them. It’s funny because I wasn't out and they're all about little gay teens that are suffering because they're gay. I’d like to explore filmmaking more. Sometimes in music videos, the music will cut out and there’ll be a five-minute scene — I'd be interested in doing that.

It's so hard to make it in the film industry, but directing my videos could give me an avenue into directing films. It’d be nice to return to that side of myself someday.

Have you played any shows since your EP came out?

I just played SXSW. That was f-cking crazy. My last show was at Auditorium Shores at Lady Bird Lake on a big festival stage. There was a sh-t ton of people there. I was opening for Houndmouth. That was surreal because the most people I’d ever played for was like 400 people at my Antone’s show. It was so fun being on an outdoor stage, having the wind in my hair, seeing all those people.

What’s next for you?

I'm going to Nashville to start working on the next EP. I'm so f-cking excited. I'm working with Annie DiRusso’s drummer, Josef Kuhn, and I’m going to record a song called “Just a Kid” that I've played at a lot of shows and I think people are excited to hear. I’m also recording a song that I wrote literally four days ago that I’m so excited about. 

The new stuff is completely different than anything I’ve put out. It feels more authentic. Everything I’ve made is authentic — all my lyrics are so f-cking personal — but I’ve stopped caring about making myself marketable. I don’t care as much about catchiness and being on Spotify’s Discover Weekly and stuff like that — I’m just making music that I’d love to listen to.

You can follow Susannah Joffe on Instagram and TikTok, stream her music on Spotify and Apple Music, and check out her music videos and short films on YouTube.

This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.