Jackie Hollander was looking for a sign. It was 2024 and she was working a grip of gigs — hostessing at restaurant, babysitting, working for her parents’ business, doing cyber security — to make ends meet while she produced music and pursued her dream of being an artist.

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“At one point I thought I was going to get my real estate license,” says Hollander. “It was like, a mess, honestly.”

Having already signed with a manager and agent, her team suggested she go to London for a month to do studio sessions. It was a happy, productive time that she spent making music squarely in the tech house wheelhouse she’d been focused on. By month’s end, she was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea of returning to her day jobs.