Julia Jacklin, the Melbourne-born indie folk artist, recently covered Sugar Ray's 1999 hit "Every Morning" for what appears to be a performance or visual project. In an accompanying statement, Jacklin explained her connection to the track: "The song just makes me feel grateful to be alive."
The choice reveals Jacklin's willingness to engage with pop culture touchstones outside her typical artistic sphere. Sugar Ray's "Every Morning" remains one of the defining songs of late-90s alternative radio, a sun-soaked earworm that balanced rap-rock sensibilities with genuine melodic warmth. Jacklin's rendering strips away the original's upbeat production in favor of her characteristic fingerpicked guitar work and introspective vocal delivery.
This cover sits within a broader pattern of indie artists revisiting mainstream songs from previous decades. What once felt like artistic compromise now reads as cultural archaeology, a way of acknowledging how songs like "Every Morning" shaped listening habits across generations. For Jacklin, whose albums "Crushing" (2016) and "Be Cruel" (2019) examine emotional vulnerability with clinical precision, the Sugar Ray cover suggests an appetite for songs that prioritize feeling over technical complexity.
Jacklin has built her reputation on sparse arrangements and brutally honest songwriting that examines relationships, grief, and self-doubt. Her third album, "Ignore the Past," arrived in 2022 to critical acclaim. Pairing her with a song that simply celebrates existence and gratitude demonstrates how artists evolve beyond their branded sound.
The cover arrives at a moment when 90s nostalgia continues to cycle through popular culture, though Jacklin's treatment emphasizes timelessness rather than pastiche. Sugar Ray's original endures precisely because it articulates something uncomplicated and true. Jacklin's version honors that simplicity while filtering it through her own artistic lens.