Who Is Jade McLeod?

The other day, someone asked, "So what makes you qualified for all of this?" And honestly, it's a fair question. I am the founder and editor of The Groovy Moo, a publication I started to give voice to fans and creatives like myself. My journey through music, creativity, and fan communities has shaped the stories and projects I lead here.

I was born into a Christian family where I sat up front every week, probably near the speaker, and worship was my first taste of music. I grew up in the era of Hillsong, Planetshakers, and upbeat pop praise music. I attended kids' worship conferences and performed in children’s church songs, dances, and skits. Ultimately, if nothing else, I knew creativity was how I wanted to express myself.

faces covered for privacy :)

I was also raised with a family that loved music. to this day anytime dad says an artist i like is "not bad" I take it as the biggest compliment ever. I remember in uni I went to a part and i was handed the aux. when i played "dad rock" they teased me so badly but I can't help it guys dad raised me on the good stuff I mean my first ever concert was literally Elton John!! over the years mum has also become my concert buddy. I have dragged her to Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan and later this year finally 5sos!!

My Grandfather ❤️

When I was 5, a group of boys formed a band on TV that caught the attention of many kids worldwide, and yes, I was one. It was obvious I was a Directioner so obvious, in fact, that when I came home from school one day, my grandfather intended to pull up a 1D video on YouTube, but instead the video for She Looks So Perfect was discovered. To this day, I absolutely adore both bands.

At an age younger than I’d like to admit, I explored online spaces where I could share my love of these artists. Spaces that welcomed Directioners, 5sos fans, Swifties, etc. I was in them. Twitter fan pages, Tumblr fan pages, Instagram fan pages, Wattpad, AO3, I’ve seen it all!! It was a place where I wasn’t the weird girl at school, but I actually made sense in a spot in the world, so I completely immersed myself in it.

I didn’t have school friends, but what I did have was my own unique lifeline. I’d secretly connect my hearing aids to my phone and listen to my feel-good playlist, which I had sorted by subject and the mood I associated with each. I would use study periods to see what I would later find out were fan-led campaigns for any artist I loved. Every English assignment was on an artist I loved and why, or a deep analysis of themes in their works, and I honestly credit that as the seed planted in me that grew into this journey. I also spent my lunch breaks watching artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes with their guitar and wanted one so bad. I finally got it this year!

There have been moments music genuinely saved my life. When "As It Was" came on the radio, it calmed me down enough for a doctor to complete a procedure without me flinching. When I had to calm myself down to stop the bleeding, I put my phone on shuffle and, by chance, my favourite 5SOS song brought my blood pressure back to normal. A worship song at youth group one night prompted me to make a promise to myself that, years later, I would hear and realise just how far I had come and how much I had survived. Even just recently hearing an old worship song was confirmation I was home. California Holds Her Breath served as a wake-up call for me to drastically change my life, and the entire album Order Chaos Order went on to change it forever.

I grew up interested in EVERYTHING around music. I loved tour photography, and having already had a camera in my hand since about age 3, it was no surprise when I threw myself into studying photography and building a portfolio. During my first uni courses, when I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life, I discovered Lloyd's workshop, a photography program led by a well-known concert photographer. Though I have since left due to my own schedule and the time difference, it was once again a place where I learned so so much and finally had the push to set up portfolios and put myself out there.

There have been moments music genuinely saved my life. When "As It Was" came on the radio, it calmed me down enough for a doctor to complete a procedure without me flinching. When I had to calm myself down to stop the bleeding, I put my phone on shuffle and, by chance, my favourite 5SOS song brought my blood pressure back to normal. A worship song at youth group one night prompted me to make a promise to myself that, years later, I would hear and realise just how far I had come and how much I had survived. California Holds Her Breath served as a wake-up call for me to drastically change my life, and the entire album Order Chaos Order went on to change it forever.

The thing is, over the years, I pretended like music and creativity weren’t my why. Friends would see worship music on my Spotify history and cut me off. Instead of saying, "Hey, this is my truth," I removed every song. People said fandom was cringe, so I deleted the apps off my phone. Photography wasn’t a real career; I heard it all, and I took it to heart. If you are reading this and have ever felt misunderstood for your own passions or creativity, know you are not alone. Let yourself love what you love, even if others do not get it yet. You deserve the space to embrace what lights you up.

One day I looked in the mirror and didn’t see me. I didn’t know how to find her, so I searched for her in old playlists and old art. Anyone who saw my playlist would have been confused, because one moment it’s a worship song, the next it is the deepest, darkest lyrics about something I couldn’t otherwise say. The reflection was me again. I realised that worship and secular music could coexist, and the people writing these lyrics clearly understood the same feelings and concepts, even if my immediate circles didn’t. I wondered who else understood those feelings, so I went back looking for fan spaces, and they understood it too.

I fully immersed myself in fandom once more, this time studying it, vowing to preserve it, promising to make it a space where the young ones to follow me know this is where they belong, don’t wonder if it’s for them. I celebrate the fans who credit music as the reason they wake up, the ones who make the music, promote the music, and anyone who would lay their whole selves out there in their art to make another person feel seen. That is why I run this magazine and call myself a professional fan: I have spent my entire life trying to find my bubble I fit in, and eventually I realised it’s creative, it’s messy, it’s filled with other fans and celebrations and physical art and media, and if I preserve this mess it can save others too!

If you have a story, a piece of art, or a moment where music or creativity made you feel understood, I invite you to share it with us. Whether it is through writing, photography, fan art, or simply your own experience, your voice is welcome here. Together, we can build a space where everyone feels they belong.