Today on the podcast we are featuring the UK artist Jenem. Learn more about her and listen to her track “Anything At All.”
Show Notes and Full Show Transcript
Hey everyone welcome to the Eat Sleep Breathe Music podcast. I am your host Jeanette Kimszal. For those of you just joining us, this is the podcast where I talk about different musicians and how their music affects me and then play their single track for you to listen to.
So you can check it out and form your own opinion as well. And if you are so interested in sharing your thoughts on this track and artist I’ll have details at the end of the show where you can leave your comments.
Today I’m chatting about Jenem. That is J-E-N-E-M.
And please forgive me if I’m pronouncing this incorrectly.
According to her Bandcamp page, she is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
There is not a ton of information about Jenem online. It looks like according to her Bandcamp page she has been making music since 2019.
And it seems like somewhat of a DIY artist you know she’s been making songs in her room and recently had the help of the producer Matt Willis to help build the soundscape on her latest EP.
The thing that I found interesting is that she is fascinated by symbolism and that was kind of where the concept of the EP was born.
She said it was a collection of songs derived around the theme of love each associated with a different color rose. The EP is an upbeat, honest, exploration of young love!
The song I’m going to be playing later, “Anything At All” is off of this EP as well. And if you do want to check out any of her other music I will leave links to her streaming pages where you can check out her music.
Her sound has been described as drawing influences from pop, rap, acoustic music, and grime.
And I was unfamiliar with what the grime genre was. So I went to Google and looked it up because I was intrigued and I was llike “what does this music sound like?”
And so basically if anyone is curious and doesn’t know what grime is here is are some deets on the genre.
So basically it’s an eclectic style of British rap that emerged in London in the early 2000s.
It evolved from a UK dance style called UK garage. It takes influences from dancehall, and hip hop music.
It says it’s characterized by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 140 bpms. It also featured these aggressive or jagged electronic sounds.
So it seems like it’s kind of a mix of dance and hip hop. And it seems it started as an underground thing but became mainstream in the UK in the the mid-2000s.
And then another source said that it also incorporates hardcore techno influences.
So in my opinion when I listen to this track I would say what speaks to me more is the pop elements of it. I don’t really hear as much hard techno or hard hip hop dance elements.
It’s more light and airy. It’s got this dreamy feel to it. I don’t know if it’s more because of the way the lyrics are talking about a relationship that takes you on a ride and journey where you don’t know you will end up.
Or if it’s the music itself that makes it feel that way.
It’s got these dream pop elements to it. Which I think makes it for a really very fun and inviting track.
You know with the first notes of the song I was taken with the mixture of the piano keys and there is this very light electronica techno element to it.
Where it’s got the electronica. There’s like the merging of the synth and piano. I think there were some guitar elements to it as well. It just goes so well together. It feels like one set of musical instruments that you know merge together perfectly.
It’s got this very really luster and illumination to it. It’s this… it’s the continuous piano melodies that carry out through the song. I don’t know if there are actual piano melodies to it but to me it kind of sounded like a piano.
And these were going on through the background and then there is like this a little bit of that electronica the makes for a layered and more kind of complex musical sound.
And then the electronic piece is not too heavy and doesn’t weigh down the song but it does give it a layer.
So even though this mix of melodies makes a more effervescent lighthearted music that flows so effortlessly through the song.
There is also real and dense element brought on by the lyrics of the song. It doesn’t muck up the song but it compliments it quite well.
And the lyrics, they are these love-lorn words that just make you feel young and invulnerable or resilient to relationship woes.
You go into a relationship sometimes strong and feeling like you are in charge and know what you’re doing but then the whole thing gets turned on its head and you are vulnerable to what is happening.
You’re in this situation where you don’t know it’s not love but there is something else going on. And you are attracted to that person.
I wanted to see if I could find the actual lyrics to the song but I couldn’t find them online so I just went back and listened a little deeper to hear what she was saying.
From that I got a gist of this uncertainty and intrigue in another person.
The chorus lyrics. I think they are the chorus. They kind of reinforce this theme by them saying
It wasn’t love / It wasn’t anything that deep / But still I thought I would be the one to leave /
It shows how you can get caught up in these circumstances and how there is just this spell and romance that overtakes you even when you go in with a clear conscious of what you know is not happening and how you feel.
It shows the powerfulness of like human emotions and how you can get so wrapped up in something that you don’t even realize how deep you are into a relationship.
I think that those lyrics are very real and very true to self. So even though it has these pop elements. It has these very lyrics that pull at your heartstrings.
She’s putting all her emotions on her sleeve and she’s showing her emotions after she didn’t really want to do that. She fell in deep without wanting while also being unsure of what is gonna happen.
This polarity in the music and lyrics. And I find it to be very interesting and it makes it like very dynamic.
You have one element that comes off more playful and fun and upbeat and poppy.
Then you have the lyrics which are very authentic and very sensitive and delicate. This gives the song a lot of depth.
It kind of makes a nice compliment because it’s light enough for people to enjoy the pop sensibilities and have a fun time listening.
But then there is also another piece to it if you are someone who likes a deeper meaning to your music and have a more profound listening experience and you want to read into the lyrics and have philosophical meaning, that deeper meaning behind the songs.
I think that this is something that would appeal to that person as well.
Not only are the lyrics meaningful but they are delivered by charismatic and sweet vocal stylings that Jenem has.
And they just bring you back to a time when you were young and unsure of what was happening in a relationship.
Lyrics like
I thought I could be the one to leave. Staring at you thinking about what changed.
We had a lot to learn / to not drink til the world got blurred.
And this is what I kind of deciphered from listening to the song.
When Jenem describes the song she says it’s about first love, or perhaps lust and this is what I was also equated with the lyrics when I listened too.
The lyrics in the chorus also solidified this theme as well. They went
So staring at you thinking/ What changed at all / I kjow it wasnt love / It wasn’t anything at all.
She has said she has been inspired by artists including Anne Marie, Emily Burns, and Ed Sheeran.
I’m not so familiar with those artists. It’s because I don’t listen to a lot of popular music. I’m not really on the radar. I usually listen to streaming music. Back when I listened to the radio more I was more in tune with what is popular.
Sometimes I think this is a flaw for me because I do need to embrace more pop music to see what is out there and know the comparisons that are present.
Have a more lush experience and know what is out there and how these artists compare with those in the same genre.
I would say she kind of reminds me of a combination of Jack Antonoff and Lorde
I personally get vibes from Antonoff’s pop melodies and this raw emotional stripped down exposed lyrics and putting her heart out there on her sleeve. It’s like you don’t know what is happening and it just bugs her because you’re all turned around.
And also Lorde since there is that dream pop element. I’m not sure if I’m right but this is what I’m feeling when I listen to it. It reminds me a little bit of that Jack Antonoff song “Rollercoaster.” And I don’t know if I’m right but that is what I kind of feel when I listen to this.
I really like there is this lyricism of young fun love but not love situation as she said maybe a lust situation going on and it’s just so complemented by the music of it. It’s a delight and fun to listen to. I know I said there is that light and airy sound but also the lyrics give it a second layer that gives it a deeper purpose and sound.
Her music has been touching people and she has gained a nice following on social media. Jenem also had been praised on the music site Earmilk for her track “Hate To Be Wrong.”
I can leave a link to that if you want to read what they said.
Additionally that track, “Hate to Be Wrong” was also nominated by NMG as one of the top 5 artists of the year. If you want to vote for her here is the link. There is no deadline I see on this link.
She was also featured as a spotlight artist on on BBC Music Introducing Cambridgeshire.
Her music is streaming on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Soundcloud, and other streaming platforms if you wanted to listen to some of her other music.
I’ll leave a link to it in the show notes.
I see now that I have been chatting for a while and I’d love to share with you the track so you can listen and form your own opinion.
so without further ado here is “Anything At All” by Jenem.
We would love to know what you think about Jenem and her track “Anything At All.”
You can tell us in a comment on the podcast webpage. You can also leave an audio comment at the link in the episode summary.
If you’re looking for more information on Jenem check out her official website https://jenemmusic.com/. That is J-E-N-E-M-M-U-S-I-C dot com.
You can also like and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at the handle JenemMusic. That is J-E-N-E-M-M-U-S-I-C.
She will also be playing shows in Europe this fall and if you can’t make it out you can also find her playing live on her Twitch channel JenemMusic.
I can leave links to this in the show notes if you want to check them out.
If you’re looking for more new music be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you will get the latest updates on our artist features.
You can also find more music features on our website at www.EatSleepBreatheMusic.com. That is E-a-t-S-l-e-e-p-B-r-e-a-t-h-e-M-u-s-i-c dot com.
Thanks for listening and see you in the next episode!
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