Berlin-based, Jazz vocal graduate Jeannel is a truly unique artist and composer. Born into a family of musicians and playing the cello from seven years old, Jeannel sleekly intertwines classical music, techno, hip-hop and soul into her production.
The lead single from her debut EP Noitulove, "Everything's The Same", is a hauntingly ethereal number, showcasing her soothing, unique vocals. Combining elegant guitar patterns and tender drum thuds, this track has the ability to sweep you off of your feet and carry you into a serene dreamland. Yet there's a hint of pain underlining the entire track, a feeling of angst rife in Jeannel's lyrics, something that's determined to be noticed.
The release of her EP also sees her share a variety of blissful tracks to craft an exquisite collection of organic soundscapes. With glimmering production and exploration into both organic and synthetic sounds, Noitulove encourages us to join Jeannel on her journey into musical ecstasy whether that's on the euphoric "Love/Fountain" or the uplifting, emotional "Karma".
Whilst "Lullaby" displays DIY electronics with cinematic drum beats, the final track on the EP, "Twin Flame", begins with a spoken-word narrative before drifting off into a hearty, lo-fi jazz inflected piece. Produced with the likes of Tamer Fahri Özgönenc (lafawndah & dillon) and Christian Prommer, this is a debut worth recognising. It's both truly inspiring and tranquil, a piece of work championed due to the incredible skillfulness of its artist.
"The story behind Noitulove is a tedious yet quite transformative break up; all the songs on the record are love songs I wrote during that process. All the despair, heartache, anger, hope, growth, letting go, transformation, insights, conditional and unconditional love from that time are in there", Jeannel explains exclusively to EARMILK.
"I’m very glad to set the record free now. I grew a lot since then, personally and artistically and I can’t even wait to finish all my new material. Noitulove is from a phase of my life that I grew out of a while ago. Yet the songs reflect parts of myself that I will always be able to connect with, and that will always guide me- fragility, depth, strengh, permeability, openness, the urge to understand and grow, timelessness. So I hold them quite dearly in my heart. They are really a piece of the artistic mosaic I am here to build, urging me to move forward, create more, experiment more, learn more, love more."
It's probably slightly too early to claim this as one of the best, most elegant EPs of the year? But regardless, it's definitely up there with the most utopian releases, possibly ever. And if, like me, you can't wait to hear more then Jeannel is currently working on her second EP which is planned to be released later this year.
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