‘BLUE’ by Jeannel

A level up from alternative, Jeannel is a multi-talented musician making avant-garde music. Her new single, ‘BLUE’, released today and accompanied by a music video, indeed exists in a genre of its own – one where live cello meets R&B chorals and baroque pop production. The track is a tender exploration of the risk and rapture of romantic love, its unique, nuanced sonics offering new perspectives to the subject we still struggle to articulate. 

 

Hailing from Cologne, where she studied jazz singing and classical cello at the coveted Music Conservatory, Jeannel’s artistry is rooted in eclectic influences. The cello was her first calling, which she started playing at age seven, and is today a distinctive feature of her sound. Based in Berlin, Jeannel sits at the cutting edge of a non-conformist creative scene; she has captivated not only the music industry – Resident Advisor, NTS Radio and a host of international festivals have all booked her – but the art world too. A standout on the musician’s résumé is the artist residency she held in Havana, Cuba, as well as invites to perform at esteemed global cultural establishments.

 

Though Jeannel couldn’t be less mainstream, her name is causing a buzz and will undoubtedly be on many people’s lips soon. Newcomers to the artist’s discography will draw comparisons to feminine luminaries such as FKA Twigs, Solange and Sevdaliza, who she grew up listening to and sites as a big influence. On 2022’s EP Black Sesame she dances the borders of R&B, trip-hop, avant-pop and neo-classical, whilst intelligently exploring the deep waters of sexuality, love and the subconscious. 

 

On ‘BLUE’, these ideas and sounds culminate gently, so as not to dilute their meaning. A carefully plucked cello carries Jeannels’ vocals as they sway between choral and delicate. Four-time Grammy-nominated engineer Zino Mikorey (Hans Zimmer, Metronomy, The Kooks) mastered the piece, which Jeannel herself seamlessly produced. Backdropped by a cinematic, moody music video the song’s narrative of love comes to life and echoes around the vast Art Deco hall in which it’s set.

 

It is an art piece, to which Jeannel feels potently and personally connected. Unafraid to be vulnerable, she shares “[‘BLUE’ is] a tribute to a love I lost, that really shattered me and brought me to the very edge of my own humanness, my sanity and fragility, but above all showed me my capacity to love. There I find strength in the bitter-sweetness of life, knowing the tremendous courage it takes to love and therefore live fully, and I hope it encourages other people too.”