Jai’Len Josey is on the go. When she joins me on Zoom, she’s making her way out of a venue where she just wrapped up a shoot for her debut album, Serial Romantic, which put her a few minutes behind schedule. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” she says, adjusting her wired headphone as the camera shakes in the rhythm of her exiting strut.
It’s a February evening, and the glammed-up singer is preparing for a moment that she’s been dreaming about, which has had its own delays. When asked how she’s feeling about her debut album release creeping up (April 24), she reveals she’s in limbo between a couple of emotions. “It keeps changing, honestly,” she says. “I’m feeling grateful and anxious — all the anxiety nerves and all the love nerves.”
It’s similar to the feeling of Josey’s early days on Broadway as Pearl Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical. “It’s the anticipation. As I’ve grown, I’ve figured out that my nerves are just that small hug,” she shares. “It’s my body’s way of giving me encouragement. Whenever I get nervous, I care deeply about it.”
According to the Atlanta-born singer, her musical roots predate her birth. “Music for me began with my mom,” says Josey, whose mother was an art director at So So Def Recordings and LaFace Records. She recalls her mother saying that, when she was pregnant, she was at an album listening party and “feeling the music beat through her belly.” Josey continues, “I really believe my journey with music is only because of my mom’s passion.”
When Josey’s passion for music became apparent, her mother enrolled her at Tri-Cities High School, famous for its Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Program. Alumni include OutKast members Andre 3000 and Big Boi, all four original members of Xscape, and actor/comedian Kenan Thompson. “It started with my mama and her being gracious enough to drive me 40 minutes to Tri-Cities High School every day.”
Following graduation, Josey booked her acting gig in the SpongeBob musical. Even with her demanding Broadway schedule, music found time for her. “I remember creating songs in between shows,” she says. “I remember a matinee would happen in between the shows. I wouldn’t go get any food. I would just be creating beats at my dressing room table.”
Those early sketches led to Illustrations, her debut EP, released independently in 2020. The following year, she co-wrote Ari Lennox’s No. 1 hit “Pressure,” which ultimately led to a deal with Def Jam.
Three years after releasing her Southern Delicacy EP, Jai’Len Josey is now here with Serial Romantic. Executive produced by Tricky Stewart, the album chronicles the cyclical nature of love — the euphoric highs, the soul-crushing lows and the self-discovery that follows.
The story is told from the perspective of her alter ego, named after her surname. She’s introduced in the opening number, “Heart and Strings,” where she’s described as “a woman caught in the relentless pursuit of perfection and acceptance” and whose heart is “repeatedly offered in the hopes of healing and connection.”
The first four tracks bask in romantic possibility, where desire (“Freak”) and devotion (“Housewife”) intertwine. When the thorns start to show, Josey tries to nip it with a “Truce,” but songs like “Won’t Force You” set a boundary of how far she’s willing to go to save a relationship. “If you don’t wanna be here / I won’t force you baby,” she sings on the 2000s-coded acoustic ballad. By the finale, “I Believe (Selfish),” Josey learns to leave some love for herself.
Serial Romantic includes additional production by Josey, The-Dream, Leon Thomas, Ben Parris, FABE and more.
In our conversation below, Jai’Len Josey discusses her artistic evolution from Broadway to Def Jam, the making of Serial Romantic and how she learned the most important kind of love.
How has your artistic intent evolved from your Illustrations EP through to Serial Romantic?
Illustrations started as my liberation from Broadway. COVID happened, and I had to come home. I was like, “Well, I’ve been creating all this music. I need to pivot into something that feels true to me.” I was young and just wanted to make music.
Southern Delicacy was originally titled Orchestrations. It ended up not happening, but a lot of life stuff was happening. My grandfather had passed away; my grandmother getting up there in age. Southern Delicacy is the essence of me as a young Southerner who loves her family and the South.
Going into Serial Romantic, because I’ve explained who I am within music, now it’s time to showcase I’m a grown woman. I love to love. I’ve been through a lot of experiences with love. It’s the whole cycle: going through the relationships I’ve been in and realizing the most important love was to give that back to myself.
What does the album title Serial Romantic mean to you?
It’s the cycle of love in my essence. I know people hear Serial Romantic and be like, “She’s a serial dater.” But it’s that trial and error with these experiences. Serial Romantic is that cycle we all get in until we break it and give ourselves what we rightfully deserve.
Your alter ego, Josey, usually comes out during your live shows. However, she’s introduced on the opening track “Hearts and Strings.” Who is Serial Romantic about: Jai’Len or Josey?
Josey. This is the beginning of the character arc. I felt like I created solely around Jai’Len and not around who performs. I don’t know who I am when I get on stage, but it’s truly not Jai’Len, so it has to be Josey. Her story deserves to be written about.
Was there a specific moment where that self-love realization clicked, or was it through a collection of experiences?
Experiences. When I was 25, I looked in the mirror and was like, “I have to get my stuff together mentally, emotionally, physically.” I was unable to take compliments or be happy when someone said they loved my music. It was imposter syndrome wrapped up in insecurities about how I looked — my gap, my skin color, my weight. I was like, “People can see that you haven’t healed yourself.” A lot of experiences showed me what I like, how I should be treated, how I need to go about, and how to speak up for myself. It matters to me to be truly healed and make music that doesn’t sound sad all the time. I make uptempo music: I would rather dance than cry.
Speaking of which, you have a song called “I Believe (Selfish).” What’s the story behind that one?
I wrote “I Believe (Selfish)” at the end of 2023. It comes from experiencing the lack of love a person can give when you’re willing to give every single chance they want. I was constantly praying this one person would do right by me because I was always giving, but they would always say no. I had to let that person go. I realized writing is my way of putting a period to a relationship. So that experience happened, I wrote about it, and now I can live and breathe in my “selfishness.” I feel better with that person not in my life anymore.
How do you balance self-love with love extended to others?
By speaking up for myself and saying no. If the people I consistently pour into love me the way I love them, they’ll understand when I say no. I think being selfish — still being loving and kind — with the cup of love you have; there’s no way you’ll be able to pour into someone else if you’re depleted.
On “Housewife,” you sing about the sacrifices you’ll make in the name of love. Where did you pull from when writing it?
I was so knee-deep in a relationship. I thought, “You know what? I love this dude so much. I could take a cooking class.” I don’t know how to cook, but for this person, I was really thinking about it. I wrote it in honor of being really in love at that moment. The word “housewife” sometimes garners negative attention, but if anybody goes through the lyrics and listens to it, I’m saying, “I love you so much that I would do something I would never think about doing.” I love the fact that I created the beat and wrote it. The song encompasses all of who I am musically. I love a good bass guitar. I love me some drums. I love anything live.
“Love Ain’t Shit” feels like an anthem for those wounded by love. What inspired that one?
It was written by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. I’ll say it like this: I don’t think love ain’t shit. I believe we say things we don’t mean in a time of anger. “Love Ain’t Shit” is that little moment of desperation and anger you go through. I believe that love has so many facets. Being a lover girl, we also have those moments where we have to chalk it up to the moment in time that we’re in.
Which song on the album is the most personal to you?
“Won’t Force You.” I originally was writing it for another artist, but I was like, “No, I need this one.” It’s personal to me because I was tired of overexerting myself and trying to prove to this person that I was worth loving in a large capacity and worth not being cheated on. I was exhausted by trying to force myself into a relationship that obviously wasn’t for me, regardless of how much they said they loved me and wanted to be with me. It came to a point where I needed to write down: “I’m not going to force myself to be loved by someone who isn’t willing to love me the right way.” It was like an internal battle with myself, telling him I’m not going to force him to love me and telling myself I’m not forcing myself in a relationship that’s not for me.
You titled the album after “Serial Romantic,” which is more upbeat. What’s the significance behind that song?
It’s in the whole phase where you want to do the fantasies. You’ve been hurt — you’ve gone through this, that, and the third — but you want to experience things without judgment because what do you have to lose? If people go through the lyrics, they’ll see it’s just a fantasy the person hasn’t experienced yet. It’s through the story of a ménage à trois. I want people to experience fantasy vicariously through the song.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in making your debut album?
Just getting it out. Me and my manager fight tooth and nail for respect when it comes to putting out music. It’s not easy or anything, but it’s really just my manager and I. We get our content together. All of the treatments come from in-house. I’m not the largest artist; I’m very much starting out. I understand it may take a couple more numbers on the board for a little more love and care. This album was supposed to come out last year. The hardest part was convincing people that the music was worth the love and care and worth putting money behind.
What statement did you want to make with Serial Romantic?
I want the audience to know that whichever path I take after this, genre-wise, I’m able to do it. I’m able to genre blend. I’m able to do R&B, indie and pop. No matter what the story is, no matter how it sounds, it’s going to be executed right. Jai’Len is going to give them quality over quantity.
I also want people to understand that the only way you’ll be able to fill someone else’s cup is if you have some in your cup. You can’t overexert yourself or pour so much into someone that won’t be able to give that right back to you. It might be scary to break the cycle, but it’s worth doing.
Featured Photo Credit: QualityLenz
Stream Jai’Len Josey’s Serial Romantic here.