Jelani Aryeh blew me away with his debut EP Suburban Destinesia in 2017, mixing rap, pop, R&B, and indie rock in a way that's totally natural for a kid who grew up with access to all genres of music on the internet. Furthermore, the teenager from suburban San Diego had started a music and art collective called Raised By The Internet over a Brockhampton fan forum, connecting with other young creatives and building something bigger than himself.
Since the EP, Jelani has released the smooth "Lavendar Love" and today he's back with another single, "Daunt," flexing his already sharp songwriting ability with another memorable chorus. Produced by Raised By The Internet's Jack Kolbe, the song is written from the perspective of Jelani's exes, revealing a level of self-awareness that young men often lack.
“'I need time to work on myself' were always the last words before I completely distanced myself from my previous partners," Jelani explains. "I believe after my second relationship I finally acted on those words and actually started working on becoming a better person so I wouldn’t be ill equipped going into the next relationship. Mind you I’m only a senior in high school getting out of my second relationship. It might sound weird as referring to them as women instead of girls because we’re in high school and all, but it’s true, and also empowering to them to know that they’re beautiful strong fucking women. Sorry for that tangent, it was needed though. Right before I acted on those words though I thought to myself, 'What do my exes think of me?' and that’s where 'Daunt' came from."
Having written "Daunt" last September, Jelani is currently working on a new EP, experimenting with his singing voice, and taking advantage of having no school because he graduated early. With so much potential, this is another strong addition to Jelani Aryeh's burgeoning catalog.
