Jenevieve makes the perfect introduction with her first ever release as a musician, the hypnotic and soulful "Medallion," which is out now with a beautiful black and white video accompaniment. Jenevieve is a 22-year-old singer and songwriter with a history in dance who is based in L.A. and was raised in Miami.
"Me and Jean Benz, the main artist I work with in LA, wrote this song about a family we know who had to move away from the city after their house got shot up," Jenevieve explains. "For me, 'Medallion' represents that thing you hold closest to you and would do anything to protect."
"We just wanted the video to feel real and believable," she adds. "There's a grittiness to the song, in the production and the lyrics, that we wanted people to feel when they watched the video. And it also just felt right to shoot it in NYC. It reminds me of the 'U.N.I.T.Y.' days."
Jenevieve namechecks legends like Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, Prince, and The Beatles as influences, looking to the past to inspire a fresh, modern sound. As I played "Medallion" and became increasingly excited to share it with as many people as possible, I couldn't help but be reminded of the way I felt about another song premiered on Pigeons & Planes—Jorja Smith's "Blue Lights," in early 2016.
Although the two songs live in their own sonic worlds, they share similarities in approach and subject matter, both pairing a rich, soulful singing voice with hip-hop influenced production to tackle personal or societal issues in a thoughtful and compelling way. Furthermore, they both serve to introduce a new artist who must not be ignored.Â
There's a lot more music, and hopefully a debut album, on the way in 2020 from Jenevieve. For now, watch the "Medallion" video below and listen on all platforms here.
