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JELANI ARYEH Shares Video For Recent Single 'Overexposed'

Previous tracks like “Stella Brown”, “Marigold” and “From These Heights” show his reimagining of the classic sounds of indie rock.

By: Jul. 14, 2021
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JELANI ARYEH Shares Video For Recent Single 'Overexposed'  Image

21 year old Filipino/African-American artist Jelani Aryeh will release his debut album I've Got Some Living To Do later this month and today is dropping his new video for his single "Overexposed." The song is another great example of Jelani's ability to effortlessly transcend genres from indie to pop to rock to alternative and more.

On the video, he notes "The microclimates (of Marin County) really set the perfect scene for our surrealist vision for Overexposed - one second we were in Point Reyes which totally felt like Iceland or some distant country with its overcast skies, cows and rolling hills, and the next we found ourselves at the top of Mt. Tamalpais which felt like literal heaven - you're above the clouds and everything the sun touched was gold."

Director Will Noyce says of the video "The music video for Overexposed is a series of images meant to capture the feeling of isolation. What's interesting about this feeling specifically is that it's not always good or bad - intense isolation can be both incredibly beautiful or incredibly suffocating. To me this video juxtaposes both of these possibilities."

Just announced he will be performing later this year at the All Things Go Music Festival on October 16th @ the Merriweather Post Pavilion and First River Festival in Peekskill NY October 9-10th. Jelani will also be playing 2 special headlining shows in Los Angeles on August 26th @ The Echo and in New York City on October 14th @ Baby's All Right.

Jelani Aryeh crafts timeless songs with an emotional depth far beyond his 21 years of age. Previous tracks like "Stella Brown", "Marigold" and "From These Heights" show his reimagining of the classic sounds of indie rock, alternative, and folk through the lens of a mixed race kid who grew up in suburban San Diego. Standing out from the crowd in an era of memes and social media virality, Jelani brings an emotional depth, spirituality, and substance to his songs that belies his years.

Growing as a young adult and an artist, Jelani is expanding his sonic palette, working with new collaborators, and writing with newfound confidence about matters of the head and the heart. "For a lot of kids my age, I see that we numb ourselves in order to carry on with our lives. I want to make people take a step back and reflect on those times where we turned the switch off," Jelani says, of his intent for this album.

I've Got Some Living To Do sees Jelani exploring new sonic territory. "It's always been a dream to make a guitar driven record. I think it stems from meeting my ex-girlfriend and her putting me onto bands like Cage The Elephant, The 1975, and Milky Chance," recalls Jelani. "I fell into a rabbit hole of indie rock, psych rock, noise rock, glam, and folk. That's just what I like listening to now. Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Radiohead, Love, The Beatles. It just consumes me."

Back in 2019, Jelani released his debut EP, Helvetica via No Matter, exploring topics like pursuing music over a promising football career, his mixed race identity, and following his dreams. The introspective and innovative project racked up millions of streams and support from tastemakers ranging from Apple Music's Zane Lowe, who premiered lead single "Patagonia," to Rolling Stone magazine, OnesToWatch, Complex, and many more.

Jelani spent 2020 working on new music and shared the single "Stella Brown," an upbeat ode to brunettes and young love, which resonated worldwide. It became his most successful release to date with over 21 million streams and support from DSPs, radio, and press. From the cover of the Lorem playlist on Spotify, to video profiles with Verizon and Complex, to live performances for Tidal, and radio support from Apple Music, "Stella Brown" was everywhere.

This past March, Jelani showed another side of his upcoming album with the release of the sunny, aspirational single "Marigold." The momentum kept building with support from Apple on the cover of the New Music Daily and Superbloom playlists, alongside an interview with Zane Lowe announcing the album, support from Spotify on the cover of Lorem, and tastemaker radio spins on Sirius XMU, KEXP, and more.

Jelani's latest release "From These Heights" explores darker territory with swirling electric guitars and existential undertones. "I wrote this song around the time when George Floyd was killed, there were wildfires everywhere, and it genuinely felt like the world was coming to an end," reflects Jelani. "It was a chaotic time and everything felt like it was in flux. I think that made me want to escape this reality a bit."

Listen here:

Photo Credit: Natasha Tilly



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