‘Serial Romantic’ traces the progression of a relationship, capturing its different stages across each track. Like a sonic film, every song feels like a chapter with its own atmosphere, while together they form a cohesive narrative. “Housewife and “New Girl” focus on the beginning of a relationship, but in dramatically different angles. In “Housewife,” Jai’Len Josey explores how a special someone can expand a person’s worldview and introduce them to possibilities they’ve never imagined before. “Every day that you cross my mind, I been thinking ’bout being a good girl,” she sings. “I’ve been thinking ’bout being a housewife.”
“New Girl” tackles falling in love from a different angle, talking about the nervous push and pull of the early stages of a relationship. However, “Love Ain’t Shit” breaks away from that intoxicating vibe abruptly, confronting heartbreak and betrayal. By doing so, Josey exposes how the feelings in the early stages can be deceiving. The melancholy song showcases Jai’Len Josey’s range as a singer-songwriter, as she effortlessly pulls at listeners’ heartstrings. It immerses listeners in soft vulnerability and atmospheric sadness.
“Truce” stays in the same tender space but shows progression, as the protagonist begins to pull herself out of sorrow and approach the situation more intellectually. “Won’t Force You” marks the moment clarity hits, when expectations go unmet and the protagonist realizes that “if you don’t wanna be here, I won’t force you,” which is a grounding mindset in an otherwise painful situation.
“This Time Around” signals change. For the first time, the protagonist redirects her attention back to herself, and she radiates. Jai’Len Josey doesn’t only excel at expressing different shades of emotion through her lyrics and sonic storytelling, but her ability to create a full, immersive, and cinematic experience through music is what makes this album so compelling.
In the interview hosted by 1824, Josey revealed that her time at Broadway contributed to her storytelling range in a fundamental way. “Broadway allows me to be dramatic in my everyday life,” she says. “And in every way I have to show up musically. Without Broadway, I don’t know what my personality would be, but I do know that, as dramatic as I am, ‘Serial Romantic’ is definitely dramatic because of Broadway.”
Press Q&A with Jai’Len Josey
Q: What was the process like picking the four singles to represent the album?
Jai’Len Josey: Not only does it represent the album, but it also represents me. I originally wrote and produced these songs. “New Girl” started from my bedroom. “Housewife” started from my bedroom. Those songs altogether it’s basically me. I needed to start off with my sound first.
Q: What was the hardest moment(s) to translate into a song?
Jai’Len Josey: The hardest moment about translating all these experiences into songs is that they were actual experiences. I feel like I have to go through extra life experiences in order to write these songs. I think by the time it’s written, it’s almost like a release. I can finally put onto paper and give it out to other people, so they can have a little bit of therapy just as much as it has been for me.
Q: “New Girl” and “Housewife” show different perspectives on love. How did these tracks frame ‘Serial Romantic’ as an album?
Jai’Len Josey: In context, “Housewife” is the third song in the tracklist of the album. “New Girl” follows right after it. This is the stage where I’m really happy, where I’m being gullible and giving myself to at this moment. It takes a quick turn of the sphere. I like that they’re both in the beginning of the album to show the beauty of the beginning of a relationship and how someone feels about a person.
Q: How did your experience on Broadway help form or shape the decision to write and release your own music?
Jai’Len Josey: My personality shows up in my music, my composition. This album depicts that story. I do know that I was on Broadway, I was creating my beats in my dressing room. If I’m creating my beats and I have to go on stage to sing somebody else’s music, then I should be able to go on stage to sing my own music. I think being on Broadway gives me the courage to leave Broadway in order to pursue my own music. In the context of ‘Serial Romantic,’ Broadway allows me to be dramatic in my everyday life, and in every way I have to show up musically. Without Broadway, I don’t know what my personality would be, but I do know that, as dramatic as I am, ‘Serial Romantic’ is definitely dramatic because of Broadway.
Q: If there’s any genre you hope to explore in this album or future releases?
Jai’Len Josey: Specifically, my mom is from Detroit. I grew up on Getto take, House, along with the fact that she used to play a lot of legends in the house. If you mix that with instrumental and jazz, that’s who I am. I truly hope to experiment with Getto Take, House, Trance, and find a way to morph genres with pop and RnB, but always have a southern twang to it.
Q: How have you balanced your desire for complete creative control and professional input in the studio?
Jai’Len Josey: I’ve always seen the beauty in collaboration, but I’m more so respecting it now, knowing that collaboration makes the best art. Tricky Stewart has given me the ability to be an artist in my own right, given me the thought that I can sit down and allow somebody to make my work better, and allow myself to experience the magic of truly being an artist at the end of the day. I do have Tricky to thank for that.
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