Post Easter and we go with a brief look at new music from the UK’s Jupiter Gr£y. The young soul singer has kept things a bit mysterious and so info on him is a little sparse (from what we can gather). That said, we know he plied his trade at five in church and we know he has been in two groups. In truth that whole limited info approach is good. It focuses people’s attention on the music. So, let’s focus on the all-important music.
He has positioned himself as an alternative soul singer. This undoubtedly gives him scope in the future to move in and out of genres. In 2017 he dropped a single called Black Mirrors. It was a rnb driven cut with a degree of 90’s sounding synths. Then in 2018 he dropped a cut called Aquamarine complete with an official video. As we always state the number of hits are not our interest but it was a shame to see the hits on the Aquamarine video were lower than the video and track deserved. The cut built on Black Mirrors and showed further good promise. A smoky rnb cut that one would position as a slow jam. Tidy hook, good song writing, and some good vocal displays.
So, to present day and Jupiter Gr£y dropped Hijacked in April. It’s clear Jupiter Gr£y has put thought into the whole concept of the track. The content for his previous offerings were in the context of relationships. In Hijacked, Jupiter Gr£y is going for a message. London is gripped by a spike in youth violence. In Hijacked Jupiter Gr£y shows there is another way without going for the preaching, ‘don’t be bad kids’ route. He details (in a way) the transition to escape ‘that world’.
The track opens ominously with a sound and energy reminiscent of 90’s gangsta rap. In keeping with that, the track features two UK rappers Kadz Woods and Ray Wills. The first bars come from Kadz Woods (we think). Woods breaks in with bouncy bars and content fuelled by self-aggrandisement, machismo and implied violence as he talks about being “dressed in a vest”.
The bars take a back seat for Jupiter. He drops the chorus and hook expounding positivity and his need for personal growth. Jupiter Gr3y recognises the life the rapper talks about, but he wants to break free.
The second bars come from Ray Wills. They are more reflective and it’s clear there is a wish to get away from the life that was detailed previously. Wills’ bars keep with the bouncy vibe created by Woodz.
The last vocal comes from Jupiter Gr£y. Far from reflective he is positive and confident. He has broken free from the shackles of his mind “I will no longer//be ignoring//the signs that be calling//I had been searching//for the answers//but life had been showing me my purpose all along”. He will fly “high to the sky” because as he states, “this is me//this is who I am meant to be”.
As his third release in what seems a three year period, Jupiter Gr£y has gone for something a bit different. It has worked. The artwork associated with the single is distinctive. We are starting to wonder if Jupiter Gr£y has a second talent as he has used some form of animation in all three releases.
Ultimately, this latest single has performed significantly better (in terms of hits) than his two other releases put together. It seems there are further releases coming soon from Jupiter. We will keep you updated when we know something.