R&B and pop singer-songwriter Jae Stephens had four rules for the summertime feel of her upcoming EP: “Sweat. Midriff. Mini skirts.”
The Pasadena-raised artist, by way of Dallas, who recently joined Issa Rae’s record label Raedio in partnership with Def Jam Recordings, soaks up the L.A. sunshine when we meet at West Hollywood restaurant Cecconi’s. After ordering a peach bourbon and “the cheesiest pasta” on the menu (a Cavatelli lamb ragu), Stephens humorously reflects on why she wanted her team to press pause on dropping her next project last fall. “I’m like, ‘I’m not trying to shake my ass to this in October! No, we will wait,’” she tells GU.
In all fairness, the six-song EP, Sellout–playfully titled after Stephens’ major label signing–is well worth the wait. Although Stephens’ supporters, whom she’s dubbed ‘JaeBaes,’ are familiar with the moody and warped sounds of her past EPs, High My Name Is and F**k It I’ll Do It Myself, Stephens promises a sultry pop reintroduction. The shift aligns with the carefreeness of her sweat-drenched latest single, “Wet,” a euphonious three-minute vibe appropriate for beach days and steamy nightclubs. However, while making the song during a one-hour session in her bedroom, Stephens admits that initially, she wasn’t feeling as cheery as “Wet” reflects. “I was sad, I was exhausted and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m about to sign this deal. I’m not really sure what’s gonna happen, but I’m tired of being stressed and anxious about it,’” she says.
Even after “Wet” made a splash upon its release in April, Stephens called the accompanying music video “jarring,” as she’s still fresh into the flirtatious and heavily choreographed space. “When I saw it, I was just a bit taken aback. I think [I was] intimidated by what I wanted for myself, [it] actually happening and being very scared of that,” says Stephens. “But that’s what I see for myself and my music; it’s big and bold and brash; she’s not the quiet, cool, seductive girl. This is the first time I’m really coming to face that head-on.”
Although Stephens has been a singer since childhood, she broke into music as a songwriter to get her name and presence in more rooms, albeit briefly losing her focus and confidence when her personal catalog wasn’t garnering the same attention. “I’ll be real, [signing to Raedio] came at a time when I was definitely ready to quit,” Stephens confesses. “I’ve always sung, but my foray into the industry was songwriting. As a songwriter, it’s a bit more low pressure and it keeps you busy. It helps hone your skills.”
Previously Stephens’ songwriting credits for the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Sinéad Harnett and Chxrry22 were darker and more brooding, now she plans for Sellout to spotlight her bona fide pop star abilities. “Musically, I’m trying something that I haven’t done before. Everything up until now has been in a certain lane, I was maybe a bit cooler, maybe a bit more dark, and I feel like there’s a reason I’ve never identified with that all the way,” she says. “This music now that’s upbeat and flirty, kind of tongue-in-cheek, maybe scandalous, a bit silly–that’s very much me as a person.”
Among the statement tracks on Sellout that listeners can look forward to is “Body Favors,” which Stephens has been teasing since 2022, the song being the basis for her EP. “I was feeling sexy and free and summertime and I was like, ‘Let me make more songs to capture this moment, this mood that I am in,” she recalls.
Originally, “Body Favors” was intended for another artist before Stephens brought the snippet to social media, ensuring that the soon-to-be single belonged to her. “I knew it was going to be mine. I didn’t give a fuck, which is not good etiquette, but I love it so much and to this day, so many people are still asking for it, which makes me really happy that she’s coming up,” she gushes.
Stephens namechecks SZA, Ariana Grande, FLO, Tyla, Amaarae and Victoria Monét (whom she says “should have millions of Grammys just as a songwriter alone”) as her current top artists in pop and R&B, but she doesn’t want her new music to be confined by genre. “I wanted to have the structure and the radio value of a pop song, but I do feel like that edge lies in the intricacies of the melodies or the arrangements that you hear in R&B music,” says Stephens.
As we near Sellout, slated to arrive towards summer’s end, Stephens has reemerged as the truest musical form of herself and refuses to compromise, having fun in the process.
“The intention is to just establish myself in a new life, brighter, bigger, more upbeat,” she says. “I don’t feel like I’ve always been fully represented in the songs I’ve [previously] put out, for whatever reason. I feel like these are all very true to me.”