The future of Black music is in great hands, thanks to artists like Jai’Len Josey.

When one looks to the horizon of what lies ahead within the art form, it’s musicians like Josey who aren’t afraid to defy boundaries and bare their souls for others’ consumption (and critique). 

To commemorate Black Music Month, Josey, along with Kai Ca$h, a lyricist on DJ Drama and Don Canon’s Generation Now imprint hailing from New York, and R&B crooner and painter THEARTI$T, gathered at Atlanta’s Knock Music House at The Future of Black Music showcase powered by Smirnoff and BCode.

What sets her generation apart from the rest?

“What sets this generation of artists apart from — truthfully, just the times. I really do think we’re all one in the same,” Josey told Blavity hours before hitting the stage at the event. “I feel like my mom’s parents were like, ‘Oh, your music is too wild,’ and this, that and a third, and then my mom was saying that about this generation, when, in actuality, we all kind of went through the same thing; it was just a different type of sound. It was a different type of time.”

She added, “I feel like we’re all bringing soul or a different essence to music. So, it’s kind of hard to say that it’s different. Yes, of course, there are different topics being said,” continuing, “It’s a different way of like rapping, or it’s a different way of this, that, and the third, but it really has the same essence at its core, which is just either youthfulness, soulfulness, or just being Black in general. I really do feel like it’s all one in the same, just in a different time.”

Through her powerhouse vocals and exquisite pen game, Josey continues to show the world that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Her latest track, “New Girl,” is the lead single from her forthcoming Tricky Stewart-produced debut album, Serial Romantic, and it quickly gained popularity on TikTok, reaching up to 100,000 streams in just one week. A smash hit, released just in time for the summer, Josey says the song came about from her making music on her terms. 

As the track that she closed her Future of Black Music headlining performance out with, it wasn’t seconds before she left the stage that Josey was lured back to perform an encore of the song. 

“I like any type of genre. I really like if I can walk on it, you know, vocally, then hey, let’s do it,” Josey said of the vision behind “New Girl.” “I didn’t know how people were going to take it, but, you know, you gotta throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, and it stuck.”

This isn’t her first rodeo

An Atlanta native with Detroit roots, thanks to her mother, Josey made her Broadway debut at the tender age of 16 as Pearl in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical. She also starred in the off-Broadway production of The Secret Life of Bees and provided voice acting for Nickelodeon and PBS Kids. 

In 2021, Josey signed with Sony Music Publishing as a songwriter and has co-written songs with Ari Lennox, SiR and others. The “Southern Delicacy” crooner is also one of the first artists to sign to Lena Waithe’s Def Jam imprint, Hillman Grad Records. 

What drives her music?

As an artist and overall music lover, Josey said that she looks toward artists like Stevie Wonder, carrying his lyricism with her in the work that she produces today.

“I feel like if you can tell a story through your lyrics, if you can narrate, then, you know, you have an audience,” she said. “You have people that, you know, are captivated by your talent. Narrating things, writing people’s stories out — some people aren’t even able to, you know, tell their own stories.” She continued,” For me, as a musician and as an artist, that is the thing that I want to make sure that I carry out within my career is lyricism first. And of course, feelings, those are also things that I want to carry out too, but it’s something about those words that, if you say something, it can hit you differently.”

When it comes to partnering with a brand like Smirnoff to do something that she can do in her sleep, Josey admitted that she’s “happy to be along on this ride” and commented on Smirnoff putting forth energy behind young talent, “and I think that that is a big step because not a lot of people are doing it.”

The future of Black music and Jai’Len Josey

In this chapter of not only her life but also her overall artistry, Josey said she’s bringing forth a vibration of learning how to defend herself in a way that’s different from her norm. As someone born under the Scorpio sun sign, Josey is no stranger to the depths her emotions can take her. Still, rather than wearing her heart fully on her sleeve, she’s learned that speaking up for herself is a powerful means of protection and the perfect way to transform and level up into what life currently looks like for her.

With her debut album underway, Josey wants listeners to feel a sense of inclusivity, knowing that their situations are not unique but instead shared by others. 

“It’s not them going through it alone,” Josey, who’ll bring ghettotech to her new album as a means of blending her mother’s Detroit roots with hers as a Georgia Peach, said. This direction also serves as a reminder that Josey is not an artist who can be boxed into one particular sound or genre.

“I got my foot in the door with R&B, and it still is a form of R&B in my eyes, because, you know, it was coined by Black people originally,” the “Good Soup” singer said of ghettotech. “My mom is from Detroit, and they all had segregated radio, so she was listening to ghettotech. She was listening to house while also listening to Stevie Nicks, Aretha Franklin, and all those other type of artists, but it’s just like, I feel like that sound is so special to me in the way where I can mix my Southern roots with it. I can bring who I am at core, while also making people like dance. I do feel like in these times, the best thing for us to do right now is to dance, so, hey, why not make the soundtrack for that?”

When it comes to the future of Black music, or music in general, Josey wants people to say, “She was courageous,” in response to her ability to not only make her mark in a particular genre but also to leap across various music categories.