Jae Stephens’ Debut Album ‘AUDACITY’ Has Officially Dropped
Jae Stephens finally demands the room she deserves. The Dallas-born and Los Angeles-raised singer-songwriter and producer steps forward with her debut album ‘AUDACITY’, released via Def Jam Recordings/RAEDIO. Across eleven tracks (with a bonus track on vinyl), Stephens channels an infectious blend of pop and R&B to unpack the many layers of womanhood while refusing to compromise any facet of her identity.
Together with producer Dallas Caton and co-writer MNEK (Zara Larsson, Beyonce, Dua Lipa), Stephens has built a world too big to be boxed in. This musical landscape explicitly juxtaposes vulnerability and softness with autonomy, strength, and assertiveness – dualities that complement each other throughout the album, anchored by the audacity to speak her unvarnished truth. When on her lead single ‘Attaboy!’ she tames a self-proclaimed playboy, Stephens flips the script on ‘Gymnastics’, dodging a partner trying to lock her down. ‘Expensive & Difficult’ matches her unapologetic demeanour, finding her belting about not being easy to please.
Sonically, ‘AUDACITY’ lands bolder than her previous work on ‘TOTAL SELLOUT’. At the same time, ‘Auda City’, her visual realm created alongside creative director Cass Meyers (SZA, Megan Thee Stallion), becomes a domain for absolute female agency.
Following her performance at Chicago’s Lollapalooza in August, ‘AUDACITY’ arrives ahead of Stephens supporting Grammy-nominated singer Khalid on the European leg of his ‘It’s Always Summer Somewhere’ tour this October.
