Just Jaded Weekly

Written By: Brooklyn Poutra

New Music Monday: FINNEAS - A Concert Six Months From Now

Happy Monday! Welcome back to New Music Monday with Jaded Productions, this week we are so excited to share our new release by FINNEAS! FINNEAS has just released his first track from his upcoming debut album ‘Optimist’, and we couldn’t be more excited! The lead single titled ‘A Concert Six Months From Now’ was released August 5th, and the full album can be expected on October 15th.

While Finneas may be known for his work with his sister, Billie Eilish, Finneas has had a significant career of his own. Finneas is an eight time Grammy winner, and has an impressive solo artist career as well as a career as a producer for some of the biggest pop stars right now. Finneas has produced songs for artists like Selena Gomez, Ashe, and Tove Lo, and has writing credits with artists like Halsey, Justin Bieber, Bruno Major, Camila Cabello, and Kid Cudi just to scratch the surface. 

Finneas’ own solo artist career is also nothing short of impressive. With almost nine million monthly listeners and a debut album on the way, Finneas has shown his skill with his 2019 EP release titled ‘Blood Harmony’. All of the songs on ‘Blood Harmony’ were written and produced by Finneas, and includes hit songs like ‘Let’s Fall in Love for the Night’ and ‘Break My Heart Again’.

Finneas’ recently released single ‘A Concert Six Months From Now’ was written and produced entirely by Finneas himself, and is a song about a romance spanning over a decade, that seems to be on and off and is an emotional ballad that depicts falling in and out of love. This song starts with Finneas murmuring lyrics about his ex lovers favorite band, and the reminiscent pain that comes with reliving the past. Over muted guitar strums he says “Your favorite band is back on the road, and this fall, they're playin' the Hollywood Bowl, I've already purchased two seats for their show, I guess I'm an optimist. 2011, you stole my heart here, and I couldn't listen to that band for years, 'Til that night last summer when you reappeared, forgot how bad I wanted this”. 

The song is accompanied with a music video that depicts the emptiness of what is left after a break up. The video was directed by Sam Bennett and was filmed in the Hollywood Bowl, filled with empty seats and dim lights. Finneas wanders around the empty Hollywood Bowl while singing the lyrics to his song and dancing through the faint spotlights.

Finneas’ upcoming debut album titled ‘Optimist’ will be a thirteen track album released on October 15th later this year. Finneas will also be going on tour in the United States and Canada starting just ten days after the release of his album. Tickets are on sale today, Friday August 13th!

Be sure to check out Finneas’ song ‘A Concert Six Months From Now’ and mark your calendars for the release of ‘Optimist’!

Artist Rec Friday: Tori Templet

Happy Friday! Welcome back to another Artist Rec Friday with Jaded Productions! This week we are so excited to share our current favorite artist, Tori Templet!

Tori Templet is a twenty one year old  independent artist from Atlanta, Georgia who makes soft pop songs and is a current student at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Templet has amassed over seventy one thousand monthly listeners after going viral on TikTok. Tori has over one hundred fifty thousand followers on TikTok who have been supporting her music.

Tori Templet’s hit singles ‘all i ask’ and ‘Butterfly Rain’ have each been streamed over one million times, and her most recent project has been a success as well. Templet’s debut album ‘Seasons’ was released in early July and has seven songs on it including the hits ‘Classic’ and ‘Ghosts’. Tori has said that ‘Ghosts’ has been one of her favorite songs that she has released. The opening line that goes “I want to dye my hair, but I’m a little scared. Not really sure if I would like it,” is one of her favorite lines that she has written. 

Tori started realizing that she had a passion for music when she was given a ukelele when she was in high school, and shortly thereafter learning to play guitar and writing her own music. During Tori’s freshman year at Baylor University, a song she was asked to record for her worship group was released, and this was a pivotal experience in her life that made her realize that her love of music went far beyond what she had previously imagined.

The debut worship song ‘Right Here’ was a big moment for her, but she initially agreed to recording the song just to check a dream off her bucket list.  In an interview with the student newspaper the Baylor Lariat, Templet said “I released it in November my freshman year at Baylor, not knowing that this was going to be something that was a huge pivotal moment in my music career, not knowing that this was going to be the thing that I wanted to do as my career and for the rest of my life,”.

If you like music by artists like Chelsea Cutler, Lizzie McAlpine or Ella Jane, then we know you will love Tori Templet. Be sure to check out her album ‘Seasons’ and stream her music on any streaming platform!

DONDA - Kanye West

Kanye West has been one of the biggest names in hip hop for almost the past two decades. With nine number one albums and a lengthy discography, fans are impatiently awaiting a new release.

Kanye West’s album DONDA was supposed to be dropped on July 24th 2020, but has yet to see the light of day. After a series of complications, it is still uncertain if and when Kanye fans will ever get to listen to this album. Release dates have been announced, but continually pushed back without explanation.

Hype about this album broke the Internet after West hosted a sold out reduced capacity stadium to play his upcoming release for his fans. The event was also streamed on AppleTV, but didn't start until about two hours after the advertised start time. Kanye eventually comes out to the empty stage wearing an all red outfit, and attendees say the event was more like watching Kanye listen back to his own album than watching him perform. He paced around the stage with a few moments of religious symbolism, and then he leaves the stage. 

There was little to no explanation or introduction with his performance, but despite the lack of performance, many attendees praised what music they did hear. The twenty four track album features rappers like Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Playboi Carti, and Pusha T. The album has been rumored to be a very personal and religious project for West, and seems to be about his own personal growth and his journey to find peace. 

The fact that this album is quite late is not a shock to Kanye West fans. Kanye has a history of releasing his music not according to schedule. His albums have ranged from a few days late, to a few months, to a year late. ‘The College Dropout’ was only a few weeks late, while ‘Graduation’ was released a week early and ‘808s and Heartbreak’ was released a whole month early. Regarding the early release of ‘808s and Heartbreak’ West said "I changed my album to November something 'cause I finished the album and I felt like it. I want y'all to hear it as soon as possible.". He is clearly the type of artist who prioritizes his works, and only wants to release something that he is entirely proud of.

Kanye West has been known to be quite a perfectionist, so it has been speculated that his album is being changed and edited and reworked. It is unsure when the album will ever be released, but Kanye fans are hopeful they will one day get to hear this project.