On a snowy morning waiting for the bus after my morning class downtown, I listened to 24-year old singer-songwriter Jensen McRae’s 2021 EP Who Hurt You?. Immediately, I was drawn in by her complex and beautiful lyrics, as well as her musical style and production. This collection of songs was the perfect accompaniment to being on public transportation. Despite being surrounded by constant motion and people around me, the ride was a perfect contemplative environment to process the emotional lyrics.
Who Hurt You? Album Cover
In describing her genre of music, Jensen McRae refers to her music as “folk-alternative-pop” and her early influences include artists like Alicia Keys, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, and James Taylor (McRae). As a singer-songwriter, McRae is constantly writing, documenting her process throughout her social media. This includes snippets of lyrics and songs - some of them released, others unreleased. (Jensen McRae’s song “Immune” originated from a viral tweet, then developed to a video clip of potential lyrics posted on social media, to becoming a song on her debut EP.) While Who Hurt You? was released last summer, I did not hear of Jensen McRae’s music until seeing a TikTok on my For You Page from her page, where she played a snippet of her song “Adam’s Ribs,” and used an analogy to compare the song to a work of another singer-songwriter.
Jensen McRae’s TikTok Account
Through this closing song of her EP, McRae used a biblical metaphor to compare an experience in a relationship to the story of Adam and Eve. She opens the song recounting an experience of falling in love - and falling from the Garden of Eden. “I tried to bargain / Not to get thrown from the garden / To fast I fell to begging / Have you ever lost heaven?” (Adam’s Ribs). Through the powerful imagery and allusions, McRae “wanted to capture how painful and lopsided and hopeless but also totally exhilarating and glorious unrequited love can be” (McRae). This feeling of unrequited love is perfectly captured through the line “The high is worth the bruise / I’d still eat the fruit” (“Adam’s Ribs”). Here, the narrator highlights that they would choose to fall in love with the person again - choosing to eat the fruit and metaphorically falling from heaven - just as Eve chose in the Garden of Eden. All of the pain, loneliness, and difficulty associated with unrequited love is juxtaposed with the happiness, excitement, and hope of connecting with a person.
Art from “Adam’s Ribs” lyric video
“Adam and Eve in the earthly paradise” by Johann Wenzel Peter
Despite the other songs differing subjects, capturing a specific moment in time and describing an overwhelming feeling appears throughout the EP. Many of her song lyrics build upon her personal experiences, as well as reflecting on larger societal issues and current events. This includes McRae’s experiences as a Black woman at a predominantly white institution in college through the song “White Boy” and examining the prevalence of misogyny and harassment through the song “Wolves.” This reflects the influence of one’s experiences and larger social, cultural, and societal structures influence and inspires one’s art.
On March 22, Jensen McRae’s debut album, Are You Happy Now? releases. I look forward to once again being on public transit, having time to sit with her music, and dwell in the space of her creative work through music.
Are You Happy Now? Album cover
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xsJQJVKwvc&ab_channel=JensenMcRae
https://wnur.org/a-conversation-with-jensen-mcrae/
I had never heard of Jensen McRae before, but I might have to listen to her music now! I think it’s so cool that you discovered her music through tiktok. It’s really interesting how tiktok has shaped the music industry recently and allowed new artists to become popular by sharing snippets of their songs. I loved the lyrics you shared from “Adam’s Ribs.” McRae perfectly encapsulates heartbreak and her lyrics are so poetic and beautiful. Looking forward to listening to the song!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing! I listened to one of McRae’s songs while I was reading, and I’m looking forward to exploring more. Knowing a bit about her process and influences, I can definitely hear some similarities to the artists she cites as inspiration. Even just hearing one song, I can tell how this would be great commuting music!
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued so much by your description of Jensen's music that I decided to give it a listen myself. I can say that after listening to her EP I agree completely with what you were saying about her lyricality, illusions and messages in her music. I think you captured the essence of her music so well in her post and I was pleasantly surprised by how emotional and beautiful her music turned out to be. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful creative!
ReplyDelete