Jai’Len Josey (2026) 
Jai’Len Josey has been bubbling under the surface for years, and with Serial Romantic, her major label debut, the Atlanta native steps forward into the spotlight. The Def Jam release arrives with strong backing, including executive production from Tricky Stewart, and a lineup of collaborators who have helped bring her vision into focus. Still, the foundation of the project sits with Josey herself, from her songwriting to the perspective she brings into each record.
Before moving fully into music, Josey developed her voice on Broadway, appearing in The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!, an experience that sharpened her performance instincts. But, her shift into the recording industry came from a desire to tell her own stories. Early independent releases introduced listeners to her >Housewife” and “Won’t Force You” are a testament to her talent, and the album as a whole reflects an artist who understands where she is in her life and is willing to examine it in real time. Ahead of the release, Josey described the mix of excitement and uncertainty that comes with putting a debut album into the world. “I have a lot of emotions going on,” she says. “On one side, I feel like I can cry on the spot just from the pure feeling of being overwhelmed, and on the other hand, I feel like I’m ready to get in the ring and put up my fist to fight.”
The road to the release of the project has been steady, with a growing audience drawn to her covers, songwriting credits, and earlier releases. With Serial Romantic now out, Josey enters a new phase, one that extends beyond recording into live performance, and more. For this installment of R&B Rising, she speaks about the journey to this point, the delays behind the album, and what comes next.
ESSENCE: So talk to me about how it feels to finally have your debut album set for release?
Jai’Len Josey: I have a lot of emotions happening right now at once. I’m excited that we just had an album listening here in New York so I could actually see people’s feelings and how they reacted to the music. That was a little bit of relief, knowing I didn’t make terrible music, but then again, it’s that feeling afterward. There’s a lot of anxiousness going on in my head right now, but gratitude as well. I’m anxious to see what is going to happen.
I was on your Instagram page and saw that the album got pushed back a couple of times. Was it creative, like you felt it wasn’t ready? Was it a label thing? What was the reason for the pushbacks?
There were a lot of reasons. First and foremost, we needed visuals. We needed things to actually push the project, so it wasn’t just putting out music with nothing to support it or get people excited. We wanted to put out a music video, so we had to pivot, be flexible, and come up with different ways of promoting each single.
So that led to us making visualizers, which was one reason it was pushed back. Another reason was that we didn’t have all the paperwork together. A lot of times, you have artists you collaborate with, and if you’re waiting on their paperwork to be signed, you’re waiting on them. They have their own lives, so you’re not at their beck and call, but you are waiting on them. It made more sense to release the album when everything was signed and finalized. Another reason was timing. It became a question of when the best time would be to put it out. It wasn’t about being upset that it was delayed. It was more about asking, “When is truly the right time?”
How did you and Tricky Stewart connect?
The label put us together and started that relationship. Def Jam definitely did their big one by bringing in someone like Tricky to help me finish the songs I already had.
I know you started your career on Broadway. What led to the transition into the music industry?
The transition was my love for it. I realized I didn’t want to sing someone else’s music. I was already making my own songs in my dressing room between matinees while I was on Broadway.
I was like, I can just go forward with this. The show was about to close anyway, and my mom and I were about to leave New York to go back to Atlanta. I knew I had to do something, so I decided to jump in and pivot that way. It happened seamlessly. Then COVID hit too, so I couldn’t really stay there anyway.
I was actually introduced to you through the song covers you do. You execute them really well. Where does the inspiration come from?
I always like to let people know where I get my inspiration from, and I think the best way to do that is to sing the songs that have inspired me along the way. Most recently, I covered Stevie Wonder. A lot of his influence is in the album. I love Michael Jackson—I just covered his song—and a lot of Michael is in the album as well. I haven’t covered Nina Simone yet, but a lot of emotion comes from her.
I remember being at home and listening to my mom play ghetto tech instrumentals, with her being from Detroit. She would play The Gap Band and a lot of artists who leaned into instrumentation. I think singing their songs or paying homage is one small thing I can do to show that I’m constantly inspired by the people who came before me.
You smoked that Stevie cover. I watched it the other day; you did really well. I’m from New Orleans but have been living in Atlanta since 2012, so I love the city. Talk to me about how Atlanta influences your music and your sound.
Atlanta influences my sound through the small things that happen, like going to QuikTrip and someone asking me for money, or hearing loud music at gas stations, or going to Westside Motor Lounge and seeing how much the area has changed. Those moments feel like a part of me.
The music is going to be Southern by default. It’s going to carry that energy no matter what genre I tap into. Where I was born and raised will always be present in it. I went to Tri-Cities High School, and OutKast went there, Kandi Burruss went there, and a lot of Broadway stars came from there. Knowing that history and being part of it in some way means something. There’s also the music theater aspect. You have New York theater, but Atlanta has its ownrel=”tag”>Jai’Len Josey
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Author: Okla Jones
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