2024 has just started, but several artists are already showing what this year’s musical landscape might look like. J.Lauryn’s new single ‘Who The Man,’ taken from her upcoming second album, is one of the freshest new songs for listeners to wrap their ears around
Musicians who release new music around January typically try to start the year by making as significant an impact as possible, setting the tone for the next 12 months. This is why the first weeks of any year see a lot of hit-and-missing for emerging artists.
But when a January single release drops and audiences truly vibe with it – it can give you a flavor of where an emerging artist might be heading.
All of this to say: when it comes to Hawaiian-born artist J.Lauryn, 2024 is looking big.
J.Lauryn shared her new single ‘Who The Man’ with the world in the second week of January. The reggae-influence hip-hop track is the third single to be released from her new album, which is also in the pipeline for later this year. It follows the success and acclaim of previous singles ‘Bad To The Bone’ and ‘Pretty Hi.’
J.Lauryn has been on many radars for a while now. Having first released her debut EP, Vibes & Highs, in 2016, she followed up with her debut album, Golden Year, a year later. She has sporadically shared other singles and collaborations since then.
But J.Lauryn’s modest – if impressive – discography doesn’t tell her whole story. She is perhaps best known in the music industry as a prolific songwriter whose contributions have helped rack up a staggering three billion+ streams across music platforms. She has worked on music for many of the most prominent artists globally, including the likes of Post Malone, BTS, Megan Thee Stallion, Macklemore, Jessie J, Ozuna, DJ Snake, Ty Dolla Sign, French Montana, and plenty of other names. Her work on Ziggy Marley’s 2016 self-titled album helped the reggae artist win a Grammy, while, in total, J.Lauryn is an 8x Platinum-selling songwriter.
Having spent much of the last five years working on other people’s music, in 2023, J.Lauryn decided to focus on her artistry. She announced on her website and social media channels that she would release her second album in early 2024. Like her first album, this would be self-produced and self-written.
With all that in mind, the release of ‘Who The Man’ in early January was an ambitious move from the artist, but one which has paid off. If the plan was considered one of the most talked about prospects for the year ahead, then ‘Who The Man’ was an excellent place to start the conversation. The 2-minute and 13-second song is a biting, fresh reggae-pop track, with J showing that she can rap as well as the best of them when she’s got the beats to back her up.
Put J.Lauryn on your ‘Ones to Watch’ this year.
