Jeane

aka JJJeane

Jeane are a band. I had been following their posts and releases on Instagram for the last few months as they released their first EP. A six track outings called SICKO. Jeane are fronted by a young woman.

Then I was in contact for them to come on the radio show I do on RRR in Melbourne and the day before they came in I learned - or realized - that JEANE is the name of the band and the front person is Jazz Johnston.

I rarely talk with debut artists as they are usually very awkward and deeply, intensely involved in crawling into or out of their own skins. They don’t have a story except for that of a band or a song coming together and thats something everybody has heard before. They need to get out there and experience all the shame and indignity of being a performer or artist. Especially an Australian artist. Conquer a suburb in Melbourne then try Sydney! Go on! They get a story together as they get smashed and honed and refined as well as roughened and bent into shape.

Also, it seems to be true that if an act is going to happen, it happens QUICK.

This past year I guess I have talked with two debut artists who I thought definitely had a story. They brought the pain and the drama. One was Keyo Rose and the other is JEANE. Or Jazz. Time will tell which one of the latter two becomes ascendant!

(Keyo is away in Europe recharging his batteries and spirit after an unfortunate and traumatic loss from his inner circle)

GOOD GOD (What have we become) is the first track I heard.

“Written on a stormy night after hours of doomscrolling through news from around the world, 'Good God (What Have We Become)' came from Jazz Johnston reading about women’s rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. "I couldn’t shake the surreal feeling of living in your own body yet not having full rights over it as a woman. Writing the song became my way of processing that helplessness about the state of the world. I found myself repeating ‘good God’ like a mantra. Having grown up in the church, I’ve always been fascinated by the tension between religion and politics — especially in the Trump era," she shared.

Musically, the track is one of Jeane’s most ambitious yet. “I wrote the chorus to be reminiscent of a children’s church choir, building with textures of synths, voices and strings until it explodes at the end with the distorted electric piano line.”

The accompanying video was built using live feeds, capturing the relentless, disorienting flow of information that defines the digital age. Jazz shares, “Everything in this video (apart from Julian Assange skateboarding) is live. The featured videos are live streams of Al Jazeera News, Sky News, the stock market and my personal favourite - a security camera of a mechanic in the Philippines (shout out to Jazz Bazz Philippines). The idea was to lean into how it feels to be online currently - all-consuming and overwhelming. Exploring the internet from the safety of my bedroom, in my undies, as the world exists in all states.”

Jazz came in with Luke to talk about their upcoming dates. They then revealed they are doing this run of three or four shows and then thats it for the year! They are off to write and record more.

“no one mess with this diva !!!!!!!!!! CASH rocks, straight up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3” - Anika Luna - triple j for 'CASH'

“‘Wildfire’ explores the space between what faith can give you and what it can demand in return. Jazz Johnston explains. "Growing up, I spent most weekends going to church with my family. There were some beautiful parts about this (community, spirituality and faith) but I have always felt this tension in me about how I can express myself. ‘Wildfire’ is about that tension, especially as a woman: allowing yourself to be outrageous, wild and sexy as a defiance against false piety."

"Deeply ingrained in Christianity are gender roles that I could feel myself internally pushing against as a young person, but not having the self-understanding to express it. That is what this song is about, and it's probably a testament to why the production is so wild. I wanted to harness that feeling in the guitar parts, making them sharp and unruly (thanks soundtoys!)."

“It was the most difficult song on the EP to finish. We've tried to record it three different ways in three different studios, only to have the final version recorded back in our home studio in Northcote."

Filmed at Fairfield Uniting Church by close collaborator Marcus Coblyn, the ‘Wildfire’ music video sees the band transformed into a troupe of cheeky nuns. The video follows frontwoman Jazz Johnston from prayer pews to euphoric dance sequences through the church, before she catches a train into the city for a sneaky day out fuelled by beer and arcade games.”
“It’s the kind of breakout song that once heard, it’ll be twisting its way through loops of your brain for the rest of your day, so simply catchy and ultimately relatable it is.”
- Demure Mag for 'Emotional Baby'

“‘Emotional Baby’ is a gem of a track and showcases Jeane as a band to watch. With an unusual structure that is both low-key and powerful, it manages to hook you in from the first listen and you will want to return again and again.” - Women In Pop

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