JVKE: this is what _ feels like

JVKE’s debut album this is what ____ feels like takes us on a journey through the whirlwind of emotions experienced throughout and after a relationship.

Named as Global PUSH Artist for the Month of October by MTV, JVKE has fed us quite the concoction of emotions with the release of his first album this is what ____ feels like (vol. 1-4). From infatuation to resentment, this album takes us through the stages of falling in and out of love, illustrating the cyclical nature of relationships. As JVKE stated in an interview on the Zach Sang Show in May 2022, the album is broken up into four parts: the feeling of falling in love; heartbreak; sadness; and falling out of love. With carefully crafted track names and passionate, heartfelt lyrics, the album narrates JVKE’s first relationship – a rather personal and tumultuous experience which he was inspired to share through his music. Most of the songs were written as and when the artist felt them, rather than in hindsight which adds another level of authenticity to the raw feelings and emotions that seep through the lyrics.

The release of his highly successful single ‘golden hour’ on 15 July, which has since amassed over 136 million streams, marked JVKE’s entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The track, that currently rests at #54 and is rising still has been used as the soundtrack for several moving wedding montage videos on TikTok, highlighting its undeniably romantic nature, both lyrically and musically. The song begins with a beautiful piano sequence that builds up with the start of the bridge, before amounting to a crescendo that returns to that same opening melody. In the song, JVKE compares his love interest to the ‘golden hour,’ describing her as having “glitter for skin / my radiant beam in the night,” highlighting how he’s put her on a pedestal, so overcome with love and adoration. The repetition of “just two lovers” illustrates the intimacy of feeling like you’re the only two people in the world when you first fall in love.

The seamless transitions between each song make listening to the album an engulfing experience. It would be almost impossible to identify when one track ended and when the other track began if it weren’t for the change in JVKE’s voice. The fluid piano transition between ‘golden hour’ and ‘this is what heartbreak feels like’ makes you feel like you’re floating. The pain in JVKE’s voice as he starts with the line “Pretty little liar, whatcha gonna say?” marks the drastic change and decline in the relationship as this person goes from being called “the love of my life” in ‘golden hour’ to just a “pretty little liar”.

The finale to the album, ‘i can’t help it’, begins with the melody and lyrics to Elvis’ ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love’ – arguably one of the most romantic songs of all time – before evolving into quite an upbeat song about falling in love again. This can be seen as a somewhat unexpected change, since the final stage is supposed to be falling out of love. Thus, this final song leaves room for interpretation, either as reminiscence of the love he once had, or rather a reflection of the feeling of falling in love all over again, with someone new, after having mourned and moved on from the previous relationship.

With the combination of his Bazzi-esque vocals, with some stunning orchestral touches - such as the melodic violin sequence at the start of ‘this is what falling in love feels like – JVKE has created a highly unique sound, all rooted in his primary talent: playing the piano. In combining two parallel musical styles (instrumental with electronic), JVKE is able to capture the overwhelming, contrasting emotions that one feels when falling in and out of love

All self-produced with his brother ZVC at his home in Rhode Island, JVKE announced the album in an Instagram post on 19 September, where he also interestingly claimed that this would be his first and last album, further stating he wants to now do 'something bigger than albums'. This leaves us in anticipation of what is to come for such a successful and multifaceted instrumentalist, producer, and singer?

Image courtesy of Ebuen Clemente Jr via Unsplash. Image license can be found here.