Jeuru: The Face of a King

"The song 'King Malik' is the manifestation of my ego," Jeuru says on the song. "While I feel it’s often told to kill your ego, I felt making the song gave space for my ego to have a voice, a chance to really understand another side of myself I often ignore when writing music."

office spoke with Jeuru and he gave us some insight on where he is creatively these days, where he is trying to go, as well as his relationship with the U.S. and his meditations on self and his community with the Black Lives Matter movement.

How are you doing?

I am very focused these days which is very good in my opinion despite everything going on. I can say I’m feeling happy internally at the moment though.

What are you thinking about these days?

Different ways to elevate my voice as an artist both sonically and visually. I’m thinking about the hope I have for All Black Lives in the future and wanting to see the restructuring of the racist system that is the U.S Government happen in my lifetime. I’m also thinking about grabbing whatever kind of love I have in my life, being more present in it, and focusing on enjoying what I got.

You left New York for Copenhagen after finding that you liked the energy in Copenhagen, you said you ‘needed time to focus, heal and lick [your] wounds.’ How has the move been? Have you settled well over the past couple of years?

I have! Thanks for asking. Therapy and love and acceptance of what happened helped me a lot. I really took time to focus and enjoy myself and process the pain and cry it out and laugh it away and made new memories to help ease where I was coming from. Very proud of where I am spiritually at the moment.

How has it felt being away from the US during the recent movements?

It breaks my heart. Being away and seeing everything happening at home put a whole new lens to my eyes. I just see how much gaslighting the U.S does to specially to Black people as well as just to working-class Americans. I can clearly see that free education, healthcare, etc. can happen, it’s possible. But of course if the Democrats and Republicans don’t benefit off of us being able to have those things, they won’t give it to us. So we need to force them all out and start new. That’s what I want. End capitalism ‘cause it’s what’s killing us in America. Here in Copenhagen, we held a Black Lives Matter march, I sang at the opening and that helped me a lot with expressing my frustrations. I was very proud that everyone came out and proud of the organizers who put it together.

You said you're a proud New Yorker, have you considered coming back?

I do plan on moving back home to America. Maybe not N.Y. ‘cause my head isn’t there in the moment. Somewhat want to be in L.A for a bit. Of course, I’ll be in N.Y. all the time, that’s my home forever. I would like to be by more open space for the moment.

Your musical presence is one that suggests a wide range of ideas and hopes in output. What kind of artist are you?

I always say I wear 1,000 faces and they all have a place and purpose in time. People might not be able to latch onto every one of those faces. But not everything I do or say is for easy public consumption. I want to be everything and nothing.

Your videos, most notably the epic of "Midnight Lullaby/Distorted Rainbows" which we covered in office at your debut, and this latest video "King Malik," are suggestive of an artist trapped in their mind with outbursts of emotion in the form of intense beauty. What are you trying to tell us with these videos?

"King Malik" is the very obvious presence of my ego coming out in front lines for a monologue. I wrote the song last October and it really came out of frustration with everyone trying to tell you how to exist. I say in the song, ‘They need niggas like me,' but ‘cause what would exist without queer Black people, without the lives of those who are brave enough to be themselves? We create a lot and we deserve respect and I’m not gonna take less than what I deserve. So that’s what came out of that.

You said, ‘The song King Malik is the manifestation of my ego,’ and that you crowned yourself king with the song. How does it feel to be a king? What was that process with self like?

I think it was nice to be able to talk shit for a change and just create a world for me to exist in, in the way that I envision and enjoy. That required a bit of ego to do I guess. There’s a lot that goes in fighting for your rights, for your right to exist the way you see fit in this world as a Black person every day. I think that’s what makes us beautiful. We all create our own thing as a culture and that world couldn’t possibly exist without it and that’s what’s make us royalty.

The "King Malik" video is a departure from the intimate, entrancing emotional masterwork of "Midnight Lullaby/Distorted Rainbows." We see you with an aura of power, flash, and seduction. At one point in the video, a message flashes, “I'M NO LAMB UP FOR SLAUGHTER IM THE TEETH.” Where are you taking us with this video?

The phrase ‘I’m no lamb up for slaughter I’m the teeth’ is a phrase I created to say, just because I am delicate, have a kind smile, my posture is straight, my skin is soft, my outfits are flamboyant—I will bite and I’m not afraid to fight for myself I’ve always felt the need to express that. I think people see people like me and they make assumptions about who you might be and while my opinion on myself is the most important, it’s also important to stand your ground and make it clear for the people. A lot of the strong women in my family who come from Haiti and Jamaica always taught me to never take bullshit from anyone. I’m here for being chaotic for the good sometimes and also beautiful when I can be, haha.

Your body and the forms you take are their own character in your videos. What are you telling us in your movements?

The choreographer Ronni Morgenstjerne and I sat in the dance studio, and he asked me to do what naturally came to me with the song and we worked from that. A lot of what wanted to come out was attitude, focused and strong sense of being somewhat masculine in the steps.

Where are you going next with your art?

I can say right now I’m gonna explore more the electronic side of myself, including trip-hop and the indie side of myself. Visually I’m already seeing more of a disruptive side of myself emerging from within. Hope to keep that same energy. If not, guess you guys gotta stay tuned to haha.

Play video

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: