Artist Spotlight - Jo Jodun

Jo Jodun’s music embodies a magnetism and fearlessness that will leave one’s soul caressed and their spirit transported into a separate echelon far from this world. A multi-talented singer-songwriter and producer, Jo Jodun’s influences range far and wide, with her current string of releases offering a pertinent glimpse into the multi-faceted landscape that is her catalogue of sonic inspirations, pointing to an exciting genre-less direction with her future music. Despite having just a few works to her name thus far, Jo Jodun’s vocal talent and output has already solidified her discography as one to immediately become familiar with.

An abandonment of fear and an embracing of unapologetic determination radiates from Jodun’s music, and this is wholeheartedly captured with her debut track ‘Circles’. Released in July last year, the song is a testament to feelings of being trapped in an inescapable relationship cycle. The nature of the production – a series of low, brooding synths and intermittent electronic sounds – means that all focus is on Jo Jodun’s vocals on, a testament to the subtlety of the production which brings a stripped-back quality to Jodun’s delivery.

Jodun’s cover of American R&B artist Jazmine Sullivan’s raw and honest track ‘Lost One’, will elevate your spirit in an indefinably beautiful manner. By bringing her own soulful spin to the heartbreaking original, Jodun highlights the despair in the track to an even greater level. In addition, Jodun has lent her vocal excellence to tracks with Melbourne artists Buddy Ryan and Kim Calapardo. American-born, Melbourne-based artist Buddy Ryan’s track ‘CherryOak’ (off of his 2019 album ‘May Eleven’) utilises Jodun’s riveting delivery to add a sombre edge to the track’s melancholic tone. Moreover, Jodun’s compelling presence on Kim Calapardo’s September 2020 release ‘If You Let Me’, is a memorable accompaniment alongside Calapardo’s emotive performance on the track.

Earlier this month Jo Jodun dropped ‘FUNANDGAMES’, her second track ever. The song beckons the listener in with the use of some truly captivating vocal stretches and playful instrumentation in the introduction. Lyrically, the track sees Jodun delivering a wake-up call to a significant other who elicits a lack of clarity in what they want from the relationship, expressing evocative bars such as: “Said you’d be mine, said you’d be kind, but this went so sour”, to conjure feelings of being fed up with all the times she’s been hurt.

Undeniably, Jo Jodun’s masterful grasp of both her vocal ability and production talent is brilliant, but it is the passion and sincerity in her artistry that allows the music to flourish in the listener’s ear. With talent in abundance, Jo Jodun has presented herself as a truly powerful artist with a contagious energy that would both equally leave an intimate jazz club and a packed-out festival in awe of her performance.

Words by Matthew Badrov

Published June 24th, 2021.