Jae Stephens has released a new single, “What’s A Monday,” in which she encourages folks to live each day as if it were their last. It was made available as part of a collab between Google and HBO’s Insecure creator Issa Rae’s label Raedio.
Stephens sings about not waiting till the weekend to seize life by the horns on “What’s A Monday,” a song she co-wrote with J.LBS (Kendrick Lamar, Ella Mai, Jhené Aiko), who also produced it. She decides to accept each day for what it is, blaming herself for not following her heart and pursuing her ambitions.
“I can’t lose cause I only compete / With me myself and I, we gettin’ better every week / Nah, I don’t fear what’s on the brink / Take it as it comes and just breathe,” Stephens sings.
“What’s A Monday” was accompanied by a music video. It conveys her getting dolled up for a photo shoot and flashes of beautiful moments with friends and industry giants such as 15x Grammy-winner Alicia Keys.
Stephens was chosen as a winner of the Raedio Creator Program, a Google collaboration to help underrepresented independent artists. She’ll get funds to pay studio time, production fees, and marketing expenses for a three to five-track EP. She can seek advice from the Raedio team, which is mostly comprised of people of color or women while working on the project.
Stephen’s unnamed project will be released and added to Raedio’s repertoire for pitching and sync opportunities. Google is liable for the expenditures of a single music video. Stephens is one of two rising female musicians to win funding from Google’s Raedio Creator Program. Two composers received alternate contracts.
“At Raedio, we take pride in providing our artists with master ownership – a feat typically unheard of in the industry. This allows them to build something that over time gives them a real stake in their art. We’re excited to partner with Google to continue this mission in providing artists, specifically women of color, with the opportunity to build real estate in the industry in as many ways as possible,” shared Benoni Taego, president of Raedio.
Elle Roth-Brunet, Google’s Entertainment Partnerships Lead added, “We are proud to create these four grants in partnership with Raedio with a goal of underscoring the importance in providing access and opportunity for women of color pursuing audio careers within the entertainment industry.”
“This program is an extension of Google’s dedication to championing diversity within the entertainment industry and we look forward to hearing the artistic contributions of all who participate.”
Stephens published the three-disc EP And Friends last year. It featured the VanJess-assisted “Already On It” and “What You Need” with THEY., plus a collaboration with Parisalexa. And Friends was Stephens’ first music compilation since 2019’s F**k it I’ll Do it Myself.
On the tune “All Our Time,” Stephens performed on Xavier Omär’s 2020 album if You Feel. Upon its release, Rated R&B’s Antwane Folk declared the collaboration a “subtle summer jam.” The song, created by Bizness Boi, was accompanied by a lyric video.
Listen to “What’s A Monday” by Jae Stephens below.