Jasmine Cephas-Jones PHOENIX Album Release Party

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Out of the ashes of its previous life, a phoenix ascends into new life. This metamorphosis happens in the wake of fire and flames, burning down the past to make way for the future. In similar fashion, Jasmine Cephas Jones boldly steps into herself as an artist and as a woman on her independent full-length debut, Phoenix. The EMMY® and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and producer delivers a poignant, passionate, and powerful body of work anchored by simmering R&B soundscapes laced with neo-soul attitude. With a serendipitous sense of foresight, she crafted an album indicative of how far she’s come and where she’s going.

“I initially wanted to use the name Phoenix as a reference to my musical evolution,” she says. “Shortly after we finished making it, I underwent all of these big changes. I’d lived in New York for my entire life, and I moved to Los Angeles. I went through the passing of my dad and my grandma. It was almost as if I wrote the music for what I was about to experience, and Phoenix eventually symbolized my personal transformation.”

The world first became acquainted with Jasmine when she kicked off her career in 2013. Following a series of indie film and television appearances, she famously breathed life into the dual-role of Maria Reynolds and Peggy Schuyler in Hamilton, staying with the production until the end of 2016. Along the way, she garnered a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Musical Theater Album” for her contributions to the RIAA Diamond-certified Hamilton – Original Broadway Cast Recording. She went on to shine in Mistress America, Dog Days, and Blindspotting. During 2020, she received an EMMY® Award for her role in #Freerayshawn, emerging as “the first-ever Black woman to win in the category of ‘Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series’.” Not to mention, her late father Ron Cephas Jones also picked up a trophy at the ceremony, enshrining them as “the first father-daughter duo to win EMMY® Awards.” In addition to credits such as Honest Thief and Origin, she reprised her role as Ashley in the Blindspotting series—which she also produced.

In between, she unveiled her Blue Bird EP [2020]. Beyond generating millions of streams, The New York Times praised it as a “slinky, slow-jam-filled EP,” and People noted, “Jones addresses some of the challenging emotions that individuals face as they attempt to find their own voice in a world that makes it difficult to stay true to oneself.” Refinery29 proclaimed, “The heart of Blue Bird is an examination of her feelings and solemn determination.”

Riding this wave, she decamped to an Airbnb in New York in order to craft what would become Phoenix. With classics such as Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, D’Angelo’s Voodoo, and Erykah Badu’s Baduizm on the brain, she leaned on formative inspirations. Simultaneously, she absorbed the energy of her environment, even recording the sounds of the ocean, birds, airplanes, and nature. Surrounded by a cohort of trusted songwriters, she gained confidence from the collaborative spirit of the sessions.

“Phoenix’s entire structure was done in that house,” she recalls. “We were in our musical bag, and I’d never experienced anything like it. I kept saying, ‘We need to write from a place of confidence’. I was unconsciously aiming for a moment of transformation. It’s like my future self said, ‘Here girl, you’re going to need this record’.”

She heralds Phoenix with the first single “Brighter” [feat. Kevin Garrett]. On the track, a funky bassline simmers beneath handclaps as her swaggering verses swing towards a dynamic vocal display. Jasmine’s chorus affirms, “I swear you’re my light, and you just get brighter each time,” before Kevin pulls up with scorching response.

“I had to start with something fun,” she notes. “The beat is nostalgic. Lyrically, it’s about how your significant other brings out the light in you and makes you brighter. Now, that represents my family, friends, and the people I love who make me a better person and support me.”

Her emotionally charged delivery melts into soft keys on “Bad Habits.” The momentum only picks up as the icy groove echoes in tandem with a hypnotic hook. “It’s as if you’re constantly battling this old ghost of you in your mind,” she reveals. “You’re discussing all of the negative thoughts that stop you from purely giving unconditional love and attention to yourself.”

Sparse piano underlines soulful vocals on the ballad “Baby I Can’t Give You Up,” while bold percussion uplifts the final crescendo to the heavens. “I wanted to write something that felt intimate, slow, and powerful,” she says. “It’s a classic R&B love song you can sing at weddings, but you can also interpret it as love for yourself.”

Then, there’s “Come My Way.” Its throwback harmonies, steady claps, and lovestruck vocals instantly transfix as she sets the scene for a romance-in-motion. “It’s very flirty,” she grins. “It’s the little jolt of confidence you get from falling in love where you basically say, ‘I like it here!’”

Meanwhile, her dad provided his interpretation of the title’s meaning on the powerful “The Phoenix Interlude.”

“My dad left me this three-minute voicemail,” she elaborates. “After he died, I pieced it together. This beautiful poem is a testament to him now. He’s talking directly to me and speaking to how I’ve progressed. It made the album ten times more personal, beautiful, profound, and meaningful to me.”

Ultimately, Jasmine is ready to rise like never before.

“I’ve learned to stop looking to other people for answers,” she leaves off. “The answer has been inside of me all along. I’m completely independent, and I have a blank slate to do whatever I want. There’s nobody telling me what I should do or who I should be. Instead, I’ve learned who I am on Phoenix.”