Jaz Karis remembers her first trip to Los Angeles.
The London native recalls booking a trip on a whim, with only a pound to her name, hoping to sign a publishing deal. “I knew I was going to get fired from my job because I’d taken so much time doing this,” Karis tells Rated R&B over a video call.
“So it was a big risk, but it was really inspiring coming here for the first time. I stayed right by the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so it was first-time tourist vibes. It was amazing. Completely different to London, as I expected it to be, but it felt different in terms of the way my music was even appreciated. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I had to come back.”
Karis’ first trip would later lead to many trips to her now second home. The soul singer’s frequent air travel inspired the title of her debut album, Safe Flight, out now via MNRK Records.
“This past year or so I have traveled back and forth between London and Los Angeles so much that I hadn’t realized how much my life was changing before my eyes,” Karis previously said in a press release. “The title Safe Flight felt fitting due to the amount of times I had heard it this past year, it also felt like I was embarking on a new journey, which is exactly what this album has been for me.”
Ahead of her album, Karis put out four EPs: Into the Wilderness (2017), Summer Stories (2019), All Eyes On U (2020), and Dear Jaz (2022). In 2023, she took time to figure out her next steps, dropping two standalone singles, “Therapy” and “Little Blue Moon.”
In late 2023, Karis had a revelation: “It settled in me that It [was] time to step up and do an album. I had a story to tell, which actually I felt just unfolded as I was making it,” she shares. In one respect, Safe Flight represents Karis’ journey from across the pond to embark on a new chapter in Los Angeles.
Beyond that, Safe Flight is reflective, vulnerable, and whimsical at times. Karis tethers her soulful sound to pangs of Afrobeats, amapiano, and R&B. Even when she deviates to other soundscapes, it never disrupts the album’s smooth ride. Launching with “Nostalgia (Intro),” Karis recalls an avalanche of memories from her childhood and adolescence. The dreamy track is a moment of pause, where Karis thinks back on everything leading up to the start of a new journey.
Throughout Safe Flight, Karis pairs her honeyed vocals with unfiltered truths that delve into the nuances of love and life. The somber “LYTM,” which stands for “I Love You That Much,” captures the bittersweet feeling of knowing when to let go and love someone from afar. The Afropop-tinged “Tequila” featuring Reekado Banks and the blissful “Sunset Blvd” evoke the euphoria of new love. Meanwhile, “Talk About It” is an attempt to rectify issues in a relationship before things start to feel stagnant in the Tone Stith-assisted “Met You at a Bar.”
Don’t let Karis’ sweet voice fool you; she has a somewhat toxic side, too, as heard on the June Freedom-featured “Chill On Me.” Here, she tells a love interest that she isn’t ready to settle down yet but also doesn’t want him to explore other options. “I hope you don’t learn to let go,” Karis sings. Songs like “Love Me” and “Nice Girls” featuring Mahalia further navigate love’s woes.
From takeoff to landing, Safe Flight makes for a satisfying trip adorned with a perfect synthesis of genre-bending arrangements, poignant songwriting and stirring melodies.
Below, Jaz Karis talks about her debut album, Safe Flight, in an interview with Rated R&B.
When you’re booking a flight, which seat do you prefer?
Window, always.
Why do you like the window?
Well, the middle is an absolute no. Window, you can see outside. You’re not on the aisle. The only good thing about the aisle is that you can get up and move freely as much as you’d like. But the window, I like to look outside, and it’s something to lean on.
What’s an item that you cannot travel without?
My headphones. Even if it’s not a plane journey — any journey and I’ve forgotten my headphones is going to be a bad journey.
Last year, you dropped “Therapy” and “Little Blue Moon.” Were these songs ever intended for your debut album? If so, what inspired the change in direction?
“Therapy” was always a standalone. It kind of felt like a bit of a release, literally a therapy session. “Little Blue Moon” was going to be on the album. It dropped a lot later in the year than “Therapy” did. When I started compiling the album and what was making sense, a lot of songs didn’t make the cart. I still loved “Little Blue Moon” so much. I didn’t want to not put it out and have it wasted. To me, it was a really important message. So I made the choice to release it as a standalone single.
When you’re in London, what do you miss about LA? When you’re in LA, what do you miss about London?
It’s so crazy because whenever I’m in one, I miss the other. When I’m in London, what I miss about LA is work; my music and music life are just so much better out here. The scene — it’s a whole different experience. Unfortunately, London does not top that for me. I [also] miss the weather because the weather in London sucks, and it’s always sunny here.
Of course, when I’m in LA, I miss my friends and my family. There’s a certain feeling about LA — I call it The Matrix — it does not feel like real life. It feels like a stimulation. And that’s great when you are here doing work, but at a certain point, I feel like I need grounding. When I go home it’s like even though it might be a bit gray and people are not smiling at you, it’s what I grew up on. I’m at home.
What was your intention when you first started working on your album?
My aim was to make it feel like me as much as possible. I felt like I’ve done this for a while now to the extent where I’m very sure of what I like and what I don’t like sound-wise, but also what I do and don’t like talking about. You can’t go wrong with being honest and talking about how you feel about things. I wanted to make sure every single song was true to what I felt and what had happened. It was from my point of view. There’s always two sides to a story, but I wanted it to feel authentic to anyone listening. To have someone connect to something I’m talking about would be the biggest accomplishment with this album.
Safe Flight incorporates different styles of music like soul, amapiano, Afrobeats, and more while still being cohesive. How did you sonically approach the album?
That’s a massive compliment because I was really trying to achieve synergy throughout. I think the balance of me telling the story and making the story make sense. [Also,] I knew when I was making songs for the album whether or not it would fit. I can’t explain what it was, but there was a feeling that all of the songs carry. You wouldn’t be confused why you’ve gone from that song to this song, as they sound completely different. They might be different genres, but they still have that feeling of warm and soulness in there. I’m really glad that translates.
The album’s opening track, “Nostalgia,” was the last song recorded for the album. What was your mindset when making this song?
I think I’m a very nostalgic person in general. My friends call me the Disney kid because I’m just in my head all the time. I think part of this album, even coming to LA and the rose-tinted glasses you have or visiting someone with a dream and thinking it’s going to be one way when the reality is very different. I think the fact that it was the last song was just, in retrospect, for me, leaving old thoughts behind old memories. Like, “OK, I am really growing up now in a different place [and] places that make me maybe uncomfortable. I’m not at home. I missed a lot of my home. It made me think about my childhood and things that led me to this point.” I thought it’s a perfect place to start because it is the beginning of me growing up.
You teamed with June Freedom on “Chill On Me.” What’s the story behind that song?
I definitely have to take responsibility in terms of I was being a bit of a trash bag and I think being a product of my environment. I was not ready to commit to anything and maybe was not communicating that in the best way. One thing about being toxic in this generation is some people think that just being honest enough is not being toxic. And it’s like, “Well, no.” You have to take responsibility. If you know someone else is more invested than you just because you’ve told them, “Well, cool, I am just having fun,” but they’re actively pursuing something with you. I think this generation tends to not take responsibility and still continue something with someone. That’s a bit mean. I think I was being a bit mean in that situation by saying, “Well, I’ve told the truth, so it is not on me.” And that’s basically what “Chill On Me” is about. It’s like, “Relax.” It’s just a tad bit toxic.
“Sims Castaway” shares the same name as the video game The Sims 2: Castaway. Is there a correlation between these two?
I love The Sims. When Covid happened and lockdown happened, that was my favorite pastime. I would literally play Sims and drink a gin and tonic. That was my vibe. That song was actually the oldest song I made on the album with Juls. It was something I made during lockdown. It was fun for me because I just wrote a song about what I was doing, which all I was doing was playing Sims or recording music in my house. There was nothing else to do. That’s literally what it was about. So it was just fun to make that song. It feels very fitting for LA. Sometimes I feel like LA is like The Sims. It never rains and stuff like that.
Which song on the album did you feel like you had to pour a little more of yourself into?
There’s definitely a bat in between three songs. The first one that came to my head was “Love Me” because of how vulnerable I had to get to write it. The second one was “LYTM” because after I wrote that song, I could not listen to it. I just get upset every time I listen to it. It was super deep for me. And then a last one was “Prayer.” A lot of people will listen to “Prayer” and interpret it their own way, which is amazing. But I actually wrote about someone I know struggling with alcohol abuse. I think the addition of the harp and everything is to me, a really beautiful piece of just expression. So those three, for me, were pretty deep to get into.
But then you have songs like “Sunset Blvd” and “Tequila,” which lighten the mood. How important was keeping a balance of emotions on this album?
It wouldn’t be a representation of me if it was all super serious, hence why “The Sims Castaway.” I definitely get a bit silly sometimes. I think life’s too short to always be serious. It definitely was important for me to have a balance.
The features also feel balanced on the album. Again, there are different flavors but it’s all cohesive. How did you go about choosing collaborators on your debut album?
A lot of them came naturally. I was a fan first of all of them. I love, even above sound, just how they write. It was a pleasure and honor to work with all of them. Starting with “Nice Girls,” Mahalia, I needed someone from London. I couldn’t do this album without having someone rep the home side, too. Well, Maliah’s actually from Leicester, so she’s not from London, but you know what I mean, the U.K. Me and her have been a fan of each other for such a long time. We’ve been trying to do a song for a while and “Nice Girls” just fit. When I sent it to her, she was like, “This is the one.” Her verse is perfect.
Same with Tone [Stith]. Tone was really organic, just us connecting and making music. He even produced “2242” on the album. I just love the way Tone approaches music. He’s a talented songwriter. It was cool to have him on a song. The same with June [Freedom]. I’m a massive fan of June. His tone is one of my favorite tones I’ve ever heard. I actually got to write his verse for “Chill On Me” with him in LA. That was really cool.
Finally, Reekado [Banks] honestly was my alarm clock for the whole year before this, and I didn’t know him. I got told, “He’s heard ‘Tequila’ and wants to jump on it.” I honestly couldn’t believe that this guy who’d been waking me up for the last year was now going to be on my song. Juls, of course, I worked with him before. I think me and Juls have a little unspoken connection when we make music. So, all of them were a perfect fit for the album.
What does “2242” represent to you?
It’s the same kind of vibe as “Chill On Me,” a different situation, but one where you know [you] are not ready to commit to someone you feel like is in a more serious place than you are. That’s the situation I was in “2242.” The initial reason why we called it “2242” is because it was the code to the bathroom of the session (laughs).
Is there a full version of “Water (Interlude)” that exists somewhere?
I made so many songs for this album. I loved “Water” so much. There was another one, [a] kind of sister song to it, that didn’t make the cart. “Water” was originally a full song. It is much more special to me as an interlude now, especially with the voice note at the end. I think it had such a special feeling to it. The full song didn’t slap the way it slaps as an interlude for me. If there’s demand for an extended version, then that’s something I can look into. But I would rather not lose this special feeling. I’m just a sucker for interludes.
What was the most eye-opening aspect of your creative journey making Safe Flight?
I think my biggest lesson is that music, as cliché as it sounds, is really a gift. It’s not something to be confused with what sometimes comes with music, which is fame and attention; that is a separate thing. I think the first project I ever made was because I was just making music. I really wanted that feeling back. I wanted me to just love this album and make it feel like me and be happy with it regardless. Be happy with it before anything is out. Be happy with it before any reviews are there, before people have their opinions. I wanted it to translate to anyone making music or anyone that loves music, that music is literally a gift. It is not about what comes after it or from it.
Stream Jaz Karis’ debut album Safe Flight below.
