Jae Stephens doubles down on her SELLOUT era with SELLOUT II, the sequel to her 2024 breakout EP, out via Raedio/Def Jam.
This time, the singer-songwriter applies even more pressure, keeping her foot on the gas as she speeds down the R&B-pop lane with no signs of slowing down.
After revving up fans with ’80s-stamped bop “SMH” and the lip-longing “Kiss It,” Stephens extends an invitation into her carefree world where rhythm remains front and center. The high-octane “Afterbody” is an instant standout, with Stephens’ confidence beaming like the lights at last call — only she’s planning to keep the party going later with a piece of eye candy. “We may not show up together / But we’re leaving as a pair,” she smirks.
Speaking on the track, Stephens tells Rated R&B, “‘Afterbody’ is three minutes of all my wildest ideas put to song. It sounds so uninhibited and chaotic because that’s exactly how I felt making it with my best friends, free to follow every melody that came to mind without a second thought. The result was this record that feels so sexy and self-assured, it commands attention from the second it starts!”
Stephens slows the tempo down a bit on the penultimate “Choosy,” which is smooth like sand escaping from a hand. Here, she contemplates the dating scene and underscores how the options leave little to be desired. “Talk but they never show / All these clowns still can’t entertain me.”
SELLOUT II arrives 11 months after Stephens released SELLOUT. Comparing the two, she notes, “SELLOUT II is SELLOUT’s younger, badass sister who gets away with a lot more. This EP is me being even more like, ‘F*ck it. I don’t care about the box that anyone wants to put me in.'”
SELLOUT was released Sept. 20, 2024, and included bops like “Body Favors” and “WET.” “SELLOUT is me stepping into a light that I’ve wanted to dance in for a long time,” said Stephens. “I had so much fun making this project, and my hope is that everyone who listens will feel the same confident, carefree energy come through each song the same way I did while writing them!”
Stream Jae Stephens’ SELLOUT II EP below.
