Michael M Jeni: “Bye Bye” – Cool-sounding, alternative R&B!

Michael M Jeni is a young independent R&B Artist & Producer from Iowa. At the age 18 Michael started producing beats and recording cover songs of artists such as Chris Brown, Mr Probz, Drake, Future, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West, and publishing them on his Soundcloud page.

Steadily building up his music profile and stream listens, Michael released the tracks “She Bad” and “Erased”, and has now followed that up with his brand new original single “Bye Bye”.

Michael M Jeni follows his well-trodden route of cool-sounding, alternative R&B. The sensual mid-pace of the finger-snapping, almost drum n’ bass soundscape makes the listening experience all that more smooth and intimate. If you are a fan of soulful singing, deep, meaningful lyrics, and the outpouring of one’s soul, you have to get this track.

In an era where the music industry stresses dance ability over singing ability and caters to entertainers over those with real vocal talent, it’s refreshing to find an artist like Michael M Jeni in the midst of all the vapid and forgettable R&B music.

How many relationships can withstand the test of time, especially when true love does not exist within the sentimental situation, or one of the two parts involved, eventually fails the fidelity test.

“Bye Bye” affront’s these themes, and the reluctant, but necessary end to a relationship – which yes, brings reprieve, for one, but not without pain and suffering, for the other, if not both compromised hearts. Michael’s sound is well beyond his age and he has an uncanny sense of himself, which pours throughout his music.

While most R&B artists are now hedging toward more phantasmal vibes, “Bye Bye” is overtly present both in mood and expression, with its feet firmly planted in the here and now – making Michael a whole lot easier to relate to.

On the melancholic, but liberating “Bye Bye”, where his voice melts into a syrupy falsetto and the soundscape grooves icily, Michael waxes honestly: “I’m sorry, I never really loved you. Love is what you make it. We couldn’t fake it any longer. Love is what you make it. We couldn’t make this any stronger…”

“Bye Bye” is anchored by an unrestrained outspokenness embedded in maturity and a sincerity that veers away from the insecurity you’d expect from a younger artist. Yet at the same time, Michael M Jeni ignores the brutish masculinity of his contemporaries in favor of a profound, more heartfelt emotion in his writings and performances.