KNOWN for her soothing blend of folk, pop, R&B and vocal jazz, Singaporean singer-songwriter Jean Tan is back with more tunes with her latest EP, The Morning After.
The new EP features five dreamy pop and R&B inflected tracks featuring melodies reminiscent of beadadoobee, Lyn Lapid and Lianne La Havas.
Released on May 5 on all major digital music streaming platforms via Believe Music and LEEWAY, the third EP from Tan is her most collaborative effort yet.
It showcases production by Evanturetime (Evan Low), Josh Wei, Leo Goh and songwriting and vocal arrangement partnerships with artistes Linying and Joanna Dong.
From the saxophone solo in Dance, the smooth electric guitar licks of When It's Time and dreamy synths of Something Forever, to the catchy bop of Tan's most recent single,
Hatin' On OK and the EP's focus single Always Summertime, fans are in for an aural treat.
These pop-R&B earworms differ from her previous EPs, Hideaway (2017) and Blooms (2020), which she says were about "grieving and healing".
"The Morning After ruminates on the joy of the aftermath, intertwined with a fear of losing one's hard-won stability," Tan said.
"Though there's the eventual experience of contentment after going through recovery, there's also a deep desire for permanence in a turbulent world."
At the end of the soulful Daniel Caesar-esque outro of Something Forever, there's a profound yearning for consistency as she sings, "Could we stay the same, just you and I?"
"That's not to say that there is no hope. At the end of it all, while nothing can truly be evergreen, The Morning After is a reminder to enjoy beauty while it lasts and ride the waves till the next high.
"Daytime will soon pass into night, an eternal dance between sun and moon. So we wait, apprehensive yet sanguine about what the future holds."
Tan often weaves her life challenges into her songs and uses her music for social good.
She has performed at schools, teenage homes, community spaces and for organisations such as Halogen Foundation, World Vision, Relief Singapore, Operation Smile and Architects of Life.
She has also performed at Singapore's National Stadium and Gardens by the Bay for the 2015 Sea Games.
Festivals she has been a part of include the Singapore Night Festival, Esplanade's All Things New, Come Together, Foreword, Riverside Flow and Zandari Festa in Seoul, South Korea.
Her songs 6.55pm and Waiting For Love have been featured in the Korean drama mini-series Barefoot Diva and Le Jour.