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Interview: Stephanie Jeannot Share Insights About Her Musical Journey

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Stephanie Jeannot joins us again to discuss her new single ‘Haitian’, her inspirations, and what we can expect from her in the future! Make sure to check out our interview below:

Welcome – Thanks for sharing your music with us! How has 2020 been for you?

2020 is an experience. It started off with me thinking that it was going to be one of the greatest years because of how it came in. But once the truth settled in about how the rest of 2020 was going to be, my entire view of it changed.

I lost many people to this awful disease including my drummer, Richie Johnson, who I adored. That was my boy and he is so missed. I also lost a friend, Linda Bekham who was an amazing promoter for jazz events who helped me to put on a really nice live jazz birthday event last year.  Both of the aforementioned died days apart and the more the days progressed towards the end of March, the more people I was losing.

I decided to use my emotions productively when my Instagram friend, John Mueller from Chicago, IL and I started doing Zoom songwriting sessions which lead to the idea of putting together a musical project and giving ourselves a deadline to finish it.

Every night after that, I wrote a song or two with piano, drums, lyrics, lead and background vocals. I would send them to John as a rough draft and ask him to add him bass lines.  There were a few songs where he also created the musical melody and I added piano, lyrics and vocals.  Between the end of April and May, I composed over 25 songs of which, 13 is featured on the album we released on October 10, 2020 entitled, “The Stephanie Jeannot & The John Mueller Project”

Interview: Stephanie Jeannot Share Insights About Her Musical JourneyCongratulations on your new album “The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project,” Which song was your favorite to put together?

Thank you so much. I feel like with nine months, the project was like giving birth. We conceived and gave birth to what we had been doing the entire year. I have a lot of favorites on this album for a few reasons.

One of my favorites on the album is “Intoxicated By Your Love” because I was coming from church one Sunday afternoon during the quarantine and while I was driving, the song lyrics started to come to me so much that I had to tell Serie to open up my Voice Memo so I could record my thoughts. “Intoxicated By Your Love” is some of the ideas I would put down in reimagining Aretha Franklin’s tune “Respect.” I also love it because was able to not only play all the piano parts but also come up with a really cool piano solo and also chart the notes I was playing. I also love it because John Mueller was right there with me, riding tight to the waves of sound that was present in the tune. We make a good team and I love that. I originally wanted to name it 95 Proof thinking back to a time when I was a lush and drank 95% alcohol with my friends at the dorms and we all got sick off that 190-proof bottle of Grain alcohol. I have been sober for 7 years now but the experience of having been someone who used to love to indulge so much that I had a trophy case of empty bottles, gave me the words to be able to write this song and created the vibe that it needed.

Another of my favorites is “Haitian” because I am able to more express myself in Haitian Kreyol which I have been trying to do forever. I laugh because I used a translation book to create the hook which is 95% in Kreyol. But to get the point across of what I was trying to do which to meld my Americanism with my Haitian, and I did it; both musically and lyrically.

I love the song “Brooklyn” because it was my first time being able to be free with my poetry and actually spit it out without stumbling. I started writing poetry before I started writing songs. This song was kind of cool because John writes this funky bass line, drum groove and guitar riff and sent it my way. At first, it was going to be a song entitled “I write in Brooklyn.” But when I heard John’s bassline, I realized that it was meant to be an anthem of some sort and changed the entire lyrical content already drafted to … “Ain’t no other place like, ‘Brooklyn,’” and that in itself brought the beauty and culture of the unique borough of Brooklyn to life.  But what give is even more of that lovability is Bruffdacrowdpleaser adding his wit and character to it. This is the first song that I ever wrote a piano solo for.

I love “You are the One” because it is the first jazz song I ever wrote and I love “Rise Up” because though it has political context in its lyrics, it is the first ballad that I have ever written and I love “Moving Forward” because it was a song written to celebrate my nephew and my students graduating and running towards the next chapters of their lives.

How would you describe your music to a first-time listener?

My music is something to take your time to listen to because there is a story in every song that every person could relate to. The first two tracks are relative to people who work a 9-5 for a living. There are a few songs that amplify the idea of agape love, equality in justice and unity for the world. I wrote my first jazz piece and ballad ever. My music is familiar yet different. There is a song on there for everybody.

What is your creative process when creating new music?

My writing process varies. Sometimes I am sitting somewhere, and a song comes to me that demands me to write it. Other times, I am practicing my piano playing and I play a series of chords that inspires a song, which forces me to open my Sonar Cakewalk DAW to start layering my ideas down.

With this particular album, John and I came up with a few prompted titles for future songs to be written and many of the songs were written around the title idea. I was doing a lot of reading at that time and if I saw an interesting phrase that fit the topic, I wrote it down for future use. I was also entering a few 2000 words or more prompted short story writing contests, which helped me a lot with the art of telling stories in musical format.

Once I come up with an idea, I write the song until the entire draft is completed which includes music, lyrics, lead and background vocals. I was up until about 3AM every night from the end of April through mid-May, just writing and coming up with song ideas.

“Haitian” is beautiful! Tells us what you love about your culture.

Thank you. I love the language a lot. I think it is really nice and I love having something such as a foreign language that differentiates me from the bunch. I love Haitian music because it is jazzy and funky all at the same time and the dances that people do to it because the movements to the Kompas sounds are so graceful and beautiful. I love the food because there ain’t no cuisine like Haitian cuisine.

I have been to Haiti and so I appreciate the atmosphere and the people. The waterfalls, the mountains, the Greenland; all worth seeing.

Interview: Stephanie Jeannot Share Insights About Her Musical Journey

What would you say has been the single most influential factor in your success?

My most influential factor in my life is not allowing anyone, anything or any circumstances to take away the joy I have for being a musician who writes songs and performs music. I realize at the end of the day that I could let life break me and make me not want to participate in the very thing that brings me joy, or I could just work with what I have, where I am and put forward what was in me meant to take flight.

Plus when you have people like your parents, good friends and John who was such a motivating factor in this entire songwriting/album writing experience, helped to push me to just give my all and not allow anything to stop me.

Thank you for speaking with us! Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for providing the platform for me to just share my story. I totally appreciate this experience.

 

MUSIC

Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

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Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.

Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.

The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.

Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.

Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.

That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.

Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.

Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.

“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.

When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

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Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.

Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.

Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.

The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”

The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.

Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.

Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.

The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.

Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.

Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.

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Omer B Channels Groove, Speed, and Collaborative Fire on the Exhilarating Funk Rock Instrumental “Bending Time”

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Omer B Channels Groove, Speed, and Collaborative Fire on the Exhilarating Funk Rock Instrumental “Bending Time”

Omer B has built a significant part of his artistic identity around collaboration, working with musicians from across the world. On “Bending Time,” he leans fully into that instinct. The track brings together guitar virtuoso Oz Noy, drummer Oded Kafri, bassist Andy Warner, and Abramo Riti on Hammond organ, giving Omer B a formidable cast for what he does best: composing exceptionally good music.

“Bending Time” is a high energy, five minute instrumental funk rock piece that establishes its character almost immediately. Omer B’s guitar locks in with Kafri’s forceful drumming from the opening stretch, creating an intro that feels urgent, muscular, and inviting. Once the Hammond and bass enter the picture, the arrangement opens up into something richer and more expansive.

That introduction builds tension quickly while setting a steady sense of anticipation. You can hear the rhythm gathering momentum as the groove takes hold. At its core is a relentless, head bobbing funk rock backbeat. The pace is fast, yet the players remain firmly in the pocket, giving the song a driving foundation that keeps it moving at full speed without sacrificing its groove.

As composer, Omer B acts as the track’s anchor. He resists overcrowding the arrangement with constant shredding, choosing instead to work through sharp, syncopated rhythm chops and clearly defined melodic motifs. His guitar helps shape the song’s architecture, from its central themes to the heavy, overdriven chord progressions that guide each transition.

Oz Noy’s entrance raises the temperature. He slips naturally into the established groove, echoing the track’s hauntingly familiar melodic cadence while bringing in a streak of “twisted blues” character. His solos are explosive without feeling detached from the arrangement, and they push the song into a higher gear.

The interplay becomes especially satisfying when Noy’s lead lines careen over Omer B’s heavy rock foundation. Kafri’s airtight drumming, Warner’s bass, and Riti’s Hammond keep the music grounded while the guitars add a fiery improvisational edge. That tension gives “Bending Time” a sense of motion that suits its title.

Unpredictable, futuristic, and haunting, “Bending Time” plays like an exhilarating experiment that draws strong performances from everyone involved. Omer B’s experience as an amateur race driver also seems to surface in the track’s polished, high octane momentum. There is a clear feeling of speed, control, and mechanical precision running through the performance.

By the end, the vintage rock swagger and modern fusion sophistication feel naturally connected. In my professional opinion, they should “frame the arrangement!”

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