jazzygold is a Faroese pop-soul singer with Kenyan roots and a knack for penning soul-stirring pieces that tug at the heartstrings. Her latest release it’s been a while,  is a 6-track project that follows the singer’s journey as she comes to terms with her identity, resilience in an unforgiving world, and self-discovery. Each track acts as a time stamp of jazzygold’s progress through this life changing journey.

The project starts with “welcome to my head,” a smooth pop/r&b infused tune that explores swirling thoughts about life, her self-doubts, the negative effects of comparison and negative intrusive thoughts that try to stifle her. Lines like “welcome to my head it can get messy/trying to clean but shit I’m always stressing/My friend just had a baby, what a blessing” open up the floodgates and we slowly dive into the dark crevices of jazzygold’s mind. This leads into“homerun” is a nostalgia-inducing track that dives into self-discovery as she balances her art and family drama. In a nutshell, tt’s all about taking risk, and she is ready to go the whole nine.  A bit of tragedy looms in “ex-friends,” a heartfelt track about fair-weather friends and the changing dynamics of underhanded actions that break down trust and love.  Lines like “to be real is like a vaccine/had to poison myself to see/That the closest ones around me where the toxic seed/One of them too pick me/Guess they were too scared/Never been a bitch but yet it makes me mad” undersocre her detailed songwriting and also captures her anger. This is capped by the ominous statement, “Watch out karma always finds its way back home. The track itself has a pop-rock vibe with raging electric guitars on the hook and the mellow keys on the verses. One thing that needs to be said is jazzygold’s rich vocal performance. Her voice is impeccably distinct, gripping and her melodies are undeniablly powerful.

The next track “here for the ride” is an escapism anthem that captures jazzygold’s path to freedom. She embodies the spirit of a woman broken free of the emotional shackles that held her down. The lyrics detail unrestrained fun and a devil-may-care energy. It is. It is a welcomed departure from the emotional stress jazzygold has faced in the previous songs and sets a nice change in the mood of the project. The last two songs  “we’re alright”  and “gold” dive into more positive territory with the former being a solemn positive affirmative pop ballad while the latter is a celebration of self after surmounting past emotional hurdles and trauma. The songs help bring the project to an eventful close as we see jazzygold shine bright in her journey to self-discovery.

Overall it’s been a while, is a cohesive project that traverses emotions, personal struggles and the redemption of a woman of color who has been through it all. Unshaken, scarred but far from defeat.