If you’re not across New Zealand’s JessB, now is the time to become educated.
She made her presence felt on the first night of Splendour in the Grass this year in the Mix Up Tent but over the next few weeks, JessB is going to become more acquainted with Aussie hip-hop heads than ever.
Hailing from Auckland, Jess – aka Jess Bourke – has been doing her thing since high school, continuing to define her sound behind the scenes and then on stages around New Zealand.
Her debut EP Bloom came at the perfect time, when a flurry of hype surrounding her effortless flow, striking on stage presence and genuinely cool charm has begun to pick up speed.
The EP, produced by P-Money, has Jess sitting comfortably in a pocket of rhythm, cadence and groove that is uniquely her own. More recently, Jess’ new EP New Views is an extension of the artist she has quickly and strongly developed into over the last 12 months. She proves she can swerve between the light hearted club vibes of ‘Mood’ and the striving, confident strutters of ‘Bump Bump’ and ‘Work With’.
Her latest release, ‘Time Out’, features Abdul Kay, and is an example of Jess operating at full powers. Slick and timeless in impact, the sound puts JessB in the same lane as Little Simz, Sampa The Great and Noname.
October and November will see JessB back on Australian shores, performing along the East Coast for Red Bull and Spotify Live, while the summer will have her return for the Laneway Festival.
“To bloom is to reach your full form,” she told Metro Mag of her debut, a sentiment that carries over to where she is at today. “I’ve been on a big journey lately…both in terms of my identity and my whole musical journey. It feels like I’ve really started to know who I am and who I want to be and where I’m going, and that feels like blooming.”
JessB Australian Dates
Saturday, October 19th
Red Bull Music Festival: Come Through, Melbourne
Thursday, November 7th
Spotify’s A1 Hip-Hop Live, Sydney
Saturday, February 1st
Laneway Festival, Brisbane
Sunday, February 2nd
Laneway Festival, Sydney
Saturday, February 8th
Laneway Festival, Melbourne
