DEBUT SINGLE: "Sleeveless Hearts"
Get to know my debut song before it arrives TOMORROW, October 6
I remember exactly where I was when the idea for “Sleeveless Hearts” first arrived.
I was walking near Grant Park in Chicago, humming melodies to the beat of my footsteps, when I heard these two overlapping parts in my head: a syncopated bass line and staccato chord stabs. They weaved between each of my footfalls. I hummed (and embarrassingly beatboxed) a Voice Memo into my phone. Back in my studio, I recorded the ideas, and when everything locked in, the groove was undeniable: This was a song I knew I had to finish.
If you had told me back then—in 2012, jeesh—how long it would take to figure out where to go with this hypnotic little groove, I’m not sure I’d’ve kept at it. But for 7-8 years, I kept sporadically returning to and abandoning this idea. It, in turn, did the same.
“Sleeveless Hearts” was the second demo I shared with my future drummer/co-producer, Ryan Birkett, and future engineer/co-producer, James Scott. That was back when I was still trying to feel out if they were interested in making the kind of album I wanted to make. Their enthusiasm put wind in my sails to finish the rest of the songs.
Ten years after the groove for “Sleeveless Hearts” popped into my head, I was in Nashville, listening to then-musician-for-hire and now-pal, Makena Hartlin, lay down the final background vocals on this decade-old idea. I looked out the window at the budding trees, thought about that April day in Chicago back in 2012, and felt immense gratitude.
A song only gets born if you don’t give up on it (for good, anyway). It’s only fitting that one of the oldest ideas on my upcoming album gets to be the first one to make it out into the world.
“Sleeveless Hearts”—the first single from my upcoming album—is out tomorrow. Click the button to pre-save on your preferred streaming service.
More to share tomorrow. Can’t wait ✌️
-JK
P.S. If you want to hear a snippet of the song, check out this post over on Instagram or TikTok.