Singer, songwriter, artist, and creative southern belle Mikhala Jené, newly signed to Def Jam Recordings, makes her official major label debut with “Human Nature,” the brand new single + video available on all platforms today. “Human Nature” is the first advance music from Mikhala’s forthcoming new EP, details to be revealed in the weeks ahead.
The upcoming new project is the long-awaited follow-up to Mikhala’s debut, the critically acclaimed 7-song EP, Carolina Blues (2018), her collaboration with Grammy®-nominated producer Deputy, who originally signed Mikhala to his APT 216 imprint at the beginning of her journey. The EP spun off “Mad Bitches” and “All I Want,” breakthrough tracks for Mikhala that amassed over 4 million streams.
A key turning point took place in December 2021, when the “Mad Bitches Remix” featuring Ro James was featured in the final season of HBO’s hit series ‘Insecure,’ in the final scene and end credits of “Tired, Okay?” (season 5: episode 6). In the wake of the sync, the track peaked at #26 on the iTunes R&B chart, rose to #44 on the U.S. Shazam chart, and was the #1 Shazamed record in nearly a dozen cities across the country. The reaction quickly caught the attention of Def Jam Recordings.
But in fact, as far back as May 2019, Mikhala had joined the Shea Butter Baby Tour opening for Ari Lennox. June 2020, Mikhala was featured in the Escape Tracks Virtual R&B Festival that partnered with YouTube’s #WithMe campaign to benefit the MusicCares COVID-19 Relief fund. In July 2020, Mikhala appeared in 300 Entertainment’s ‘Unplugged’ series hosted by music mogul and CEO Kevin Liles. That same month, Mikhala was the subject of the NPR ‘Tiny Desk’ series ‘Contest Top Shelf’ sponsored by State Farm. Then last year, Mikhala’s “We Are the Promise,” her theme song for the Will Smith-produced docuseries ‘Amend’ on Netflix won Best Score In A Documentary Series/TV at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (November 2021).
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ABOUT MIKHALA JENÉ:
Growing up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Mikhala Jené expressed herself through various forms of art from drawing to dance, but it was music that ultimately captured her soul. Influenced vocally by classic icons Aaliyah, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Brandy, and Beyoncé, Mikhala’s dynamic tone is often described as angelic yet powerful, a befitting description that reflects her time spent singing in the church choir. Mikhala eventually caught the ear of Deputy, Grammy®-nominated producer behind Rihanna’s double platinum hit single, “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and who has also worked with the likes of J. Cole, Nas and Ne-Yo, to name a few. Impressed by Mikhala’s talent, Deputy signed her to his production company. After their first singles garnered over 2 million plays on SoundCloud, Mikhala’s debut EP Carolina Blues (with “Mad Bitches” and “All I Want”) put her on everyone’s A-list. It led to a booking as support act for Ari Lennox’s sold-out Shea Butter Baby Tour of 2019. The “Mad Bitches Remix” with Ro James exploded after it was featured in the final season of HBO’s hit series ‘Insecure’ (December 2021). Top-tier press coverage from Essence, RolllingOut, Lyrical Lemonade, Refinery29, SingersRoom, Hypebae, RatedRnB, ThisIsRnB, Riff magazine, BET, and others. As she continues to ascend on her journey, while converting new supporters along the way, Mikhala Jené has securely emerged as one of R&B’s new young breakthrough entertainers.
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Contact:
Lauren Ceradini
lauren.ceradini@umusic.com
Renata Muniz
renata.muniz@umusic.com
