Jahnah Camille from Alabama bursts with raw emotion and sensitivity in her track "what do you do?," a fervent alt-rock confession filled with spiraling self-doubt and intense release. It's a blend of volatility, vulnerability, and unapologetic honesty, part of her newly released EP, ‘My sunny oath!’.
Blazing, breathless, and relentlessly emotional, "what do you do?" is a three-minute fever dream. It is charming yet confrontational, chaotic yet profoundly cathartic, capturing the experience of spiraling out of control while reclaiming personal power. The song is infused with alt-rock electricity, intertwining anxiety, anger, and vulnerability. Its rapid and intense rhythm makes it a standout track that showcases both fierceness and heart as an introduction to her EP.
“I wrote this while trying to understand the sensation of losing control,” shares the Birmingham-based singer-songwriter. “A friend caused me a lot of self-doubt during a time when I genuinely feared I would never create a decent song again. With management requesting demos for an upcoming session, that pressure compelled me to draft this and send it over within half an hour. I believe whatever you tell yourself can manifest into reality, and if you surround yourself with those who bring you down, you'll internalize it. That’s the essence of this song. I felt paralyzed by the need for others to view me in a certain way and needed to express that.”
The lyrics describe an internal struggle, as she sings about feeling tangled in a web of judgment and insecurity. “I know you see / My face painted / Assuming I’m always anxious,” she asserts with a sharp, almost sardonic tone. “You’re not wrong so I avoid you.” Her words carry both wit and weight, accompanied by searing guitars and a vocal performance that's forthright and distinct.
The powerful chorus encapsulates her emotional turmoil with the line, “Raised your brow, said ‘what do you do?’” This lyric carries an accusatory tone, akin to a backhanded compliment masked as casual inquiry. Camille delivers it with a palpable sense of detachment and resignation, creating a poignant climax that resonates long after the music has faded.
“what do you do?” stands out not merely as a strong single but as a bold introduction to a 20-year-old artist with a message and a daring way to convey it. Both volatile and unforgettable, it’s the type of song that seizes your attention relentlessly. Camille's voice, both in delivery and meaning, possesses a unique urgency.
As the lead single from My sunny oath!, "what do you do?" sets the mood for an EP that delves into themes of identity, instability, and transition seen through the lens of youth. “I embraced honesty and acted impulsively during my creative process,” Camille reflects. “I think that benefited My sunny oath!” This unfiltered authenticity resonates throughout the whole project, capturing the complexities of early adulthood marked by rebellion, confusion, and surprising clarity.
Jahnah Camille, raised in Birmingham, Alabama, distinguishes herself in a music scene typically dominated by punk and hardcore genres. Her sound fuses the ferocity of alt-rock with elements of lo-fi grunge and diary-like lyricism, drawing inspiration from artists like The Sundays and Liz Phair, as well as Japanese Breakfast and Elliott Smith. The interplay of softness and aggression, and volume and stillness, is a consistent theme in her work.
Collaborating with Alex Farrar (who has worked with acts like Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, and MJ Lenderman), My sunny oath! captures the tumultuous energy of post-teen life, transforming it into something both explosive and introspective. Jahnah Camille's voice rises above the noise, not just heard but deeply felt.
“I hope listeners take away from this song the idea of taking themselves less seriously,” she expresses. “That was a challenging lesson for me to grasp, and I was consistently teaching myself that throughout the recording process. It's something I still remind myself of today.”
Though “what do you do?” lasts just a few minutes, it leaves an immediate and lasting impact on both the ears and the heart. It’s spontaneous, intense, and unforgettable—the kind of song that demands your attention rather than merely asking for it. To learn more about the track, read our conversation below, and don't miss My sunny oath!, available now through Winspear on your favorite streaming platform.
**A CONVERSATION WITH JAHNAH CAMILLE**
Atwood Magazine: Jahnah, can you share the story behind your song “what do you do?”?
Jahnah Camille: I had a friend who caused a lot of self-doubt during a time I honestly thought I might never write a decent song again. With my management requesting demos ahead of an upcoming session, that pressure made me quickly write this track and send it over just 30 minutes later.
What does this song represent for you?
Jah
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Alabama’s Jahnah Camille bursts forth with raw emotion in “what do you do?,” a passionate alt-rock confession that explores deep self-doubt and an intense release of feelings – a mix of explosive, sensitive, and unapologetically candid – sourced from her newly released EP, ‘My sunny oath!’