Jasmine Jethwa is a rising South East London-based songwriter with a couple of EPs already under her belt – but with plenty more to give. Today she takes her next step with the release of new single “Have I Ever Been”, on which she says:
“This song is about you meaning more to someone than they do to you. They feel in love, while your heart is elsewhere. Then the sadness that is felt as they realise they are not that someone to you, followed by their painful question, have I ever been?“
We hear a lot of songs about the pain of unrequited love, but Jethwa’s shrewd songwriting reverses the situation and makes us realise just how painful it is for the other person in the equation too. She is up front about her lack of deeper feelings and delivers the news in poetic terms, “you’ll never be my sweet melody”, sung in a gorgeously trilling vocal that reveals the beautiful soul of the singer. What’s more, the purity and lightness of the song reveals the dreams that Jethwa has for her future true love – someone whom she will always want to find her way back to. It’s a humble desire, and one that is delivered with such sweet honesty that surely the other party will understand that her heart is on a different course, as hard as that might be to hear.
Watch Jethwa perform “Have I Ever Been” in session below or find the studio version on streamers.
“Have I Ever Been” is out on Akira Records. You can find Jasmine Jethwa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
