Happy Mag premieres ‘The Best of Us’, the stirring new single from songwriter and producer Jae Soto.
Jae Soto has bared her soul on ‘The Best of Us’, the latest single lifted from the Brooklyn-based artist’s upcoming album.
Carried by the melancholic strums of a baritone ukulele, the stirring ballad sees Jae Soto — known offstage as Justina-Maria Soto — reflect on themes of loneliness and trauma, and the possibility of reclaiming one’s life for the better.
Soto has been performing ‘The Best of Us’ at live shows for the past year, and it arrives on a lush bed of organ-like instrumentation and transfixing vocals.
The sparseness of the production rightfully allows Jae Soto’s vulnerability to shine, with a vocal range that flits between airy melodies and effortless whispers.
The angelic delivery lays bare Soto’s candid message around resilience and relinquishing the blame from herself.
“‘Best of Us’ is sort of a collective sigh,” Jae Soto explained in a press statement. “It’s about letting yourself feel validated and giving permission to stop blaming yourself.”
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The single will form part of the tracklist of ‘Leave the Light On’, Soto’s upcoming debut album set for release on June 25. Earlier this year, Soto shared the single ‘Honesty’, with additional ‘Stable Waters’ and ‘Working the Weekend’ arriving in 2023.
Jae Soto’s music is described as the meeting point of traditional songwriting and electronics, borne out of her long-running stint as a session singer.
If ‘Best of Us’ is anything to go by, we’re in for an absolute treat when the remainder of ‘Leave the Light On’ rolls around next month.
In the meantime, check out Jae Soto’s new single ‘Best of Us’ below.
Presave the single here, and preorder the album here.
