Jae Stephens: The New Black Pop “Sellout”

The musical shapeshifter talks redefining “pop,” staying true to herself, and making music that doesn’t fit in anyone’s box.

Written by Cordell Jones

When most people hear the term “sellout,” they think of those who compromise their identity and integrity for extra money and career fame. In the music world, other considerations that come to mind include artists who alter their sound for commercial appeal, disregard their fan bases for chart performance, or musicians who dismiss the concept of artistry.

Jae Stephens is not one of these artists.

In the case of Stephens, “Sellout” is a tongue-in-cheek musical identity that allows for an ever-changing sound, unique campy storytelling, and a drive for success in the music world.

Like most people who discover artists in the modern era, I happened to find out about this diamond in the rough through her multiple months-long posting of her “Body Favors” video from her first SELLOUT EP on X. The video, which features Stephens dancing and performing a sexy and campy song reminiscent of early 2000s Neptunes production, instantly grabbed my attention, as Stephens is someone to watch.

Now, with the late-August release of her second EP in the SELLOUT series, her recently released single “Boyfriend Forever”, and The Sellout Podcast, Stephens has captured more and more listeners’ attention as an artist staking her claim in her identity.

Even when speaking with Stephens, you can sense the excitement and joy emanating from her energy during the interview. As she put it, “this moment feels like the culmination of a lot of hard work, which I’m really excited about”.

Stephens, who calls herself the “sexy comedic relief”, has her artistry dating back to viral social media days almost 10 years ago on Tumblr as “beyoncebeytwice”. This era, marked by song covers and her extensive love of Beyoncé, catapulted her to over 200,000 followers on the platform.

The name even speaks to her musical influences, as she was “raised by Beyoncé”. Some of her other musical influences, such as Brandy, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey, are evident throughout her music, as seen in her 2019 solo-produced and written EP, F**k It I’ll Do It Myself. The use of layering, harmonies, writing, and arranging all harken back to the late 1990s to early 2000s hits of Darkchild and the Neptunes, with a more modern feel.

Beyond her own work, she has collaborated with artists such as THEY., VanJess, Khamari, and Xavier Omar, and has written for Jennifer Lopez, Normani, and Sinead Harnett. These collaborations only speak to the quality of the material (in the words of Tiffany “New York” Pollard) and the development of Stephens’s sound and musicality.

“I just want to make stuff that I’m not hearing anywhere else.”

This sound, along with a further exploration of Stephens’s artistry, can be felt within her SELLOUT EP series. Blending the worlds of early 2000s pop stardom, R&B-infused sounds, and quotable catchy lyrics, SELLOUT from 2024 and the newly released SELLOUT II show her pulling out all the stops in her rising musical journey.

The EP series name emerged as a way for her to anticipate and address online critiques of her evolving sound after signing with Def Jam and Raedio in 2024, as well as to establish a new identity and persona within the music space.

“I wanted to play this part of this big pop star sellout, and I know the best way was to put on a face a little bit and get ahead of the jokes. It really helped me step into that light and build that world. What was acting a bit in the beginning has become really real to me, and I’m very comfortable and I’m very proud of it now.”

Photo: Randija Simmons

SELLOUT II evokes the feeling of being in a club under blue lights, reminiscent of an early 2000s music video. Thrusting pop blaring from the speakers on songs like “Afterbody” and “SMH”, to slow jam material with “Kiss It” and “That’s My Baby”, the EP is reminiscent of albums like Brandy’s Full Moon and Janet Jackson’s All for You with that heavy pop influence mixed with sounds of R&B and dance.

Obviously, the EP struck a chord with listeners, garnering over 3 million Spotify streams, countless viral video replies under tweets on X, and even an “Afterbody” feature on the most recent season of Love Island Games.

Jae’s newest release, “Boyfriend Forever”, extends the Sellout multiverse into a ‘90s new jack swing sound.

When talking about how “Boyfriend Forever” came about, she said, “It started with me and the producer Dallas, that week he was really obsessed with SWV and I was like, yeah, I want something like that that feels almost kind of innocent and carefree and like you’re flying a little bit.”

The song, which soars through from beginning to end like a classic New Edition, Bobby Brown, or aforementioned SWV song, feels like a blast from the past that still aligns itself within the world Stephens continues to create with the Sellout name.

Through all of her releases, her fans, affectionately known as the JaeBaes, fiercely support her on social media. From finding random tweets to quote-tweeting with the “Afterbody” music video, to having inside jokes within the fandom, her online presence, alongside her music, still rings strong to this day.

“I’m obviously a child of the internet; it wasn’t about garnering a fan base or an audience, it was just like I’m talking to one of my followers. Like we’re besties, you know?”

This connection fuels both her online presence and the avid fan support she garners online. Not only does she demonstrate how her music resonates with her audience, but also how she connects with them herself.

Looking forward, Stephens is currently hosting her Sellout podcast, which serves as a platform for her to speak and connect with other emerging Black talent in the entertainment world, such as MNEK, Alemeda, and Aliyah’s Interlude. Towards the tail-end of this year, she has shows in London, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as a potential SELLOUT II Deluxe on the horizon.

Stephens isn’t only a representation of new, emerging black talent; she’s a rising voice for artists not afraid to try new sounds and venture into new spaces. Even if they get called a sellout.