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When you’re growing up, it can be tough to know exactly who you are and where you stand. That’s particularly true for those who, like Jojo Engelbert, have done their growing up in public. The recurring star of the nationally syndicated programs “Ariel & Zoey & Eli Too” and “Steal The Show” has already been viewed by millions, established herself as a vocalist and impressive social media followings on Instagram and TikTok (@therealjojoengelbert on both), and she’s still only 15 years old. Attention like that can be highly destabilizing: it’ll thrill you and terrify you and amplify all of your adolescent challenges. It can make you sweet and sour — sometimes simultaneously.
The many faces and complicated emotions of Jojo Engelbert are the subject of “Sweet n Sour,” her explosive new single. Prior recordings by Engelbert foregrounded her knack for mainstream pop; this new one is no exception to that, but it leads with a punk rock edge that suggests that the young singer is growing into her personality and embracing her contradictions. Not to mention, it’s always handy when you have your big brother, Eli Engelbert (YETIBEAR), around to create a track. The drums are large, pounding, and lively, the overdriven bass is a relentless growl, the synthesizer is ghostly, and the delirious (and wholly intentional) electronic glitches in the production are an accurate reflection of the artist’s tempestuous mood. Best of all is Engelbert’s vocal performance: it’s pouty and alluring, incisive, uncompromising, and maybe a little threatening, too.
follow @TheRealJojoEngelbert on Instagram.
