That one-man-band mentality has persisted, collecting instruments as he goes, though he’s never been formally trained; instead developing his own ear. Prestigious music colleges were too expensive and so he eventually moved to Paris to study the sound and film, which helped give him grounding in cinematic arrangements. He fell into the city’s nightlife scene, playing live instruments in clubs in Paris, and became known as a Soundcloud producer who blended house and jazz, as on his vibey 2013 Time For A Change EP.
But then in 2015, he played a festival in the Philippines that changed everything. There he met June, who performs as ((( O )))) and who he’d remixed a track for. Eventually they got married and moved in together on an island off the country’s south coast, where they have created a tropical studio idyll that looks out onto lush rainforest. You can see it in the live session FKJ recorded there in 2019 (over 19m views on YouTube), as he flits between piano, singing and sax.
The seeds for his more introspective sound were sown with his 2017 self-titled debut, while the track that he did with Masego that same year, ‘Tadow’, further evidenced his effortless ear for intriguing rhythms – the pair made the hip-hop-speared jazz jam out of a day-long improvisation in Paris, duelling on their saxophones, their keyboards and drums interlocking effortlessly. There’s an ease to his collaborations – nothing forced; artists who are like-minded about being guided by groove – see the meeting of minds on the track “Risk’ with the American rapper Bas or his latest remix for PinkPantheress.
But in 2019, FKJ started drawing more from within. He released the Ylang Ylang EP, the result of a tumultuous and devastating year when June miscarried. The couple cancelled their commitments and holed up together to recuperate and make music. The sweepingly romantic jazz of the title track is the EP’s centrepiece, encircled by crisp R&B beats, acoustic guitar flourishes and ambitious sax instrumentals on the other songs. The making of it soothed them as much as it did his growing international fanbase. “With music, I feel safe,” he says. “So when I hear that my music is healing for people, it’s the best compliment.”
Back in the Philippines, with no wifi and an impending global lockdown, FKJ was quite literally cut off from the world, able to explore music’s endless possibilities. “Sometimes I would get into it for the whole night and go to bed when the sun came up.” Out of this freedom comes an expressionistic, touching album that’s impossible to pin down. There’s no more hiding behind a branch of leaves, as he did on the cover of his 2017 debut: V I N C E N T marks FKJ out as a crucial new voice. He’s redefining chillout music with his bursts of late-night jazz sax and piano, coupled with his wood-cabin whispery vocals, recalling Bon Iver’s early work, and those Santana-styled guitar flourishes.
V I N C E N T is a marvel – and testament to the magic that can happen when you dig deep. “This was a challenging record,” he says. “I’m a perfectionist and it’s hard to shake that off. But once I did, and I let the music take over, I felt totally free.”
Better Give U Up
FKJ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You my whole passion (Patience, circle)
I was looking for another challenge (This usual mission)
I needed a change (A wish, creation)
Your eyes look like a mirror
And no more spells
My mind's wearing a robe
But look now, no.
In order to last
Remember your laugh
Is a part of my past
Better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
I better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
Never never in the right place
For us to stand by eachother
You have, you have, you have to replace
A fresh no good part and find another
My heart was like a stone
But you stopped the pain.
I felt like a clone
Cold-blood in my vains
Forgive my silence
this absence of time
Cry my freeskins
Deceptional sublime
I keep a secret
A grand adventure
Academy grant
Couldn't happen in the future
Now go in your head
Your hand is playing touch
We're taking this new gate
You bring me so much
I better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
I better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
Better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
I' better give you up my soul now
But I'll never never never stop
Thinking of you
The song Better Give U Up by FKJ is a heartfelt ballad about the struggle of letting go of someone you love. The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that has gone wrong, and the singer is trying to come to terms with the fact that he needs to move on. The opening lines of the song, "You my obsession, You my whole passion" show how deeply the singer was invested in this relationship, and the next line, "I was looking for another challenge, I needed a change" suggests that he had become bored or complacent in the relationship and was searching for something more.
The verses contain a mix of metaphors and direct statements, all pointing towards the emotional turmoil the singer is going through. He realizes that love alone is not enough to make a relationship work, especially when you're not in the right place. The lines "My heart was like a stone, but you stopped the pain" show that the other person had a significant impact on the singer's life and helped them through a difficult time. However, despite this, the relationship has reached its end, and it's time to say goodbye.
The chorus contains the lines "I better give you up my soul now, but I'll never never never stop thinking of you." These lines encapsulate the central theme of the song, that even though the singer knows they need to let go, they will always carry a part of this relationship with them. Overall, the song is a moving, poignant reflection on the difficulty of ending a relationship, even when you know it's the right thing to do.
Line by Line Meaning
You my obsession (Ocean, eleven)
You are my obsession, my everything, my number one priority.
You my whole passion (Patience, circle)
You're not just my passion, but everything that fuels me and keeps me going.
I was looking for another challenge (This usual mission)
I was in search of a new challenge to overcome, something different from what I'm used to.
I needed a change (A wish, creation)
I wanted something new, fresh and exciting - something that I could create for myself.
Your eyes look like a mirror
When I look into your eyes, I see my reflection and know that we are meant to be together.
And no more spells
I am no longer under any illusion, I see things clearly now.
My mind's wearing a robe
My thoughts and ideas are very personal to me, like the clothing I wear.
But look now, no.
But now, I am free from that way of thinking.
Love is not enough
Just loving each other is not enough to make a relationship work and last.
In order to last
If we want our love to last, we need more than just that initial passion and desire.
Remember your laugh
Your laughter is a fond memory of the happiness we shared together in the past.
Is a part of my past
Our time together, including your laughter, is now in the past - something we can't change.
Never never in the right place
We never had the opportunity to be together in the right place and at the right time.
For us to stand by eachother
We never had the chance to stand by each other through thick and thin.
You have, you have, you have to replace
You need to replace the part of me that's broken, move on and find someone new.
A fresh no good part and find another
I am the part of the equation that's no longer any good and it's time for you to find someone new.
My heart was like a stone
My heart was once hard and impenetrable.
But you stopped the pain.
But you came and changed that for the better and took away the pain that I felt.
I felt like a clone
Before I met you, I felt as if I was just a copy of someone else.
Cold-blood in my veins
I was emotionless and dead inside before you came into my life.
Forgive my silence
For the times I was silent and didn't say what I truly meant.
this absence of time
For the times when we were apart and didn't have the time we wanted to spend together.
Cry my freeskins
For the times I was too proud to show my vulnerabilities and allowed them to hold me back.
Deceptional sublime
The times when I believed in deceit and that it was extraordinary, when it wasn't.
I keep a secret
I have a secret, something I hold inside and haven't shared with anyone.
A grand adventure
This secret is an exciting adventure for me, something that gives my life meaning.
Academy grant
This secret is a gift that I have received, something that I treasure.
Couldn't happen in the future
However, this secret is also something that I know can't have a future - it's something that can't be sustained forever.
Now go in your head
You need to do this on your own, think for yourself, and figure out what you want.
Your hand is playing touch
You need to create something new, trying out new things and experiences is a good start.
We're taking this new gate
We're starting over, and we're doing it in a new way.
You bring me so much
You have brought so much love and happiness into my life - something I will never forget.
Better give you up my soul now
It's time to let you go, to move on and open myself up to new experiences.
But I'll never never never stop
But even though we're apart, I'll never stop thinking about you and the wonderful memories we shared.
Thinking of you
You will always have a place in my thoughts and in my heart, no matter where our paths may lead us.
Contributed by Daniel F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.