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.”
We Ain't Feeling Time
FKJ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never done growing up, no
My smile is so rarely there, no
I call you my precious like
Asking me where we go from here, now
No, we ain't feeling the damn time, passing
No we ain't feeling the damn time, no
Angel spreading love
You shine, and you can't prevent it
Ball of light coming from above
Have no clue where we go from here
From here, from here, from here
No we ain't feeling the damn time
(listen)
No we ain't feeling the damn time, no
You, took me under, sure
Never done growing up, no
My smile is so rare, but there no
I call you my precious like
Asking me where we go from here, now
No, we ain't feeling the damn time, passing
No we ain't feeling the damn time, no
You, give me faith to care
An angel spreading love
You shine, and you can't prevent it
Ball of light coming from above
Have no clue where we go from here
From here, from here, from here
And we ain't feeling the damn time
(listen)
And we ain't feeling the damn time
The song "We Ain't Feeling Time" by FKJ seems to be a reflection on a relationship that has lasted longer than expected, and the emotions that come with trying to navigate the unknown future. The opening lines "You took me under sure, Never done growing up, no" suggest that the relationship has been stable and safe, but still continues to evolve. The next line, "My smile is so rarely there, no" indicates that despite this stability, the singer is still struggling to find happiness. The line "I call you my precious like" is interesting as it could be interpreted as the singer valuing their partner, but also could imply that the partner is a possession, something to be owned.
The chorus of the song, "Asking me where we go from here, now, No, we ain't feeling the damn time passing" shows the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with navigating the future of a long-term relationship. The repetition of "no we ain't feeling the damn time" emphasizes the idea that although time has passed, the singer and their partner still feel unsure of where they stand.
The next verse, "You give me faith to care, Angel spreading love, You shine and you can't prevent it, Ball of light coming from above" shows the appreciation and admiration the singer has for their partner. The metaphor of the partner being an angel or a ball of light represents the brightness and positivity they bring to the singer's life. However, the line "Have no clue where we go from here" shows that despite this love, the singer is still unsure of where their relationship is headed.
Overall, "We Ain't Feeling Time" delves into the emotions of navigating a long-term relationship and the anxiety that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
You took me under sure
You have guided me and taken me in with certainty
Never done growing up, no
We're constantly evolving and learning, and we're not stopping anytime soon
My smile is so rarely there, no
I don't smile very often, not because of sadness, but because of reflection and introspection
I call you my precious like
You're incredibly valuable to me and I hold you in high regard
Asking me where we go from here, now
We're looking forward to the future with uncertainty, but we're willing to take the journey together
No, we ain't feeling the damn time, passing
We're not worrying about time slipping away, we're living in the present moment
No we ain't feeling the damn time, no
We're not letting the concept of time dictate how we live our lives
You, give me faith to care
You inspire me to have faith and compassion for others
Angel spreading love
You have a pure heart and spread love wherever you go
You shine, and you can't prevent it
Your inner light shines bright and naturally radiates outwards
Ball of light coming from above
It's as if you're receiving divine energy and guidance from a higher power
Have no clue where we go from here
We're not quite sure what the future holds for us, but we're excited to find out
And we ain't feeling the damn time
We're not being constrained by time and are choosing to live in each moment fully
(listen)
Take a moment to pause and truly appreciate the present surroundings
And we ain't feeling the damn time, no
We're actively choosing not to let time dictate our lives, and will continue to live in the present moment
Contributed by Eli P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tiffanypeng8350
You took me under
Never done growing up, no
Your smile is rarely there, now
I call them my precious now
Asking me where go from here
No, we ain't feeling the damn time passing
We ain't feeling the damn time, no
You give me faith to care
Angels spreading love
You shine and you can't prevent it
All of light coming from above
Have no clue where we go from here
From here from here from here
No we ain't feeling the damn time passing
We ain't feeling the damn time, no
[Instrumental]
You took me under sure
Never done growing up
My smile is so rarely there now
I calling up precious like
Asking me where we go from here
No, we ain't feeling the damn time
We ain't feeling the damn time, no
@RocheMusique
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@cokoladnizec
I mean billions of people don't know what they are missing. I mean this is pure gold but worth so much more. Thank you for sharing your talent.
@AndrejMarinic
koji si ti kralj
@JerryT21
I just discoverd it today feb. 22 , 2021 at 6:52PM .... 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@graemelechner2266
It really is!!
@monserrathmendoza9740
Total y absolutamente de acuerdo!!
@frankricciarelli1033
“Billions”
@jr8150
Little bit of jazz, smooth blues, nd hip hop! One of the best combinations!! 🎸🎷🎹🎤
@boxobanter3278
Yeah and luckily theres plenty of development and innovation with those sorts of fusions these days :)
@thabangmagoro3399
FKJ is my all time favourite artist. You sir are a million in one.