Review: Jon Bellion returns with revamped sounds in “I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy)”
September 23, 2021: Jon Bellion is back with his first single in two years. — WriterMild
“You’re the reason I’m alone and masturbate,” sings Jon Bellion in his biggest song “All Time Low.” Questionable? I agree. But this discomfort might hint at something more. You might wonder: Who even is Jon Bellion? There’s a chance that one of the overplayed radio hits you heard this morning has his name on the credits. And he just released the first single in two years titled “I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy).” Take a closer look because he is the epitome of indie. And I’m not only referring to the genre of music but also his approach to musicianship and life.
Christian rap, dirty bassline, weird noises, and stank face. Yes. That’s Jon Bellion on the stage and in the studio. He won a Grammy Award in 2015 for writing Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster.” His 2016 debut studio album “The Human Condition” enjoyed commercial success and introduced him as an artist who takes risks and embraces the vulnerability of being human.
I replayed Bellion’s verse in Lawrence’s “False Alarm” over and over because it is the only recent presence of him I could find. But it was time for something new. Over the past two years, Bellion co-wrote bangers like “Graveyard” by Halsey and “Holy” by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper. But these radio hits never feel like his true sound. Catchy, but that’s not enough. Unlike his own discography, they’re too safe.
As I played “I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy),” a similar feeling to what I felt the first time discovering Bellion, that of bewilderment but also a strangely strong pull, came back to me. What is this song? I didn’t catch the lyrics. And who even is Burna Boy? This is my peculiar relationship with Bellion’s music. First listen: “What the heck is going on?” But after a few listens deep came the ecstasy. Odd, but captivating.
“It’s like groovy anxiety,” Bellion described the song on his Instagram. In the ballpark of his 2018 studio album “Glory Sound Prep” with the overall sound and visuals released, “I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy)” is funky, groovy, and bizarrely a hopeful hint of evolution for his upcoming work. This track combines the familiar electronic-Bellion sound with new takes on the vocal effects and acoustic guitars. The bassline dominates the mix and defines the song. Its brass section brings you back to the 80s for a moment before you get thrown right back into the future.
Bellion isn’t as obvious as Ed Sheeran with his songwriting signature (like how Sheeran loves having rhythmic displacement motifs in his songs), but that’s how Bellion pulls you in. “I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy)” doesn’t have the summer hit tempo and isn’t a basic junky trap tune that would somehow top the charts. But it is an experiment, something that only Bellion himself can pull off. Eccentric, dimensional, and full of ear candies; it’s going to grow on you. And only some people give music a chance to grow.
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Content Details: Song – I FEEL IT (with Burna Boy) / Artist – Jon Bellion / Release Date – September 17, 2021 / Label – Capitol Records
