JVNA Levels Up Her Career with ‘Play With You’

JVNA is making a statement with the release of her sophomore album, Play With You, and she shared some insight on its creation.

In an industry dominated by big-room anthems and male DJs, JVNA is crafting her lane in the electronic space by perfectly balancing light and dark arrangements in her music. Unlike many of her peers, the young star was an early embracer of Twitch, using the platform to hone her melodic bass craft while generating a loyal following. But her flips on anime and video game music propelled her onto everyone’s radar.

Yet her success also lies in her vulnerability, which can heard on her 2021 debut album, Hope In Chaos. Her prose, voice, and experimental orchestrations reveal her healing from past traumas, creating a body of work that’s universal yet intimate. But now, the producer is taking her career in a different direction—one that’s unapologetic—with her new album, Play With You.

Entering her villain era, she sat down with us at Electric Zoo and said that this second album is about taking charge of her femininity and “learning to be more assertive, and just learning to not be the victim to anything that happens in [her] life.” Taking futuristic influences from her favorite anime, Guilty Crown, JVNA opens her sophomore project with “The Game (Prelude),” an ominous, cinematic track that sets the stage for the album’s protagonist, who forcefully takes the listener on a thrilling video game adventure.

From the K-pop and dubstep flavored “The World Is Mine” to the kinetic, psytrance anthem “Take Your Throne” to the empowering number “Savage,” JVNA has a knack for building different styled tracks that carry an assertive edge. While there are the classic melodic/future bass moments, such as “City Ruins” and the album’s lead single, “Play With You,” each track is rooted in the album’s message: female empowerment.

A lot of these lyrics are just about embracing being crazy and chaotic, and I just think that’s a fun message. A lot of melodic bass is about missing your ex or missing something and being very long-full. But this album, this melodic bass is very feral and kind of sexy and angry. And so I think it’s a cathartic kind of sound for people who want to feel those kinds of things.
JVNA

JVNA says that the inspiration for the project is based on the challenges she’s faced as a female DJ, and she wanted to create an album that embodies her triumphs and the confident woman she is now. She shares that while she is producing this album from a woman’s perspective, the album’s liberating message is intended for everyone.

The juxtaposition of taking-charge lyrics, melodic bass, and cinematic compositions successfully translates JVNA’s tenacity into every song; she’s never sounded more merciless. And it’s no surprise that these 11 tracks can easily be featured as an anime opening or ending song or serve as the final boss soundtrack for a video game. The artist’s love for these mediums has always been apparent, and these influences bring an extra dimension to her music, reinforcing the album’s affirmation: giving the listener the power to conquer one’s world.

I just feel like life is like a video game, you know? It’s a really easy way for me to deal with my problems to not take it seriously. Like what if we’re in a simulation? So, yeah, I just thought that would be a really fun concept.
JVNA

Listen to Play With You on Spotify or your preferred platform, and follow JVNA to stay updated on her future releases and shows.

Stream JVNA – Play With You on Spotify:

JVNA – Play With You – Tracklist:

Game Starting (Prelude)

The World Is Mine

Demon Time (with CHYL and Demie The Destroyer)

Take Your Throne (with HALIENE)

Play With You – Origin Story

Hellfire

Savage

Shrine

Light

City Ruins

Play With You

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