Introducing Jeida Woods, who steps forward with Selfless

11 July 2019 | 12:30 am | Hayden Davies
Originally Appeared In

Armed with a Soundcloud littered with one-off tracks and demos, the Sydney musician's first official single is a breath of fresh air..

Header photo by Darren Luk.

Armed with a Soundcloud account littered with one-off tracks and demos, Jeida Woods isn't a new force to our R&B scene, but he's one probably not on everyone's radars. He's been bubbling underneath our thriving R&B circuit for much of the last two years, establishing a sound and building an image for himself as the next best thing which in 2019, he's manifesting into the truth, doing so with his official debut entry into stardom, Selfless.

In a time where streaming has encouraged singles to be short, but powerful bursts of energy, Selfless is notably slow and subdued, shimmering with a relaxed energy that sits in the background to allow Jeida Woods' vocal to shine - and that it does. It opens in a quite minimalist fashion, with hazy melodies and muffled percussion layered underneath Jeida's softly-sung vocal, which seems to grow bolder and more direct as the single becomes more layered and lush; striking percussive hits and thicker melodies finding a pace alongside his vocal in its climactic moments. You can feel his influences in there - GoldLink when the track heats up, or someone like PARTYNEXTDOOR in its more subtle moments - but it feels distinctly unique and new, something that Jeida is no doubt going to centre as he flourishes into an artist you should be across heading into the second half of 2019.

There's a lot to be excited about when it comes to Jeida Woods, with more music and a handful of shows to come later in the year, but in the meantime, check out Selfless below and introduce yourself to the star-on-the-rise while you're at it.

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Tell us about yourself? 

I’m Jeida Woods, I’m 21 years old [and] I’m a new school R&B artist based in Sydney Australia. Born in Africa, [I] moved around the world while young and finally raised in Australia. Been making music since I was fifteen. I love bumblebees, anime and fast cars.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

I make music from the soul - dark and bass driven R&B. Sad songs to take the pain away, love is usually the catalyst. It’s brutal, yet so rewarding. 

What are your production and writing processes like?

I’ll listen to the beat first, almost to the point where I get sick of it. I’ll record myself then humming different melodies to the track with my phone and then just let the words fill themselves out while I write the rest. 

Can you tell us about your new single, Selfless?

Selfless is a feel-good song with a sad and lonely message. 
I wrote this song one day alone in my bedroom, stressed out over girls that did me wrong. The song emphasises how easily love is lost or deteriorated when one side has to keep trying to fix things. When it should always be equal.
Love pretty much sucks, it just takes finding someone that it sucks the least with to make it work with really. 

Any tour dates coming up?

We're working on some shows now around September. Super excited and nervous at the same time. Hope to see everyone there.

What does 2019 have in store for you?

Hopefully, a growth in real ass fans that are here to ride for me early on in my career. Without them, everything I do is almost meaningless. I want to release all the music and singles my heart has written and hopefully put out my first project soon if things go well. 

Where can we find more of your music?

O.G fans know my older music is on my SoundCloud page. Free to listen to your heart's content, those songs were what got me to where I currently am in the first place and I’ll always remember them as a pinpoint to measure my growth.

Follow Jeida Woods: FACEBOOK