Soul-pop songstress Zhanel (Ja-nel) channels 90s R&B in her track ‘Superficial Love’. Reminiscent of artists such as Brandy, Monica and TLC, the track has a dark yet sassy energy that is empowering to listen to. Produced by 50 kiks, the track is taken from her latest album ‘Regrets’. Zhanel also recently released the music video for her track ‘War’.

“I’d gone through [a situation] where a guy I liked was toying with my emotions. One minute he was into me and the next he was into someone else...I took inspiration from both Summer Walker’s song Playing Games and Ruth B’s song Superficial Love” - Zhanel shares.

With a family history of musicians, music runs in Zhanel's veins. Her father is a guitarist and her grandfather Phil Guilbeau – a well-known trumpeter – played alongside Ray Charles and Count Basie. Zhanel and her producer/ brother Lawrence “50 kiks” Guilbeaux have been producing, composing, and arranging for some time now and bounce creatively off of each other to create a truly unique sound all their own.

Five years ago, Zhanel lost her aunt and later ended a close friendship. She was able to get through the hard times by putting the pen to the paper. She found writing to be therapeutic and went on to compose several original songs. By expressing herself openly in her songs, Zhanel’s music provides a cathartic experience, allowing us to let go of difficult times and bad memories.

A fan of singer Billie Eilish and singer-songwriter Ruth B, Zhanel’s talent has the ability to turn teenage angst into bluesy soul we can all vibe to.