Jru Anthony knows that his romantic troubles won’t last forever in his funk-drenched single and video Life For Now — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The title track, third single and fourth video from the rising soul/R&B singer and second-generation musical innovator’s latest album, the smooth and sophisticated cut makes a fine introduction to the 10-track disc, a mesmerizing collection that traverses psychedelic soul and was entirely self-produced by the prodigious and precocious Anthony, who just turned 20.
“The song Life For Now is really about being in a position where you know your partner doesn’t want you in their space anymore because of whatever reason, and not being able to do anything about it,” he explains. “You know they would rather be somewhere else, doing something else. I start to reminisce on the track to when things were good and everything was fine, hoping it will go back to that.
“I was like, ‘This is my life right now, but it’s not going to be my life five, six months from now, or even a year from now,’ ” he says. “I was being optimistic and looking forward … looking at it as like, ‘My life will be great when this album comes out, when my dreams start to come true.’ ”
Other Life For Now highlights include the propulsive 97 Chevy, the smooth and hooky Greenlight, the pulsating Move On, and the up-tempo See You. Throughout the project, Anthony explores the emotional highs and lows of life and relationships. It marks a strikingly mature album from an artist of his age. “I know a lot of people have gone through some of the same things, so I just wanted a place for people to feel like they have somebody else to talk to,” he says. “It’s like a therapy album for me, and for everybody else.”
Anthony grew up in a musical household, but it was his phone that got him interested in creating his own sounds. Jru — pronounced Drew — got a phone in seventh grade and used YouTube beats to craft compositions. When his father, D.C. Go-Go bandleader Frank “Scooby” Sirius (Chuck Brown Band, Sirius Company), let Jru use his computer, it was like a new world opened up. Jru started producing original compositions. “It was fun and it was a good way to get my thoughts and feelings out onto something that I could go back to later and connect with,” Anthony says. “I also resonated with a lot of the artists I was listening to at the time.”
Some of Jru’s current favourite artists include Pharrell, Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator and Lil Uzi Vert, while legacy artists Prince, Rufus, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones were also influential in helping to shape his sound.
Watch the video for Life For Now above, check out the album below, and spend some time with Jru Anthony on his website, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
