If an artist with only three singles under its belt is qualified for a signature sound, JUICYPEAR manages to stay on course with their latest synth-y, chillwave-inflected, indie-pop effort, “Keep Your Love On”, released today.
Amidst a season of social unease, confusion and constraint, the husband-wife duo of Jacob and Jasmine Mayeda emerged out of nowhere (SoCal, actually) in the back-half of 2020 with a series of shimmery, soulful, power-pop tunes that delivered an essential dosage of levity and bliss to weary souls worldwide. With a little bit of disco, a little bit of funk and a whole lotta soul, JUICYPEAR burst onto the scene with their debut in 2020. The duo’s ability to blend genres and inject their own special funk topped off with Jasmine’s striking voice makes them one to watch.
“Being married is not always an easy task,” says Jasmine, reflecting on the inspiration behind the new single. “You may have to stretch in ways you never thought you would and talk about emotions you never thought you had. But throughout the process of being in this relationship with each other, you start to see your love growing for one another as you ‘use your words’ to communicate and grow together. Keeping your love on for one another as you give each other space to grow and learn and be.”
JUICYPEAR emerged in 2020 with a trio of sun-soaked, disco-tinged releases – almost a virtual tour of the pair’s first year of marriage. Led by debut “Golden Sky”, celebrating the lovers’ new adventure and a song Neon Music described as “summer encapsulated”, followed by the relational highs and lows of their new life in “Rollercoaster” and most recently, embracing life’s sweeter moments in the groove-ballad “Caught Up”.
“It was a rough and weird year to start a band,” laughs Jasmine. “But it’s also redemptive to be able to bring music into the world that gave us something to look forward to and bring some joy. With 2021 now here, we’re both hopeful to bring more of those creative, inspiring moments through our music and the opportunities they help create.”
On their music, Jasmine shares, “I believe every music lover has had a day where the right song perks them up, comforts them, or transports them into another world. Music has a way of getting to peoples’ hearts without their permission. It comes in under the closed doors and the cracks in the floorboards to move us, sometimes to tears. We write all of our songs with that thought in mind.”
The half-Filipino Jasmine and half-Japanese Jacob Mayeda were both born and raised in Southern California, where they met and fell in love. The story of their ultimately serendipitous union has all the makings of a Hallmark movie, filled with heartrending twists, turns, ups and downs, and missed opportunities. The two married in April of 2019 and live happily in South Bay with their rambunctious puppy, Gibson.
The name JUICYPEAR – originally conjured up by Jacob to make Jasmine laugh – is intended to be a play on words. “We’re a pair,” shares Jasmine. “A juicy one. Plus, pears have a lot of cool symbolism to them.”
Following an unprecedented year filled with so much uncertainty and fear, JUICYPEAR arrived with style, groove and a truckload of endorphins. Stick around for more tasty music, because this power-packed duo is just getting started.
