Album Review: Hannah Jadagu – What Is Going On?

A sensational first release

18 year-old singer, songwriter and producer Hannah Jadagu is releasing her first project by the name of What Is Going On?. The talented Mesquite, Texas-born teenager has created a successful EP of bedroom pop that goes far beyond the constraint of four walls. Each song is indulgent and soft, every lyric so real and heartfelt that it feels like a conversation with a close friend. The intimacy generated within each piece is furthered by the fact that Jadagu records and produces all of her music from her phone. 

Inspired by a range of artists such as Snail Mail, Dayglow and Clairo, What Is Going On? is a combination of lo-fi and indie-pop sounds. “My Bones” begins the album with lyrics that carry the weight of the care and awareness towards the struggles of Black women in the United States that the media is not. The piece is velvety and rich, calling for attention and making its serious tone known, reflecting the gravity of the matter at hand. “Sundown” claims the title of the most bedroom pop-like piece on the album, for it is a discovery of the power music has to express what words fail to. Beginning with a simple guitar and a high-pitched catchy tune, the piece shifts chords and introduces layers of vocals, creating an abundant piece that begs to be unpacked. 

“Think Too Much” is somewhat more energetic than its fellow tunes, beginning with clapping beats and happy rhythms, chorus lyrics repeating themselves much like a classic example of a cheerful piece. “What Is Going On?” is a compilation of Jadagu’s older SoundCloud pieces and the only piece on the album that could be labeled as a song about love. All of Jadagu’s other pieces are about her personal experiences and seem to have been bred from her mental experiences, yet this one seems to touch upon the minds of others. “Bleep Bloop” is a song bred from a freestyle on a restless night lacking sleep and deals with topics of mental health in young people. Jadagu sings, “Maybe it’s just our fate, to be caught up out of place… maybe we all just need a break” and, “they say it’s all just about how you make it… when it all comes down I just take it.”

In just five tracks, Hannah Jadagu takes the listener through her deepest thoughts and experiences, sharing a piece of herself and accomplishing a deep connection with the listener through a raw and clean production that is all her own.