Pell
https://www.pellyeah.com2014 was a banner year for Jared Pellerin. With the independent release of Floating While Dreaming, Pell established himself as a premiere force in the music world. The first major statement of a serious artist, Floating While Dreaming garnered ecstatic press across the board, including FADER, Billboard, Complex, and many others. The album allowed Pell to flex his musical muscle while forging his own identity.
Though he hails from N’awlins, Pell’s sonics are more of an eclectic barrage of ethereal grooves than the raw bounce hallmark of the region. He seamlessly and tactfully flips from affectionate wordsmith to hook-smashing crooner on exceptional cuts like “The Never” and “Eleven:11.” Another album highlight “Runaway” captures Pell’s sense of striving, of rap as survival and profession, not purely a game of easy spoils, as he spits verses full of personal reflection.
Pell knows the importance of dreams. Hurricane Katrina forced Pell’s family to move to Jackson, Mississippi, when Pell was only fourteen. “All I was able to take with me from New Orleans was the musical culture I grew up in, not my possessions, only memories and life lessons,” he says, “creating a new life from scratch teaches you resilience.”
In 2015, Pell continued to forge his own path through the release of LIMBO. The album, produced by TV on The Radio’s Dave Sitek, found Pell navigating a musical arena dubbed as ‘experimental soul’ which combined dark synths and live instrumentation, brought together by Sitek’s specialty of removing artists from their comfort zone. On the heels of a nationwide tour supporting Kehlani, Pell launched his first headlining run spanning 28 cities to open 2016 before stops at Hangout, Firefly, and Pemberton music festivals.
With over thirty million combined streams on Spotify over his catalog, the music represents the start of Pell’s career, albums about the time between dreaming and doing, the moments spent waiting for the journey to start. As a writer, rapper, and singer, Pell’s talent is formidable, and his skills are still growing. Having already landed spots on Complex’s Top 25 Rappers To Know, Pigeons & Planes Top 10 Rappers to Know Before They Blow, and Spotify’s Predicted Music Stars of 2015, Pell is poised to surpass even his wildest dreams in the year to come.