Japanese Breakfast Releases New Album ‘Jubilee’

Japanese Breakfast released her third studio album Jubilee on June 4. Jubilee is the musician’s first album in four years; she previously released Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Her first album, Psychopomp, had been released a year prior in 2016. The first two albums had been inspired by her mother’s passing, where she experiments with the stages of grief through her records. Her memoir, Crying in H Mart, also explores this idea. Jubilee is a different album compared to what she has previously done, but it is meant to be celebrated.

Michelle Zauner, who performs under the stage name Japanese Breakfast, reveals how she crafted her songs off her latest album. When Zauner spoke to Stereogum, she revealed that track 3, “Kokomo, IN,” is her favorite off the record. The song serves as a love letter to young love. She expressed, “I loved the idea of being 18 years old and loving someone so much but realizing that they have so much more to give to the world. One of the lines I really love on that song is “show off to the world the parts I fell so hard for.” Wouldn’t it be so nice when you were a teenager if someone said that to you?”

Kokomo also pays homage to her musical heroes: The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Zauner had begun to study the guitar again, where she learned Beatles classics. The name “Kokomo” also happens to be the name of The Beach Boys’ 1988 song.

what a song https://t.co/73c1LT3XfJ

— Dylan (@colortriad) June 4, 2021

Japanese Breakfast also revealed other inspirations behind her latest record. She names Björk and Kate Bush as the two female greats at inspiring her third record. Her associated acts would include Jay Som and Mitski, two other popular female artists in the music scene.

This is such a good album opener https://t.co/L2prshpJ8m

— PJ Guinto (@theyellowstereo) June 4, 2021

jay som, japanese breakfast & mitski were all so amazing tonight!!! love this asian-american women power tour 🎵💖✨ pic.twitter.com/npHele6Sux

— 선미 ✿ 꽃 (@sunmiflowers) June 26, 2016

Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the latest music from Japanese Breakfast.

new japanese breakfast record is a little too good pic.twitter.com/DxPh6qMJYS

— gabe (@poetsonfilm) June 4, 2021

alright, i think i feel confident in saying that japanese breakfast’s jubilee is my aoty. it’s lush, it’s intimate, and it’s captivating. every single track was crafted with immense care and it shows. it’s got such a diverse palette of serene sounds that i won’t soon tire of 💖🍊

— Pocket (@whoispocket) June 4, 2021

When it comes to summarizing the meaning behind Jubilee, Zauner spoke to AV Club where she reveals, “They’re not 10 happy songs; it’s about joy in the sense that there are songs about fighting to obtain joy, preserving joy, wrestling with mental health in order to feel joy. There are all these different parts of joy that I think it’s about. Like anything, we all want to create this perfect narrative where I’m the poster face of grief or joy or whatever, and I think that’s just not human. We feel those things at varying levels at all points throughout the day.” Zauner has moved away from the grief she has fought after losing her mother and instead channels the feeling of finding joy in everyday life.

My song rec of the day for you is this track by Michelle Zauner aka Japanese breakfast. A song about learning to embrace the complexities of joy while learning to let go of residual hate. Sifting seamlessly through eras with a memorable saxophone solo.https://t.co/zKy6Rcz69Q

— Akansha (@alovecassette) June 4, 2021

Fans have missed new music from Japanese Breakfast. She is back and better than ever with this latest album. Be sure to stream Jubilee on all music platforms. In more exciting news, Japanese Breakfast is embarking on a tour, where she will be playing the album. Tickets can be found on Ticketmaster.