Music Is: Jean Tan releases new single “When It’s Time”

Singapore singer-songwriter Jean Tan releases ‘When It’s Time’, a perfect song for the season of waiting. Available on 19 November 2021 on all major digital streaming platforms via LEEWAY, this track features production by sought-after Singaporean music director and producer Evanturetime (Evan Low) and electric guitar by guitar extraordinaire Leo Goh.  

Written in the blossoming stages of a relationship, the song is essentially about being in the period of nervous waiting, between the fluttering of beginnings and the certainty of something more. In a way, it speaks to the universal yearning for resolution and clarity, especially in today’s climate. The song asks the questions: Can there be value, even in the waiting? How do you cherish the present without losing yourself in a longing for ‘something more’? 

“Feel alive, yet somewhat dead

Caught between a passion and fear, 

‘Cause I don’t know

But I know that when it’s time

The hills will run alive and dance 

Songs will grow on leaves of green”

While the instrumentation is simple, the soundscape is lush and sweet, bringing together the chill R&B and jazz genres—think Kehlani meets H.E.R., or SZA meets Corrine Bailey Rae. The song starts with a strong, bluesy instrumental hook carried smoothly by electric guitar, accompanied by a bass line that locks in the groove. Together with the velvety tones of the electric piano and the sharp click of a faraway snare, the arrangement is a soothing balm for those biding their time away.

Full of soulful longing, ‘When It’s Time’ speaks to the season all of us are in and reassures us that there is still joy to be found in the process. Beyond that, it enheartens us to wait a little longer… because, just like gifts unwrapped on a Christmas morning –  good things are worth the wait.

Listen to When It’s Time here. Follow Jean Tan on her website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.