In Rotation: JACOTÉNE

Chelsea Jacotine packed up her life in Melbourne and moved halfway across the world to London at just 20 years old, purely to force herself into independence. You can hear that blunt, headstrong energy the second she opens her mouth. Recording under the name JACOTÉNE, she wields a massive, smoky rasp that draws a direct line back to Amy Winehouse and the raw grit of early Stax Records vocalists. Usually, throwing those names at a new artist is a quick way to set them up for failure. Jacoténe actually has the heavy chest voice to survive the weight of that lineage. She first caught ears back in 2022 when her debut single "I Need Therapy" took the Triple J Unearthed crown in Australia. She was still in high school. Since then, she’s been figuring out how to build a world around her vocals without letting the production crowd her out. Her June 2025 EP, Untitled (Read My Mind), released via NOiZE and Sony, finds that exact balance. The arrangements rely on organic grooves, live instrumentation, and subtle jazz textures. The current standout is "Shut You Down," which just cracked the top 25 of Apple Music’s New in R&B playlist this week. The track is built on a heavy, thumping bassline and crisp, dry percussion. Jacoténe stomps right through the rhythm. She digs deep into her lower register during the verses, letting the grit show, before her voice cracks and soars on the hook. Most young singers with this much f***ing artillery over-sing every run just to prove they have it. My favorite thing about Jacoténe is that she treats her voice like a rhythm instrument. She knows exactly when to lay back in the cut and when to push the needle into the red. It's rare to hear a 20-year-old understand the pocket this naturally. Check it out below.