Auckland, New Zealand-based songwriter/singer/producer Janine Foster first introduced her atmospherically soulful songs to the world under the moniker Janine and the Mixtape, issuing several singles and EPs before dropping the “mixtape” and reinventing her sound and image as the somewhat glossier Janine. The last of her work as Janine and the Mixtape was the XX EP, released on major-label Atlantic Records in 2015. Now stationed in Brooklyn, Janine began growing a social media profile with videos for her fans of sneak-preview snippets of new material, one-off covers, or just various everyday thoughts and commentary. Staying constantly active and in the public eye, Janine led up to her debut with a collaborative track with Marko Penn and a video for the simmering, angsty leadoff single “Don’t Love Me” in March of 2017. The full-length album, 99, arrived the following year on Atlantic. ~ Fred Thomas