Jitwam

A musical polymath known for fusing styles like funk, jazz, R&B, electronic, and psychedelia, Jitwam has built an eclectic catalog since his emergence in the mid-2010s. Indian-born, Australian-raised, and New York/London-based, the well-traveled singer/producer has folded a lifetime of global influences into releases like 2017′s Selftitled and 2019′s Honeycomb. He combined his penchant for sonic experimentation with more direct lyricism on 2023′s Third.
Jitwam nurtured his diverse musical tastes from a young age, making eclectic mixtapes that often perplexed his less adventurous friends. Along with the music from the South Asian diaspora, he absorbed the sounds of hip-hop, rock, funk, punk, dance music, and anything else that caught his ear. While living in Australia, he began recording the mash-up of styles he heard in his head; what emerged was a unique hybrid of electronics and live instrumentation with Jitwam’s own airy vocals smeared atop murky psychedelic dance cuts. With his 2013 debut EP, TJD001, he co-founded the Jazz Diaries label, which, along with his own work, continued to foster other like-minded acts such as Only Rays and Horatio Luna. Released in 2017, the single “Whereyougonnago?” and his subsequent full-length debut, Selftitled, established the jazzier and sometimes psychedelic sound that continued on releases like 2018′s Purple EP and his second album, Honeycomb (2019).
By this point, Jitwam was based between New York and London, and the transient nature of his lifestyle was reflected in the varied style of his production. Everything from Indian melodies to hip-hop beats and Latin jazz rhythms became ingredients in his songs, over which he crooned in a smooth, soulful voice. The tropical house-inflected “Sun After Rain” with French producer Folamour emphasized Jitwam’s dance connections, while 2022′s “Brooklyn Ballers” had a grittier disco feel. The latter was included on his third LP, the aptly titled Third, later that year. ~ Timothy Monger