Ears Wide Open: Jhameel

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Sitting on the cusp of mainstream pop is Jhameel, a multi-instrumentalist who has not only released his second album, “The Human Condition,” but also steadily gained popularity on YouTube and the Hype Machine from his two series “Waves” and “Are You Free,” in which he released a new single every week (with “drunk” covers included). But Jhameel wasn’t always this George Michael-esque pop star in the making. Prior to graduating UC Berkeley, Jhameel was set to serve in the military until the ongoing U.S. presence in the Middle East conflicted with his personal beliefs. War, on many different theoretical levels, makes an appearance in his songs’ subject matter, as abuse, prostitution and homophobia also do, but it’s Jhameel’s chameleon ability that has accrued fans. Acting and sounding like a Michael Jackson wannabe one second and a sensitive boy-band type the next, Jhameel has embodied everything under the pop umbrella but could still develop a distinct voice for staying power.

||| Download: “Shadow of a Man” from his “Are You Free” series and the title track from his  “Waves” series, or grab “The Human Condition” in its entirety.

||| Live: Jhameel kicks off his Monday residency tonight at the Bootleg with the New Limb and We Are/She Is.

||| More: Watch the video for “Shadow of a Man” below.