Jae Stephens' 'Audacity' Review: A Bold Debut of Pop Stardom

Listening through ‘Audacity’ will leave you with one lingering question: is Jae Stephens the next pop diva? The Los Angeles-based singer’s stellar debut album is an impressive argument in support of that, showcasing of the 29-year-old’s many qualities – a witty pen that knows its way around a hook, a rich voice to bring the songwriting to life and a magnetic personality to top things off – all coming together in a fully formed pop package.

- READ MORE: On The Cover: Jae Stephens takes on pop stardom with a nudge and a wink

The former NME Cover star has spent a long time honing her craft – four EPs and a compilation in the lead-up to ‘Audacity’, writing for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Normani , and opening for FLO on tour – and by now she knows how to “make the room look twice” , as she sings on ‘No One Knows My Name’. The 2000s club-bumping R&B standout acts as the record’s mission statement of sorts: a confident star-to-be who’s “acting up like no one knows my name” because she knows people will “talk ’bout me tomorrow” .

The record’s singles have been in service of this ambition. On the assertive ‘Attaboy!’, she commands her lovers like playthings ( “Look at him, now he’s out the game / Next to me, he don’t misbehave” ), and rebuffs men who get too attached on the Ciara -esque ‘Gymnastics’, full of sports references and this golden lyric: “It happens overnight, they fall in love in record time / But they don’t reach that finish line” . But beyond putting on a good show, ‘Audacity’ is also a showcase of Stephens as a lover of all things pop culture – she is, after all, also Tumblr-famous for running a Beyoncé stan account.

The high-energy ‘Super Trap’ is driven by a dramatic, looping sharp violin riff that’s reminiscent of Destiny’s Child ’s ‘Survivor’, while the cadence of the bridge ( “Ladies / They’re waiting / That’s how the game is / So play it” ) recalls the outro of 3LW’s ‘Playas Gon’ Play’. Meanwhile, Stephen’s soft coos on mid-tempo moment ‘I Miss The City’ give off classic Ashanti (who’s also name-dropped on ‘B4U’). But Stephens isn’t reheating someone else’s nachos; she knows how to make these musical touchpoints her own.

Last year, following the release of her ‘Total Sellout’ compilation, Stephens told NME that she was trying to be “more balls to the wall” as she looked towards her future. With ‘Audacity’, the rising pop star is brasher, bolder and ready for the big leagues. It’s a debut that wears its influences proudly, but has enough personality, wit and star power to make the whole thing unmistakably hers.

Details

- Record label: Def Jam Recordings / RAEDIO

- Release date: September 25, 2026

The post Jae Stephens – ‘Audacity’ review: cheeky confidence that goes far appeared first on NME .

_Originally reported by [NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/jae-stephens-audacity-review-3971536?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jae-stephens-audacity-review)._