EP Review: Sellout II by Jae Stephens

Sellout II is a win for Stephens, a cohesive and compelling statement that proves polish and personality can indeed go hand in hand.

Courtesy of Raedio/Def Jam Recordings.

Jae Stephens’ background as a sought-after songwriter and her years honing her craft inform every aspect of Sellout II. Having spent the early 2020s composing for others, she learned songcraft from the inside out, gaining a “greater sense of the mechanics and structure” of hit-making. Now she channels that expertise inward. In fact, her breakout single “Body Favors” (from the first Sellout EP) was initially intended for someone else until Stephens had an epiphany: “I’m not sending this to anyone…this is my favorite song,” she declared, recognizing its energy and humor as exactly what she wanted to create. That moment of reclaiming her work shaped the direction of both Sellout and its sequel, empowering her to write songs purely to suit her own vision. On Sellout II, you can hear the confidence born from that decision; the EP is imbued with a clear sense that Stephens now knows exactly who she is and what she wants to say. There’s a deliberate through-line in these tracks, from the themes of romantic boldness and self-assured fun to the careful sequencing that makes the EP feel like a cohesive statement rather than just a collection of songs.

Stephens herself has noted that this time around, she went into the writing process focused entirely on pleasing her own artistic instincts, which brought a new ease and flow to the music. One of Sellout II’s greatest strengths is how it balances light-hearted, campy pop flair with serious musical craftsmanship. Stephens set out to “bring fun back to R&B,” and she delivers plenty of playful moments. Take “Kiss It,” a sugary rush of a song with unmistakable sleepover energy – its bouncy 8-bit keyboard riff and funky bassline (a wink to Y2K pop) conjure the giddy vibe of friends dancing in pajamas. Stephens sings with a flirtatious wink, alternating rhythmic, sing-songy rhymes and airy falsetto as she builds anticipation for a lover’s return. The whole track radiates campy charm, from its coy lyrical innuendo to the nostalgic teen-movie feel of the melody. Meanwhile, “That’s My Baby” channels a different shade of fun: it’s a simmering R&B ballad with an irresistible, chantable hook that practically begs for crowd participation. Buoyed by breezy percussion and fluttering harp accents, the song exudes a heartfelt sweetness, yet Stephens infuses it with a bit of theatrical camp.

It’s not all sugar and no substance. Stephens marries the frothy pop moments with genuine technical skill and musical sophistication. She’s a self-professed “control freak” in the studio who often spends more time on intricate vocal arrangements and layering than on writing the initial lyrics, and it shows. Throughout the EP, her vocals are stacked in lush harmonies, call-and-response ad-libs, and cleverly arranged background parts that add depth beneath the glossy surface. Nowhere is her technical prowess more evident than on “SMH,” the EP’s energetic centerpiece. On this track, a slinky R&B banger that finds Stephens flexing over a knocking beat, she makes an audacious choice: in the bridge, she executes multiple unexpected key changes in rapid succession—effectively a series of hidden modulations that take the listener by surprise. The effect is thrilling and elevates the song’s final act; as Stephens herself put it, she “wanted the bridge to give a bit of musicality…turn it on its head. I was like, ‘What if we change keys like three times?’ Yes.”

Sellout II moves like a compact character study in two acts, front-half flirt and motion, back-half boundary-setting and self-possession, held together by Jae Stephens’s ear for clean hooks, stacked harmonies, and quick, classy lifts in the bridges. “Afterbody” is pure club confidence—“Body after body… I’m the one he want out of everybody”—but notice how she refuses the arms-race flex and centers presence over spectacle, the chorus tightening each time like a camera zoom. The back stretch does the framing work, starting with “Choosy” that turns pickiness into policy (“Don’t get emotional… I’m too pick-and-choosy, they’re losers”) over a beat that moves briskly enough to dodge self-righteousness, and it’s where her songwriter discipline shows in the ruthless edit of each line and the no-waste pre-chorus. “10/10” closes as self-appraisal and runway strut—“Tyra, top model chick, attitude, ten out of ten… Don’t gotta talk, I walk that shit”—with a gliding hook that sells the boast because the vocal stacks keep softening its edges.

Even as an EP, Sellout II succeeds in showcasing the duality at the core of Stephens’ artistry. On one hand, these songs are immaculately produced, hook-heavy, and pop-star ready—the kind of tracks that sparkle under club lights or in a summer playlist. On the other hand, there’s an intimacy and realness beneath the sheen, rooted in her perspective as a young woman navigating love and self-worth on her own terms. Rather than feeling at odds, those two sides enhance each other. The meticulous polish makes the personal moments hit even harder, and her personal stamp prevents the shiny pop from ever feeling anonymous. After repeated listens, we now have a much clearer picture of who Jae Stephens is. A bold, bilingual (musically speaking) artist fluent in both the language of mainstream pop fun and the dialect of soulful R&B honesty. If Sellout II is any indication, she’s effectively bridged the gap between depth and dance-floor, inviting us to enjoy ourselves and get to know her at the same time.

Favorite Track(s): “SMH,” “Kiss It,” “Choosy”