What makes a bop in 2025? And how is it possible for an artist with less than 1,000 subscribers on YouTube and under 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify to generate more excitement around their music than artists with greater digital reach? Both questions have nuanced answers, and independent New Zealand singer-songwriter Jazmin Ugapo — stage name JUGA — seems qualified to answer both after a few successful single releases this year, most notably “Late Night Talking.”
The Sound of JUGA: Pulsing, Poised Alt-R&B
The handful of JUGA singles to date are largely flirtatious mid-tempo bangers defined by spicy yet cute accounts of young love. JUGA’s music can soundtrack nights alone in bed during the talking phase as well as car rides on a Friday night out. Vocally, JUGA shows pleasant control and finds amazing pockets in really fun production, while “Wonder” stands out as an example of the comforting richness in her lower register. As lovely as “Wonder” is, it is the aforementioned “Late Night Talking” that has a small but considerable group of supporters running it up and raving for more.
What Makes “Late Night Talking” So Easy To Replay?
Produced by frequent collaborator Edward Liu, the composition of “Late Night Talking” leaves a lot of space for that three-count layered kick to hit your body and for JUGA to glide. The accents that fill up the production are brilliant in terms of texture and timing — a swirling synth, a soothing acoustic guitar lick, and a terse violin piece creating a bit of tension in the song’s transitions. The song captures early 2000s R&B energy and gives it 2025 rhythm.
Altogether, the beat helps us daydream and Kodak bop through sexy yet wholesome songwriting describing the weight of an intimate one-on-one convo after dark. “Late Night Talking” can have you thinking about someone, thinking about the next one, thuggin’ it out, or totally at peace.
It is no wonder “Late Night Talking” is the single JUGA has chosen to push on Tik Tok, with two posts about the song earning 70,000+ views and more than 700 comments combined, many of them desperately pleading for the track to drop (pre-release) or textually screaming about how specific parts made the song irresistible (post-release).
Spotify and YouTube, it seems, are catching up to the initial human experience of “Late Night Talking.” A number of nostalgic R&B fans whose tastes range from Janet Jackson to rising star Sailorr have made themselves known across JUGA’s social media accounts, and it’s likely JUGA will continue to be suggested to listeners of the sort stateside.
What’s Next For JUGA?
As of the time of writing, JUGA’s latest single “MVP” is just five days old. As the algorithms figure her out, it is clear her career is headed somewhere more visible than “Who are you and how did I find you?”
Listen to “MVP” by JUGA and subscribe to ATC Sound to put energy toward uncovering and supporting independent music artists.
