Jae Stephens – I Miss The City & Gymnastics
Buzzy pop singer / songwriter Jae Stephens brings personal duality with back-to-back singles “I Miss The City” and “Gymnastics” – out now via Def Jam Recordings.
The juxtaposing tracks – officially debuting on Apple Music’s Zane Lowe – are the newest sample of what’s to come on her debut album AUDACITY making its landing on September 25th across all streaming platforms.
Uninterested in choosing between the different sides of herself, Jae embraces the duality of “I Miss The City” and “Gymnastics” by pairing introspection with irreverence, vulnerability with confidence, and emotional release with unapologetic freedom. “I Miss The City” – produced by MNEK (Zara Larsson, Dua Lipa) – is distinct from Jae’s previous releases by embodying a more sparsely produced structure with ethereal instrumentation and dreamy pop tones that carries the messaging of her yearning for socializing, spontaneity, and overall freedom. The accompanying visualizer depicts Jae set atop a rooftop above the city overlooking the city she is ready to take back.
“Gymnastics” – produced by Dallas Caton – mirrors “I Miss The City” by effortlessly evading a pseudo lover who tries to turn a fling into something more permanent. Her refusal to be pinned down becomes the central punchline of the track – “Can’t trap me, baby, watch me do gymnastics / thought he had me, then I hit him with a backflip.” Together both singles capture two complementary expressions of Jae Stephens’ autonomy and reinforce forthcoming album AUDACITY by messaging Jae is most comfortable moving by her own rules.
“[I Miss The City] is the sweet spot of the album. The instrumental feels light-hearted and endearing while the lyrics paint a darker picture of a bored city girl desperate for freedom from the mundane. Duality!
[Gymnastics] is the part of the album where I finally say the quiet part out loud: maybe I’m the problem! Rather than apologizing for my avoidant tendencies, I own them unapologetically and deliver my best backhanded apology in true melodramatic fashion. “
The duo track release trails behind recent release “Sugar Trap” from Jae’s forthcoming debut album AUDACITY – out September 25th – cementing her as one of pop’s most compelling new and fearless voices. She has given listeners a dose of the upcoming music with “Attaboy!” which is about taming a self-proclaimed bad boy into the perfect plus one. She’s made tremendous strides with her acclaimed EPs SELLOUT, SELLOUT II and TOTAL SELLOUT THE DELUXE. The SELLOUT I EP notably turned heads across the industry leading Jae to land as an opener for FLO on the US leg of their “AAA Tour” which later opened the doors to Jae’s own SELLOUT tour in October 2025 – selling out its initial three show dates in LA, NYC, and London in 24 hours. She extended the tour in 2026 making stops in a handful of additional North American cities.
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