Jojo Engelbert, best known for her work on “Ariel, Zoey & Eli, Too” on the Sling platform, continues to dive into music with her newest single “Sweet N Sour.” Engelbert, at just 15 years old, has a great voice, and definitely has some idea of the artist she wants to be, but she hasn’t figured it all out just yet. Her cover of Avril Lavigne’s classic “I’m With You” on YouTube shows a young girl hitting all the notes and singing the heartfelt lyrics, but not conveying any of the emotions behind the song, or displaying any kind of connection other than just, maybe, liking the song. It’s like watching a Cheryl Porter video, in which, as a vocal coach, she will try and help a young kid, some even younger than Engelbert, come up with some kind of emotional attachment to song lyrics that they, at that point in their life, have no real connection to. Some are able to rise to the challenge, and some need more work, but it all comes in due time. Engelbert is, seemingly, using her acting chops to be able to almost flip a switch from this disconnected delivery in the Avril cover to a captivating performance in the video for “Sweet N Sour.”
“Sweet N Sour” is a darker, Poppy-esque track that serves as a warning to not get on Engelbert’s bad side, because behind the good-girl image is someone who won’t be messed with; “Be the best, as long as you don’t test me. Feed me what I want to hear.” The vocal production and instrumentation, by her brother Eli aka YETIBEAR, goes all in on the pop-punk sound, and, for the most part, they make it work.
The video sees Jojo against a black background, constantly shifting between different styles of hair and dark makeup. The “sweet” seems like its bubbling under the surface throughout the video, but is never truly shown. Almost like it has been suppressed, or like her patience has finally worn thin and now these dormant emotions have risen up. Instead, the “sour” is the most prevalent, as Jojo looks as though she might just put her hands through the screen and drag you in there with her. The cuts and changes are jarring, but they are synched together with the vocals extremely well, making for a worthwhile watch.
Watch the video for “Sweet N Sour” here:
Follow Engelbert on social media here:
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