Teresa Teresinha

There'll be days

Mama Maya

Ao Seu Redor

The System

Apple Of My Eye

You're The Only One

Trees

O Milagre

The Captain

Mumma is the second single from Jesse Witney’s forthcoming album, Animal Cities, and was recorded at Estúdio Carolina in Rio de Janeiro. 

Mumma is a heart-felt message of respect and love to mother nature, highlighting Witney’s signature soul voice, and intricate guitar style that is bursting with sun-filled reggae groove. 

Mumma rocks vintage sounds, a 70’s style horn section, and some tasty dub bass and drums. Witney’s dynamic vocals nod towards Jeff Buckley and Paulo Nutini, albeit with an unmistakable world-music edge. 

Witney can write a hooky chorus, however he doesn't shy away from pushing musical boundaries, and breaks the song down to its bare bones halfway through, to great dramatic effect, before bouncing back into the Bristol dance-hall vibes, where your feet don’t lie and have to move.

Witney says, “Mumma was written immediately after waking from a dream. The song is born out of a deep respect for Mother Nature and the Mother Spirit.” Mumma was produced by Marcelo Müller, Thomas Mitchell and Jesse Witney.

Mumma (Radio Edit)

The Darkness is the first single from Jesse Witney’s hotly anticipated debut album, Animal Cities, due for release in November 2022.
 
Witney wrote The Darkness sitting on the porch of his childhood home in rural Queensland, trying to make sense of the grief he felt about a friend he has lost to suicide. The Darkness is a metaphor for the loss of a child’s innocence, and the complications and fears that grow as we get older. For some, the pressure of life can be unendurable, they struggle to stay afloat, and sometimes the dark waters engulf them. Witney’s pain and passion for those drowning are palpable, he knows the feeling, but he offers a gentle hand, “To wait it out till the dawn”.
 
Musically, The Darkness calls to mind Jeff Buckley and Ben Howard, yet Witney is just nodding in their direction as he sets off, cutting his own path –  a roots-twang intro, a chilling-atmospheric verse, morphing into a big-rock chorus that has Witney pushing through, ahead of the dark wave, with driving world-rhythms, and more than a sprinkling of retro 1970’s Prog-Rock. 
 
The Darkness was produced by Thomas Mitchell and Jesse Witney at Bighouse Sound Studio in Melbourne, mixed by Scott French, and mastered by King Willy. The powerful video was produced by Well Then Films and directed by Adele Brodskaja.
 
The Darkness announces the arrival of a major talent, whose debut album is already making waves.
 
“beautifully soulful music…irresistibly catchy”  THE BEAT

“Definitely making me feel Higher…fantastic ”  Christine Anu ABC RADIO NATIONAL

“uplifting…I think this track captures a new Byron-Northern Rivers sound”  Nino Haggith MUSIC NSW.

“Witney’s vocals… well, we just can’t get enough.”  Tom Parker - BEAT MAGAZINE
 
 
BIO / Jesse Witney
Jesse Witney was one of those kids you see on groovy parents' shoulders at festivals. His family has a strong musical pedigree, with both his parents being musicians and festival producers of the Imbil Folk festival for over 15 years. His older brother Matty Witney, who he performs with, in the Brothers Witney, is currently a Chicago resident musician.

Jesse started singing at an early age, with obvious talent. At 13 years he picked up a bass guitar and helped form the punk band, ‘Better than Britney', by 16 years old he was winning music competitions, including the “George Hoya Tribute Award’, and getting a name for himself in the surf-music scene. He moved to Lismore to study guitar performance at Southern Cross University with Jim Kelly. One day Doug de Vries, the leading exponent of Brazilian guitar in Australia, gave a lecture about Brazilian guitar music, and “a light came on” and Jesse began to study Brazilian music with a passion.

By 20 years old he had learned the language. By 21 years old was in Brazil, gigging as much as possible across the country and recording with a plethora of Brazilian talents, including Producer - Marcelo Müller. His deep appreciation and immersion into the Brazilian tradition have been a constant in his musical journey and infuses his music with a spicy edge. He also performs under the moniker ‘My Bossa Nova Baby’ performing the traditional samba-folk of Brazil. His forthcoming album of originals, Animal Cities is due out in March 2023.

The Darkness (Radio Edit)

Higher (Rescue Me)

A feel good, simple pop song. Lushed out with harmonies and some very tasty grooves and production.

Make You Mine

JESSE WITNEY 

Jesse Witney was one of those young kids you see on groovy parents shoulders at festivals. His family has a strong musical pedigree, with both his parents being musicians and festival producers of the Imbil Folk festival for over 15 years. His older brother Matty Witney, who he performed with in the Brothers Witney, is currently a Chicago resident musician. Jesse started singing at an early age, with an obvious talent. At 13 years he picked up a bass guitar and helped form the punk band, ‘Better than Britney’, by 16 years old he was winning music competitions, including the “George Hoya Tribute Award’, and getting a name for himself in the surf-music scene. He moved to Lismore to study guitar performance at Southern Cross University with Jim Kelly. One day Doug de Vries, the leading exponent of Brazilian guitar in Australia,  gave a lecture about Brazilian guitar music and “a light came on” and he began to study Brazilian music with a passion. By 20 years old he had learnt the language. And by 21 years  years old was in Brazil, gigging as much as possible across the country as a whole, and recording with a plethora of Brazilian talents, including Producer - Marcelo Müller. His deep appreciation and immersion into the Brazilian tradition has been a constant in his musical journey, and infuses his music with a spicy edge. He also performs under the moniker ‘My Bossa Nova Baby’ performing the traditional samba-folk of Brazil. His forthcoming album of originals, Animal Cities is due out in November 2022.

Jesse Witney

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