Janani K. Jha - Hellbent (Official Audio)

"Hellbent" is a song about agency, about the choices we make that are sometimes confusing to even ourselves. I wrote it after dreaming about a staring down a metaphorical cliff face, one that lead to a mysterious world below; the dream ended with me deciding to make the leap of faith, and when I woke up, I had the song's chorus stuck in my head.

A fun fact about the day I made "Hellbent" -- I had worked with this song's producer previously on a song I loved called "The Maze,” & I couldn’t get this one vocal motif from the outro of "The Maze" out of my head. I asked the producer to play it through the studio speakers, & then reverse it. We then proceeded to create the entire song over that one repeated line—stripped piano chorus, a cappella greek chorus intro, synth post-chorus, & all. If you listen closely to certain moments in the track, you can still hear the motif in the background.

It feels very fitting to me that “Hellbent” was built off of a reversed vocal from “The Maze,” because in my head, these songs are two sides of the same coin. “The Maze” tells the story of someone making it through a metaphorical labyrinth, & “Hellbent” tells the story of someone willingly choosing to enter it, jumping into it from a great height to feel, if only for a moment, like they’re flying. There are chapters of the story that take place in between these two milestones, of course, but I’m thrilled to begin this new era of music with these two songs.

From the bottom of my heat, thank you so much for being here. This is only the beginning, and I'm so grateful to have you for each step of this journey.

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Video by: Janani K. Jha

If you want join the journey, you can follow me here! :)

LYRICS:
Here’s the tale I’ve come to tell
Of two options when it comes to Hell:
Simmer in the ashes,
Let the flames lick your thighs, or
Go through it and back and fall out the other side

Watch me fall from grace
Just to see if things will change
Life was full of only dead ends
Now I’m hellbent

Showtime, but I’m gettin’ stage fright
Wanna roll dice, but I’m scared of snake eyes
Now I’m tired of the late nights
Uninspired as a playwright
May I take five and fall by the wayside?

When things get predictable I just wanna scream (ah!)

Watch me fall from grace (watch me fall from)
So things will change (just so things will change)
Life was full of only dead ends
Now I’m hellbent

Can’t stop me now
I’m already on the way down
Saw the edge and then I shook
Then I leapt before I looked, uh (x2)

Always work hard, and I always play safe
F*ck it, I jumped off, now listen to that heart rate
If I want it all to pay off
Must embrace a little chaos
I won’t play God, but maybe I’ll play Dante

When things get predictable I just wanna scream (ah!)

Can’t stop me now (now)
I’m already on the way down
Saw the ledge and then I shook (I shook)
Then I leapt before I looked, uh (no)

Here’s the tale I’ve come to tell
Of two options when it comes to Hell:
Burn right into ashes,
Let the flames take your fight, or
Go through it and back and fall out the other side

I’ll fall from grace
So things will change
Life was full of only dead ends
Now I’m hellbent

[BloodlessWolf]

I was sent a video on Instagram and I figured, what the hell, I'll check her music out. And wow, this is great.

[WHJester]

Found J Maya though Survivor and I'm so glad I did! All of her songs are incredible, and this is no exception.

[camcarrasco]

I found you through Epic, your voice is so sweet and beautiful, i wanted to hear more 🥺💕 This song is amazing, I'll definitely be listening to all of your other songs♡

[jasonliriano]

"Life was full of only dead ends" I felt that to my core especially around when covid happened, it felt like every plan I ever made and had fell through my fingers like rough grains of sand. Recently I found the crystals hidden by the sand and now I'm more hopeful than ever once again thank you for this feeling ❤🙏🏽🙌🏽

[meeeg]

When Icarus fell he lost consciousness in the sun’s embrace, but he didn’t truly die until he felt the splash of the Styx hit his face.

[skyethetsubaki]

found you through the song you made of Penelope waiting for Odysseus and I have stayed ever since, you have yet to disappoint!

[miscellaneous-human]

i never realized what rest of the laurel actually meant but it’s so cool! so excited to listen <3

[SpectralMagnolia]

Wow I love your music so much. As a songwriter myself, you're one of those artists who inspires me to improve my own skill.

[oceanhooligan]

This song is such a vibe! Totally thinking of you and this song as I "jump into the labyrinth" of taking chances, like you did with Survivor 45. Thank you for this gem I'm listening to on repeat!

[miscellaneous-human]

i found you a couple years ago through achilles heel (i think when watching a pjo video lol) and i’m so glad i did! your voice is angelic and you are so lovely! your songwriting is amazing and i hope you keep succeeding <3

[ubaldolopez]

the gasp I had when I saw a new release 😍 amazing song 🎼

[phoebec]

I'm so glad I caught you on ig live!! such a special experience!!!! you're amazing thank you for another banger

[Jelqzko]

Amazing song, I love it. Thanks for blessing us with more beautiful music. <3

[nessiebwur]

This is the first song in my Running playlist!! ❤🏃🏽‍♀️

[Bunny_Goddess]

Yesss a new favourite to be replaying every day❤

[bobxooolulugod]

I'm so grateful to see you in Survivor! Otherwise, I would have never found your amazing music. Survivor 45's cast truly is great. Wishing you the best of luck in the future!!!!

[aritheangel]

"Can't stop me now I'm already on the way down saw the edge and then I shook then I left before i looked" apparently she posed a short that said only percy jackson fans will understand AT THE GATEWAY ARCH

[elenjulia]

I just wanna say that your chapter on Substack titled Hellbent is wonderful, just like this song🥰

[wilson_]

I loved you in Survivor J! You played an amazing game and i'm glad I discovered your music through that :)

[AdeptiHotline]

I found this through your shorts I love it so much. on loop for the foreseeable future