jaycee!! opens a new chapter with a reflective ode to platonic love

3 Sep 2025 — 2 min read

Friendship can be as transformative as love, sometimes even more so. For Tamaki Makaurau alternative pop artist jaycee!!, the new single “platonic” explores the intimacy, vulnerability, and authenticity that exists when two people build a bond without expectation. It’s a subject often overlooked in music, but here, jaycee!! gives it space to breathe.

Built on melancholic synths and lyrics that ache with empathy, “platonic” feels like a soft confessional whispered through nostalgic, haunting vocals. The track is a glimpse into jaycee!!’s upcoming EP In A Deep Blue Reality, a body of work that embraces emotional depth and vulnerability in different shades, blue not just as a colour, but as a state of being.

What makes jaycee!! stand out is not just his sound, but his perspective. Growing up, he says, it was hard to imagine how a straight person and a queer person could share a close friendship without judgement. That shifted when someone changed his view, and in “platonic” he distills that moment into music. It’s a reminder that genuine connection doesn’t need to be defined by labels, and that friendship can be just as profound as romance.

Behind the track is a team that amplifies its sincerity: produced by Lucian Panting and Caleb Keepin, mixed and mastered by Keepin, with visuals created by Connor Lynd and jaycee!! himself. Every layer feels intentional, weaving sound and imagery into one world of empathy.

Beyond artistry, jaycee!! is no stranger to the wider music scene. He’s a radio host at 95bFM, spotlighting Asian artists across Aotearoa and beyond, as well as a content creator for UMUSIC NZ. That dual perspective, both inside the industry and at the edges of it, shapes his understanding of how music can connect people.

With “platonic”, jaycee!! invites listeners into a space of honesty. Vulnerable, empathetic, and quietly powerful, it’s the kind of song that lingers long after the last note fades.