Joel Ansett Brings Unseen Pain To Light in New Single “Just Fine”

DENVER, CO (January 12, 2021) – Denver artist Joel Ansett is returning with the release of “Just Fine” on February 5th. Fresh off the release of his single “Ease” which premiered in American Songwriter, Ansett is again blending genres of folk, pop, and R&B to create a thoughtful single that touches on the topic of unseen pain and suffering. “ ‘Just Fine’ was inspired by a friend who was walking through chronic pain. We would get together and they would look completely healthy and happy, and then they would share that at that moment they’re dealing like a level 7 or 8 pain… Unseen pain,” says Ansett. “I’m sitting right across from them and without them sharing that, I would have had no indication that they were in pain.” Ansett goes on to explain after experiencing several other stories in a similar fashion, he drew a connection to the sickness of depression and how that pain is also very unseen. Incorporating this idea into the lyrics, “Nobody can see this fight I’m fighting now – When it’s all inside – And ‘you look just fine’” Ansett also made an effort to represent the juxtaposition between unseen pain on the inside and looking fine on the outside through the sonic elements of the song. “Sonically, the feel-good hip hop beat represents the surface level appearance of things going well and life being good, and the slightly atonal bass loop underneath represents the unseen pain,” says Ansett.

Hailed as a “songwriter to watch” from The Huffington Post, Ansett showcases his thoughtful songwriting and unique voice that continues to win fans. With a new EP just around the bend, “Just Fine” is the second tease of what is to come from Ansett in 2021. American Songwriter described Ansett’s last single as “display[ing] his ability to blend folk and R ’n B together with gentle aplomb” (American Songwriter). “Just Fine” follows in that vein as it straddles the lines between folk, pop, and R&B, going beyond the limitations of genre to create a memorable experience for listeners. Having cut his songwriting teeth since 2014, Ansett has found fans all over the country with more than 12 million streams online, a song placed in Marvel’s “The Punisher”, and a spot at #9 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart for his debut LP The Nature of Us (2015). Ansett followed up his first album with the release of A Place I Knew Before (2019) which was described as “Striking a careful balance that only comes with great intention, A Place I Knew Before blends sonic experimentation with strong songwriting, but more deeply places grief and hope side by side” (Marquee Mag). His sound has also been hailed as “the sonic lovechild of John Legend and The Tallest Man On Earth” (The Huffington Post) and showcases Ansett’s individuality in an over-saturated industry of singer-songwriters.