PR Post: Jo Jaleel - Saturn
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Manchester/Wigan-based artist, songwriter and producer Jo Jaleel released his uplifting new single “Saturn” on 12 June 2026.
Built on warm alternative pop, R&B and funk foundations, “Saturn” is a track about holding onto belief when life feels uncertain. Playful, cosmic and quietly defiant, “Saturn” turns ambition into something human - a reminder that sometimes the story you tell yourself is what keeps you going.
“Saturn” showcases Jo Jaleel’s signature blend of alternative pop, R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop, with influences from Frank Ocean, James Blake, Sampha, Childish Gambino and Bill Withers. The result is a bright, groove-led track that offers listeners something feel-good on the surface, while carrying a deeper message about resilience underneath.
The song balances its surreal, skyward imagery with something much more grounded: patience, family, pressure and the inner battles that come with trying to keep belief alive. Inspired by the idea that mindset can become a form of survival, “Saturn” captures the moment someone chooses to keep believing before anything has fully changed around them.
The track was written by Jo Jaleel and Tom Stott, produced by Jo Jaleel and Tom Stott, and mixed and mastered by Jo Jaleel. It was recorded in a makeshift studio inside Trencherfield Mill in Wigan, with much of the production shaped in more ordinary surroundings - sat at a dining room table, building the sound piece by piece.
That contrast gives “Saturn” its identity: a song that feels expansive without losing touch with where it came from. It is hopeful without being naive, upbeat without being empty, and ambitious without becoming polished into something distant.
“Saturn is about the story you tell yourself when things feel uncertain. It’s about keeping hold of hope and imagination when real life is asking you to keep your head down and carry on.” – Jo Jaleel
The accompanying music video extends the release into a cinematic visual metaphor. It follows a janitor alone in an empty theatre, moving through his shift until ordinary labour begins to turn into movement. A broom, a uniform and a quiet stage become part of a private performance - not an escape from real life, but a brief interruption of it.
“I didn’t want the video to feel like someone dramatically chasing a dream. I wanted it to feel like someone remembering they had one.” – Jo Jaleel
Jo Jaleel is a Manchester/Wigan-based artist, songwriter and producer whose music sits between alternative pop, R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop.
Writing songs since the age of 12, Jo’s path into music began after seeing Coldplay on their Viva La Vida tour in 2008 - a moment that made songwriting feel possible, personal and necessary. Years later, after working with producers who could not quite capture the sound he heard in his own head, Jo taught himself production so he could build that world on his own terms.
His background stretches across bands, production work and independent releases, including time in the band Spanish Honey and the production duo Lux with Tom Stott. Many of the songs now emerging under Jo Jaleel began as ideas written years earlier, gradually reshaped into a solo project with a clearer emotional and visual identity.
Raised between the influence of his mother’s late-60s northern soul collection and the Persian music played by his father, Jo’s sound carries a mix of groove, feeling and cultural texture. His work is defined by honest songwriting, warm production and cinematic restraint.
“I randomly saw it on Reels, and I got hooked by it. Your music found its way to me when I needed it, and it genuinely left a mark on me.” - Jamie Raphael, fan
“Jo Jaleel bears his soul and details his faults with such honesty.” - Earmilk
“Intimate and moving. A sonic masterpiece from start to finish.” - Gems & Secrets
“Love this. Speaks to me on every level. Like a dictionary definition of funk, but with unique stylistic choices.” - Dolo Jones
“Saturn” has received support from:
Dave Monks at BBC Introducing
Shell Zenner on Amazing Radio
Dolo Jones’ Wonky Fonk playlist
Virvox Media’s Feel The Funk playlist
Adityaa Bagus’ Soulful Journey playlist
Tom High’s Poolside Pop playlist
Recent Jo Jaleel milestones also include live performances across Manchester, Wigan and London, including support for SPACE at Pier 4, Hidden Talents Fest, Essence at Red Arch Manchester and Cymatics FM at The Camden.
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