Sydney Jo Jackson is ready for her close-up. The Birmingham-born, London-based artist and longtime collaborator finally set free her debut single “You Should Be Here” this past Friday (February 21), and it’s a slow-burning soul gem that exudes a timeless nature through its casual ferocity. Jackson’s voice purrs out of the speakers with whipsmart confidence as someone who has very clearly experienced some shit, and this song — which swirls around themes of confronting personal flaws, breaking cycles, and understanding accountability — feels like a roadmap out of the bad times and into better days. “I can’t afford therapy,” Jackson says in one of the best press quotes we’ve read in a minute, “so I write songs. My music is where I say everything I think out loud — it’s unfiltered and raw in every way.” Carve a path towards the place we all need to be with this playing with purpose in the earbuds.