Japanese Breakfast is celebrating her nomination for Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys by paying tribute to a past recipient of the award. In a new edition of the Spotify Singles series, Michelle Zauner and company have delivered a cover of 2012 Best New Artist winner Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love,” as well as a re-recording of JBrekkie’s own hit, “Be Sweet.”
Where the original “Be Sweet” shimmers with light synths and shuffling percussion, Japanese Breakfast refurbishes the Jubilee lead single with a disco beat and call-and-response vocals. A similar sheen is added to “Skinny Love,” a folk classic that Japanese Breakfast makes her own with lush orchestral instrumentation.
Zauner explained her choice of cover in a statement: “We decided to record Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ because it felt like a very surprising cover for Japanese Breakfast,” she said. “It’s so moving and sparse. We felt we could add some interesting instrumentation to the track and celebrate our fellow label mate Bon Iver.”
Check out the updated renditions of “Be Sweet” and “Skinny Love” below.
The Spotify Singles series is celebrating the Best New Artist nominees all week ahead of Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Each nominated artist will reimagine one of their own hits and pay tribute to a past honoree in the category. So far, Arlo Parks has covered Kaytranada’s “You’re the One,” while Jimmie Allen reinterpreted Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart.”
In addition to their Best New Artist nomination, Japanese Breakfast is up for Best Alternative Music Album for Jubilee (one of the best LPs of last year) at the 2022 Grammys. Soon after the ceremony, Zauner and her band will hit the road, where they’re set to play Coachella, Bonnaroo, and New York’s Governors Ball, as well as tour with The National, Florence + The Machine, and Courtney Barnett. Grab tickets via Ticketmaster.
Japanese Breakfast 2022 Tour Dates:
04/05 – Athens, OH @ Ohio University Music Industry Summit
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/23 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
05/06 – Richmond, VA @ Friday Cheers at Brown’s Island
05/07 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
05/14 – Winooski, VT @ Waking Windows Music & Arts Festival
05/15 – Houston, TX @ We Are One Music & Arts Festival
05/28 – North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
05/29 – Allston, MA @ Boston Calling Music Festival
06/04 – Bloomington, IN @ Granfalloon at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
06/12 – Queens, NY @ The Governors Ball Music Festival
06/14 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
06/15 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap Filene Center
06/16 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
06/17 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
07/08 – Des Moines, IA @ 80/35 Music Festival
07/16 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/21 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point ^
08/12-14 – Seattle, WA @ Day In Day Out Festival
08/26 – Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater #
09/03 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom #
10/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
10/07 – Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds *
^ = w/ The National
# = w/ Courtney Barnett
* = w/ Florence + The Machine
