Jesslee just wants to have a good time. With her new song “South of Somewhere,” the singer-songwriter seeks an escape from the pressures of everyday living. It’s gotten to be too much, so she hops in her car and drives off onto the horizon. “Gonna rock my floppy hat / Acting single, drinking double / I ain’t coming back,” she sings.

From its sun-soaked lyricism to ear-candy melody, “South of Somewhere” is the sort of song that makes you feel good down to your soul. It’s not about making some bloated political statement or even examing some emotional trigger. It’s about having fun and basking in the moment.

“I want people to hear [this song], no matter where they are in their life, and just feel happiness,” she says. “I wanted to make this track one that would make you raise your drinks up in the air, shake your ass, and smile a little – because a lot of us don’t do that enough.”

“Time to go anywhere but here / I’m headed south of somewhere / Poppin’ airplane bottles on a JetBlue flight,” she sings in the bubbly chorus. “Salt rim, salt air / Going to get to where I’m getting over you tonight / Don’t know where I’ll end up but long as I fill my cup south of somewhere.”

Listen to “South of Somewhere” below.

Introduced to music by her grandparents, Jesslee began writing songs when she was only nine years old. She would go on to win a Florida songwriting competition, setting herself up for a string of successes. In 2017, she rose victorious in the iHeart Country Showdown and later hit the big time during her run on The Voice after turning Blake Shelton’s and Kelly Clarkson’s chairs with an Avril Lavigne song. She might have been eliminated during the battle rounds, but she hasn’t let her early ouster slow her down.

She has since amassed an impressive following, released an album, 2018’s Strong, and continued issuing singles. Songs like “Remember That Song,” “Ammunition,” and “Raised on It” have snagged hundreds of thousands of streams. She’s now signed to ONErpm. Managing director Tim Wipperma praises her as “a phenomenal singer. Her powerful vocals are unparalleled, coupled with the fact that she is one of the best new writers in town.”

Her star is only just beginning to shine bright.