Following the release of his debut studio album Syre in 2017, Jaden announced the follow-up Erys in December of the same year.[5] In September 2018, Smith told Zane Lowe that while he likes "to do it all" and "experiment", "the people have spoken on what they like from me so I try to come really, really hard", describing Erys as a "strict, hard rap album". He went on to say that "every song, back to back, [will be] high tempo, [and have] a lot of bass like just crazy".[4]
Composition
Erys picks up where Jaden Smith left off with the conclusion of Syre the story of a boy who is obsessed with chasing the sunset and until one day it chased him, and it ends up killing him. Erys is a now resurrected part of Syre. The album revolves around Erys and portrays him as a boy whose ego has gotten the best of him. During the album he's portrayed as an ill-mannered person who some might say is the exact opposite of Syre.
Promotion
In April 2019, Smith released the three-track EP Erys Is Coming, and in June, debuted the song "Summertime in Paris" with sister Willow on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[6]
Upon its release, Erys received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics.[14]
Commercial performance
In the United States, Erys debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 23,932 album-equivalent units, with 4,036 coming from pure album sales in its first week.[15]
