Understated and emotionally open ballads are the specialty of Houston-based contemporary R&B artist Jastin Martin. Active since the late 2010s, the singer/songwriter and guitarist started independently with self-produced singles and EPs such as XVIII (2019) and Growing Pains (2021) before signing with Def Jam. Martin's output for the major label includes fresh versions of a couple previously released songs and the typically spare "Hurt Before" (2023), preludes to her more collaborative debut album.