Roy English, the enigmatic and visionary artist also known as Jagwar Twin, has firmly established himself as one of the most captivating and forward-thinking voices in music today— after all, ’Jagwar Twin’ is a reference to the speed of the jaguar, moving through our constantly shifting technological and cultural dynamics. With his latest viral smash "Bad Feeling" and its mesmerizing production, he has once again demonstrated his boundary-pushing creativity and uncanny ability to connect with audiences across generations and cultures.
At the core of English’s artistic philosophy is an exploration of duality. The singer, songwriter, and producer’s music blends light and dark, positive and negative, masculine and feminine energy, all while tapping into an ancient well of ancestral influences like Slavic folk music and integrating cutting-edge sonic palettes. Breakout hit "Happy Face,” from his ambitious 2022 sophomore album 33, invites listeners to confront dystopian realities with a smile, while his biggest song to date, "Bad Feeling" cloaks sobering social commentary in a playful, circus inspired aesthetic.
“Both songs have this light and dark polarity within them,” English says. “‘Happy Face’ is such a twisted-sounding song, but it’s saying, ‘Hey, put on a happy face and everything’s okay.’ It’s this positive mantra. ‘Bad Feeling’ is sort of the same thing. It’s, ‘I got a bad feeling about you,’ but it’s this funny Oompa Loompa sound. We're all complex beings, and there's light and dark within everybody. I really like experimenting with that.”
English seems to have channeled a deeper universal consciousness with "Bad Feeling," which interpolates the “Oompa Loompa” song from the classic 1971 musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The track coincided with the release of 2023’s Wonka despite being recorded over a year earlier.
“I always really loved the Gene Wilder version of the Wonka movie,” English says. “It's one of the only VHS tapes my grandma had, and I would watch it over and over. I always pay attention to what drew me in as a kid, because there's something that your soul is trying to teach you. And that movie has so many great codes and lessons.”
With over 140 million streams since its release and currently sitting at #34 and growing on the Top 40 Chart, “Bad Feeling” has been climbing charts around the world, including TikTok’s Viral 50 Chart and Global Spotify Viral 50 charts, as well as Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. The video has been a massive success too, boasting over 6.5 billion views on YouTube shorts and shooting to #1 on Vevo’s Top 10 Alternative Videos Chart.
Shot by Ukrainian director Ganna Bogdan at the iconic LA Circus, the official video for “Bad Feeling,” taps into English’s playful style—which acts like a Trojan horse of pop to deliver deeper messages to listeners. Sonically, the track is layered with tubas and accordions, connecting with the Los Angeles native’s Slavic ancestry.
“Bad Feeling” is precisely tuned to the healing frequency of 444 Hz, projecting restorative vibrations into the world. With lyrics like, “The truth is a lie nobody can tell/Every kid on the block talks in riddles and prose,” English says the message is truly about trusting one’s intuition and guts.
“With art, you can disguise things in a way that can get into the collective consciousness,” he adds. “Art and music are especially important right now, given the upside-down nature of the world.”
Beyond his transcendent music, English has cultivated a multi-dimensional artistic universe for his fan base to enjoy. In addition to the “Happy Face” facial recognition experiment, the release of 33 was accompanied by an immersive "Hall of Mirrors" Web3 experience, which brought fans deeper into the rich mythological realm of Jagwar Twin in the metaverse.
“People can go in there and explore,” English says of the project, which includes artifacts from his childhood and his journey to where he is now. It invites fans to unlock rooms in the metaverse, decoding puzzles like Egyptian hieroglyphs and interacting with English on Twitter to get to the next room.
“Everything that I do is just asking a question,” English says. “I think asking the question is oftentimes more valuable than trying to provide some sort of answer. Because I don't know. Nobody knows. But asking the questions is important.”
In addition to heading on tour as soon as possible, English is currently constantly in the studio, working on his next album, and there’s no telling what thought-provoking new worlds he’ll unveil next. The universe is calling, and Jagwar Twin is ready to be its antennae to the people.