Breakups are never easy. Luckily, London-based girl group FLO has shared their “Losing You” single that makes being on your own again easier than ever. The song arrived on Friday (December 16), and finds members Stella, Jorda, and Renée harmonizing as they express their vulnerable feelings.
“Dishes in the sink, I ain’t have no time to think / I don’t even ask you where you been / I know you’re with some other bitch,” the latter sings on the first verse. Her lyrics obviously set the tone for the rest of the track as her fellow vocalists air their own grievances.
On the chorus, Stella reflects, “Losing you was easier than I thought it’d be / I’m happy on my own / It’s the first time I finally feel at home.”
In a press release, FLO spoke about their latest release. “It’s fitting that ‘Losing You’ is being released this time of the year as it’s all about going through a loss but somehow being comforted by it,” they said.
“It reminds you of how content you are by yourself and finding that cheerful spirit during a tough time.”
Earlier this month, FLO dropped off their The Lead EP. Complete with six tracks, it finds the girls showing off their individual strengths over well built soundscapes.
As a press release notes, the trio made history last month. Thanks to their hard work, they’re officially the first group to ever win the prestigious BRIT Rising Star Award. Others to champion the same category include Adele and Sam Smith.
Stream FLO’s “Losing You” on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, find more R&B recommendations on our weekly playlist update here.
Quotable Lyrics:
Always lift you up and never let you down That’s the reason you were keepin’ me around I couldn’t see myself without you, but look now I tapped out, I tapped out
Undeniably, Jacquees is preparing for a new season of his career. Years ago, he took social media by storm with his “King of R&B” declarations that caused quite a few conversations. However, Jacquees is more than just a viral moment or the subject of a hot take. The 28-year-old R&B crooner has been active in the industry for over a decade, and now, he’s back with a new album, Sincerely For You. The project not only hosts a look from Future, but the rapper also holds the title of executive producer.
Aside from Jacquees partnering with his fellow Georgia native, the star-studded cast of features are also standouts. Summer Walker, 6LACK, Tory Lanez, John P. Kee, and Dreezy help round out a project that Jacquees is hoping that is ushering in a new chapter of his life.
Photo Provided By Publicist
“It’s all grown-man vibes. I’m 28 years old now,” he told HNHH exclusively for our 12 Days of Christmas series. “So, the conversations are just different for everything, for me. Even the lifestyle.
You know, you get older, you know, you stop doing a lot of the things that you was doing before. I feel like that’s kind of how I did it with my lifestyle and my music. And I believe that through records, you’ll be able to tell the growth into maturity.“
In 2019, Jacquees delivered two projects: his sophomore studio album, King of R&B, and his holiday offering, Christmas in Decatur. The Cash Money and Republic Records star also gave us a mixtape in 2020 amid the pandemic. His new singles “Tipsy” and “Still That” certainly place the hitmaker’s talents on display, and it’s evident that Jacquees is authentically evolving in an ever-changing entertainment industry.
As he celebrates the arrival of Sincerely For You, Jacquees took a few minutes to chat with us about the album, a few holiday traditions, leading from the heart, and wanting to lock in a few award wins in 2023.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
HNHH: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today. It feels like you’ve been laying low, and now you’re back with a new record. Tell us about Sincerely For You and what fans can expect.
It has definitely been a minute. I ain’t dropped an album since, I think like, 2019. Sincerely For You, this my third album, executive produced by Future, of course. The process was crazy. We been working on it for like a year, over a year. We started on it last year in Miami. It’s just been a cool process. I got some dope producers on there.
I’m just bringing the sound that I know everybody wanna hear from me. I gave them a preview with “Tipsy” and “Still That.” It’s a lot more records to come that’s just gon’ be crazy. I know everybody gon’ love these records ‘cause I already know what my fans expect from me. So, I feel like I’m finna give them just that.
It’s interesting because Sincerely For You hosts features from 21 Savage, Tory Lanez, Summer Walker, Future… But you decided to lead with singles where you stand alone. Many artists often push a record with a featured track first. What were your thoughts on doing the opposite this time around?
I feel like features are cool, but I always feel like my fans, they always want me. You know what I’m sayin’? Of course, with features, it always helps because we collab fan bases, but a lot of the times, a lot of my stand-alone records be some of my best records. I just want the people to know, you know, I can do it alone.
But of course, I got some records, some features that’s crazy. We gon’ push them up through there [laughs]. But, for the most part, I really wanted to put those records out first because I feel like it’ll give people a good feel for the album and what to expect.
I read that this was a “new chapter” for you. What does that mean for you professionally as you usher in this new era?
It’s all grown-man vibes. I’m 28 years old now. I was 24, 25, when I dropped my last album. So, the conversations are just different for everything, for me. Even the lifestyle.
You know, you get older, you know, you stop doing a lot of the things that you was doing before. I feel like that’s kind of how I did it with my lifestyle and my music. And I believe that through records, you’ll be able to tell the growth into maturity.
Most definitely. Personal evolution and maturation can’t help but spill over into your professional life—if you’re dedicated to the growth.
Let’s shift gears to the holidays. We’re in the thick of things with family dinners, trimming trees, and all the feel-good moments of the season. What traditions do you do with your loved ones this time of year?
Traditions that we do? Hm. We always get together at my mama house, always, for Christmas. You know we always—do we open gifts on Christmas Eve? No, we don’t open gifts on Christmas Eve, but we always have a big breakfast. My mama makes some of the best cheese grits in the world [laughs]. I’m really looking forward to that.
For the most part, a lot of times lately, we always go to like, Disney World for Christmas. We’ve been doing that lately. Going down to Orlando, celebrating at Disney World, just doing stuff like that.
That’s sweet! I need those cheese grits [laughs]. And during this time, people are casting visions for 2023. I stopped resolutions and instead try to learn something new for the year. Are there any resolutions or goals that you have for 2023?
I feel like everybody always says the same sh*t [laughs]. But for me, every year, I’m trying to be a better person, a better artist, a better human being, period. So, I think for me next year, my New Year’s resolution, besides all that, I just want to get some awards. I think that’s something that I’m trying to work hard toward. Get some awards, some recognition for my hard work. That’s something I look forward to.
Definitely deserved. This is my last question, I ask everyone I interview. In the illusion that is the industry, people have expectations of who they think Jacquees is. The veil of celebrity often causes people to perceive artists in a certain way that’s not always a true reflection of who they are. What is something about the heart of Jacquees as a person that doesn’t always translate because people can’t see beyond who they think you are as a celebrity?
I don’t think people see how big my heart is. Of course, they see everything I say, you know, this and that, but I don’t think people really just see, like, the truth. The real me. I feel like, if they did, I’d get a lot more love. But that’s what I’m trying to show people now. Hopefully, they’ll see it.
But I feel like that’s something that people don’t really see a lot of me like…my heart is huge. Like, I do so much. Just off the strength of my heart, you know? But I feel like people will eventually see.
I appreciate that so much. Thank you so much for the time. Have a wonderful holiday season, and Happy New Year!
Thank you. And you, too! And make sure to get Sincerely For You on December 16th [laughs]!
Stream Jacquees’ latest album, Sincerely For You, below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Back in May, Ty Dolla $ign shared the exciting news that he would be officially launching his EZMNY Records label. Along with that came the introduction of his first signee – Leon Thomas.
“Leon’s talent was just a higher level from every other singer or producer that I was hearing,” the “Spicy” hitmaker told Billboard at the time. “The fact that he was doing everything himself from playing bass to working Logic and Pro Tools [was amazing]. From the first song I heard, I knew he was one of them ones.”
Actor Leon Thomas III attends the premiere of “Flatliners” at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on September 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Since then, we’ve heard Thomas’ talent speak for itself on “Love Jones” back in August. He and Ty Dolla came together for the single, but now, he’s back with a song of his own.
On Monday (December 12), the rising recording artist took us to his “Breaking Point.” As Revolt notes, the song was previously used in a Beats by Dre advertisement starring LeBron James and his son, Bronny.
The emotional song finds the Illinois native reflecting on how he can nurture a fading relationship. “Slow dancing in this burning house, I don’t wanna go nowhere / It’s hard for me to listen when there’s miles and miles of distance,” he sings.
Other appearances from Ty Dolla $ign’s first signee can be found on Phony Ppl’s “to get home” as well as Steelo’s “Lord Knows.”
Stream Leon Thomas’ “Breaking Point” on Spotify or Apple Music below. Additionally, find more recent R&B arrivals on our weekly playlist update here.
Quotable Lyrics:
Slow dancing in this burning house, I don’t wanna go nowhere It’s hard for me to listen when there’s miles and miles of distance Feel your heart is drifting but you’re right there I call you home but I might be alone, I can hear it in your tone We’re in the danger zone
Masego stayed out of the spotlight for most of 2022. In recent months, though, he’s making a return with new music for his adoring fanbase. In early November, his “Say You Want Me,” was making rounds. The song is full of rhythmic afrobeats and R&B vibes, and remains in rotation for many.
Before the year comes to a close, the 29-year-old has one last treat in store – a nearly four-minute-long single called “You Never Visit Me.” Throughout his lyrics, the musician reflects on how love can become less of a priority while one is chasing their dreams.
“Took the bait when they sold me the dream / And I drove to crazier zones and I paid for it,” he quickly sings over Wu10 and Todd Pritchard’s production. “You where there when I told you the plan, you were sold / Then we made it a goal to remain ’til we old.”
As Broadway World notes, the song came together at Wu’s Huntsville, AL studio. Additionally, co-producer Louie Lastic worked from Los Angeles and Justus West came through on the electric guitar.
Both “You Never Visit Me” and “Say You Want Me” are due to appear on Masego’s forthcoming album in 2023.
Other artists who appear on the project include Sheléa and TeaMarrr. Their vocals shine on “Bliss Abroad” and “Smith & Westin” respectively.
Stream Masego’s “You Never Visit Me” on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, let us know who you want him to work with on his next record in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics:
Took the bait when they sold me the dream And I drove to crazier zones and I paid for it You where there when I told you the plan, you were sold Then we made it a goal to remain ’til we old
SZA says she’s tired of being described as an “R&B artist,” explaining that she feels the label is “super disrespectful.” The SOS singer discussed her reasoning during a new cover story for Consequence.
“I’m so tired of being pegged as [an] R&B artist,” SZA admitted. “I feel like that’s super disrespectful, because people are just like, ‘Oh, ’cause you’re Black, this is what you have to be’ — like, put in a box. And I hate that. With songs on this album, it’s supposed to help round out the picture and the story.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 22: SZA performs at 2018 BET Experience Staples Center Concert, sponsored by COCA-COLA, at L.A. Live on June 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ser Baffo/Getty Images for BET)
She continued: “It’s very lazy to just throw me in the box of R&B. I love making Black music, period. Something that is just full of energy. Black music doesn’t have to just be R&B. We started rock ‘n’ roll. Why can’t we just be expansive and not reductive?”
SZA isn’t the only artist to complain about the categorization of R&B music as of late. Lizzo also recently labeled the existence of genres as being “racist inherently.”
“Genre’s racist inherently,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I think if people did any research they would see that there was race music and then there was pop music. And race music was their way of segregating Black artists from being mainstream, because they didn’t want their kids listening to music created by Black and brown people because they said it was demonic and yada, yada, yada. So then there were these genres created almost like code words: R&B, and then of course eventually hip-hop and rap was born from that. I think when you think about pop, you think about MTV in the ’80s talking about ‘We can’t play rap music’ or ‘We can’t put this person on our platform because we’re thinking about what people in the middle of America think’ — and we all know what that’s code for.”
SZA’s comments come after the release of her highly-anticipated second studio album, SOS. Elsewhere in the chat with Consequence, SZA reflected on the anxiety she suffered during the build-up to the new album. She also spoke about the music industry more broadly and her desire to “disappear” from it.
Check out SZA’s cover story for Consequence below.
COVER STORY: SZA WITHOUT LIMITS
Don’t put SZA in a box.
On SOS, her boldest project yet, SZA makes it clear she’s more than an R&B artist: “I love making Black music, period.” https://t.co/yk7eDW7h4j
SZA’s long-awaited sophomore studio album, SOS, has finally arrived. The sprawling new release is SZA’s first new project in five years, so fans are really taking it all in and refamiliarizing themselves with one of R&B’s most reclusive stars.
Early standouts from the album, like “Kill Bill,” have already fueled feverish discourse on Twitter. Furthermore, the album’s features — from Travis Scott to the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard — have also been major topics of conversation. Above all, however, fans appear to be most moved by the quality of the music itself. TDE’s leaving lady has long been known for being candid in her music, and SOS appears to be no different.
ACCRA, GHANA – SEPTEMBER 24: Sza performs on stage during Global Citizen Festival 2022: Accra on September 24, 2022 in Accra, Ghana. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
SZA addresses BBL and plastic surgery rumors on “SOS” and “Conceited.”
In the five-year time span since the release of Ctrl in 2017, SZA’s physique has changed significantly. The highly revered singer has become noticeably more curvaceous, and fans have been loving it. However, SZA’s body changes have also led to rumors about her getting a BBL and other forms of plastic surgery.
That being said, the TDE artist was not afraid to address those rumors on her latest LP. According to Uproxx, SZA confronts those rumors head-on on multiple tracks from SOS, including its titular track and “Concieted.”
On the album opener “SOS,” SZA confidently raps, “So classic, that ass so fat, it look natural, it’s not.” Several tracks later, SZA starts “Conceited” with a verse about her dislike for people and their unsolicited opinions. “I just got my body done, ain’t got no guilt about it,” she admits in the song’s opening moments. “I just heard your opinion and could’ve did without it.”
You can listen to both of the mentioned songs below. She confirms her plastic surgery at the 0:58 mark of “SOS” and the 0:10 mark on “Conceited.”
While SZA’s confirmation of her long-rumored plastic surgery may be shocking to some, her stance on body positivity is well-documented. In 2017, she defended Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” lyrics about stretch marks. “How is that misogyny if he’s supporting positive body image? I think that’s so weird, and it’s reaching,” SZA said. “If you want to support women, you should support all shapes of women. I used to be 200 pounds, and I have stretch marks all over my body. I find more comfort and solace with Kendrick reinforcing that I’m beautiful.”
Let us know in the comments what you think about SZA’s plastic surgery confirmations on SOS. Also, be sure to check out the album here.
As we make our way into R&B season, Canadian R&B duo dvsn has returned with a song that may just have you contemplating sending a text to your ex, called “What’s Up” featuring Jagged Edge.
If you tuned into the artist’s last single, “If I Get Caught Cheating,” this new arrival is a continuation of that, with the accompanying music video revealing the dire and often heartbreaking consequences that come along with infidelity.
“This song was made by us alongside Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox at a time when we were looking for the perfect way to describe the moments and emotions leading up to that late night text you know you shouldn’t send to someone,” dvsn shared in a statement.
“Please don’t mix this song with alcohol and pre-block anyone you know you shouldn’t be talking to. You have 30 mins,” they teased on Twitter ahead of the track’s debut at midnight.
Stream “What’s Up” on Spotify below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more music updates.
Quotable Lyrics:
Who told you it’s okay to not call me by now? Who told you you should be at these parties right now? I know you’re only actin’ happy publicly You could’ve called me if you needed company
Last week, Col3trane dropped off his luxurious vibe and first single of the year, “Bag” featuring Lucky Daye, and he partnered with Brandon Blackwood to do it. To help celebrate, the UK R&B star and Uproxx are giving one lucky fan the opportunity to score one of Brandon Blackwood’s most coveted and popular handbags.
“Bag” is the follow-up to Col3trane’s 2021 track “Californication.” Both songs are expected to live on his debut album Lush Life.
“‘Bag’ is about giving everything you can to someone,” the rising singer unveiled. “Material and emotional, and it still is not enough. I wrote this song with Lucky and Camper on Lucky’s birthday around October 2020. I sat on it for a while, made a lot of different versions and ended up going back in on it with Camper about a year later. He laid all the keys and bells pads in about 3 hours, solos and all. Bridge included. Watching him do that was crazy.”
Check out the official rules for the giveaway here.
PartyNextDoor releases are rare — unless you’re the gifted and ingenious producer known as OG Parker, of course.
OG Parker and Party in the studio, creating music? Regular. They are good friends, after all. In the music business, however, just because a producer records a song with an artist, doesn’t mean that the song will actually see the light of day. With that understanding, somehow the award-winning hitmaker was miraculously able to get a solo record from the elusive crooner, and it’s a seductive poetic vibe titled “No Fuss.”
Ready and made for Party, “No Fuss” sees the OVO Sound singer gently opting to be a lover, not a fighter. “Don’t wanna feel pain / Don’t want no fuss or fight,” he insists throughout the song. According to Parker, “No Fuss” was originally a track created from a pool of beats that he had shared. While on a Costa Rica trip, Party played “No Fuss” for Parker for the first time. After hearing it, the beatmaker instantly hinted that he wanted the song for his upcoming EP, Moments. Without hesitation, Party apparently replied, “I got you.”
“He’s literally like my brother so it’s a little different,” Parker explained of the ease it took to obtain such a sonic rarity over a Zoom call. “He’s a very secretive person, he keeps to himself and he only f*cks with people he feels like are family.”
“No Fuss” is the second single to be released from Moments and is the follow-up to 2021’s “Rain” featuring Chris Brown, Layton Greene, Latto, and PnB Rock.
“It’s about 70% to 80% done, I would say, and we’re looking for it to come out a little bit after summer,” he revealed to me in an interview last year. He also mentioned in the same interview that Party (among others) would possibly be on it and here we are with a brand new single less than a year later.
I know fans want to know what this means as far as a new PartyNextDoor project, so I definitely asked. The truth is, we may never know and neither does Parker.
“Nah, I honestly don’t,” Parker told me with a pause and grin when I asked if there’s more PND on the way. “I don’t even like talking about that.”
He quickly assured me that Party is always in the studio and they have a lot of “crazy” music together, though. Whether or not a follow-up to 2020’s Partymobile will arrive in 2022 is a mystery in itself but for now, let’s thank OG Parker for this rare PND audible treat after starving for two, long, years.
Press play on OG Parker and PartyNextDoor’s “No Fuss” up top.
PartyNextDoor is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
R&B singer Jason Derulo and Jena Frumes have a prince on the way. The couple have announced they’re expecting their first child to be a boy when the birth goes down. Jason Derulo + Jena Frumes Expecting Baby Boy Both Jason and Jena went to their Instagram pages to break the massive news to the […]
: Daniel Sannwald 
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