The end of 2022 and the start of 2023 have been very kind to Coi Leray. It all started when she released her Nov. 2022 single “Players.” The song samples the classic hit “The Message” released by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982. The track would eventually land on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and recently peaked at No. 17. This is Leray’s first top 20 hit in her career, indicative of how far she’s come in the past few months.
With the “Players” success came some interesting revelations about the song. Soon after its blow-up, Coi dropped a club mix of the song to continue attracting attention to it. She later confessed that the song only took her one take in the studio to record. This impressive feat eventually caught the eye of the song’s originator. Grandmaster Flash recently gave his props to Coi for the song and its success. “I love his positive energy,” Coi said after the encounter. As one of the biggest moments of her career, Leray decided that “Players” needed to be performed in front of live audiences.
Coi Leray On Kimmel
On Feb. 28, Coi Leray visited the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show on ABC. Donning an all-white fit and accompanied by two backup dancers dressed accordingly, Coi delivered a stellar performance of “Players.” Although there was a back-track present, Coi Leray did most of the singing live. With very animated dance moves and her patented confident demeanor, Leray once again proved why she has attracted so many loyal fans. Her “girls is players too” hook certainly resonated with not only female fans, but listeners of all backgrounds.
“Players” came out in the same year that Coi released her debut album Trendsetter. The LP included hits like “BIG PURR,” “Blick Blick,” “Thief In The Night, “TWINNEM” and “No More Parties.” Although the first week numbers underwhelmed, the success of “Players” proved that Coi never stopped believing in herself and her artistry. With a nice second wind for her career, it will be interesting to see where Coi goes from here, and when we can expect more music from the 25-year-old.