Toronto-based R&B singer Amaal is gearing up for her next EP with the release of her new single “Honey.”
“Honey” is subtle yet sultry, as Amaal uses her signature whispery vocals to embrace her sexuality as she muses about being spoiled and showed off. “You know this hair ain’t cheap/You know these nails ain’t free,” she sings. Thematically, it’s bolder than her previous Juno-nominated offering, Black Dove. “Honey” simmers, becoming a slow burn that builds up to a swirling emotional reckoning, leading to an epiphany that her true value lies within herself.
“Honey is a celebratory, sexy, bravado, with a side of cockiness anthem! It’s an ode to myself and a reminder that not only am I worthy of love but that everything I need exists already within me,” she tells Complex. “The source is present and I have the ability to pour in to myself so if I choose to share my space I won’t accept nothing less.”
Amaal positions herself as the one in the relationship with the power—if the guy works out, that’s great and if he isn’t the one for her that’s fine too. “I got that honey, honey, honey, honey,” she sings. The track was produced by Grammy-nominated duo Nicky Davey who have worked with none other than Beyoncé. Sonically, there are fragments of FKA Twigs’ eclecticism and Tinashe’s smooth vocals.
The music video is a futuristic celebration, showing her alter ego Milly coming to life in architectural, glittering outfits. The empowered Milly embraces sexual liberation and pushes back against taboos within Amaal’s Muslim community.
“These songs are an unapologetic celebration of my womanhood,” Amaal says of the forthcoming EP entitled Milly. “They’re the sound of me reclaiming my power, my pleasure, myself.”
