Montreal’s TÖME might have won a Juno in 2021 for Reggae Recording of the Year, but instead of making her slow down to savour her success, the win only pushed her to work harder. To gear up for the release of her new album LÖV, which is out on Feb. 25, she’s released a new single, “Wait” which experiments with new sounds and gives listeners a taste of what’s to come.
The song is a mix of sounds rooted in amapiano and Afrobeats, and was produced by Grammy-nominated duo Legendury Beatz, the production duo behind Wizkid and Tems’ earworm “Essence.”
In the accompanying music video for the track, TÖME gets down with some dancers for a colourful and energetic display of self-love and confidence. And while self-love is a major theme on the album, TÖME notes that both the track and the record speak to a larger idea of keeping your blinders off when it comes to all types of love.
The song is an upbeat showcase of her silky vocals, which flow easily over the beats as she sings. The result is a glossy track that explodes with versatility, demonstrating TÖME’s knack for meshing simple lyrics with sounds from across the African diaspora, creating a sonic fingerprint that feels true and authentic to her.
To mark the release of “Wait” and the impending release of LÖV, we caught up with her to find out what to expect from the new album.
How did you decide “Wait” made sense as the lead single for the new album?
“Wait” made sense as the lead single for the album because amapanio is definitely a sound that is taking over the world right now and we felt like it was such a strong, good vibing dance song that made sense in the time of December and generally speaking throughout the year.
What was it like having Legendury Beatz produce “Wait”?
I mean their reputation exceeds them. They are a crazy duo and this beat was undeniably good. I had the beat sent to me and from there, we wrote a dope record.
“We were meticulous about how we wanted this project in particular to sound and wanted to make sure I was showcasing some of the best songs I’ve made thus far.”
What can listeners expect from the new album?
Themes of love, self-confidence and good vibes.
How did your process evolve on this album from your previous releases?
I have been blessed enough to be able to work at my craft full time for three years now and I continue to improve in every aspect. We were meticulous about how we wanted this project in particular to sound and wanted to make sure I was showcasing some of the best songs I’ve made thus far.
What were some of the influences on the album?
Yearning for love, being in love, being full of yourself, being confident in yourself but always being a vibe. That’s really what influenced the music in different ways.
LÖV stands for Love Over Vanity—what does that phrase mean to you?
That you can love someone else and still love yourself more. Just don’t let it get to your head where you become so blind to the essence of love in a general matter.
