LISTEN
“SKIRT HURT (REDEMPTION)” With a venom-laced beat and unapologetic bite, iyla is back today with “Skirt Hurt (Redemption)”—a fiery female empowerment anthem that blends Y2K nostalgia with raw emotional power. Written by iyla, Jeremiah “Sickpen” Bethea, and Y2, and produced by longtime collaborator Kadis, the track is a fearless kiss-off to an ex who didn’t make the cut.
“I thought about us earlier / I didn’t get the love I deserve…” she sings over a bounce-heavy beat, lush piano, and turntable scratches. And when she says, “Nothing can bring us back again / There’s no redemption,” she means it.
Listen to “Skirt Hurt (Redemption)” HERE.
“This was the first song I wrote after my mom passed,” iyla shares. “It filled the space the project was missing—a soulful-meets-sexy moment. I always want that bad-bitch energy, but in a way that feels poetic and timeless. ‘Skirt Hurt (Redemption)’ glamorizes letting go of a lackluster playboy who can’t be redeemed. It’s for my girls who don’t take steps backward—they wipe their hands clean and move on.”
Leaning into her ’90s and early 2000s influences, iyla adds, “I’m a ’90s baby—I grew up on Spice Girls, Britney, and Brandy. I wanted to tap into that energy and bring it into 2025.”
“Skirt Hurt (Redemption)” follows a string of standout singles that have cemented iyla’s place as one of R&B’s most compelling voices. Last month’s sultry “Wild,” (LISTEN) earned a spot on Billboard’s R&B & Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week, while “Overboard” (LISTEN), was lauded by Uproxx as “hypnotic” and “spicy.” Prior to that came “Strut” (LISTEN)—a no-holds-barred banger that Rated R&B called “a much-needed bounce-back anthem,” with VIBE declaring, “In the world of blue-eyed soul, iyla is back.” That return was sparked by her soul-crushing ballad “Blue Eyes,” released one year after the passing of her beloved mother and best friend following an 18-month battle with cancer. The self-directed music video weaves in home video footage and ends with iyla tossing roses into the ocean in a tearful tribute. Watch the official music video for “Blue Eyes” HERE.
Since the release of iyla’s debut EP, ‘War + Raindrops,’ (including fan favorites ‘Juice’ and ‘Flowers’) its subsequent follow-up, 2020’s ‘OTHER WAYS TO VENT’ (featuring standouts ‘Strings,’ ‘Tattoo Tears’ and the Method Man-assisted ‘CASH RULES’) and most recently, 2023’s Appetite For Disaster’ (including ‘Impala (Feat. Symba), and ‘Lost Me (Feat. Benny The Butcher)’) the young Los Angeles-born artist -- whose influences include Destiny’s Child, Brandy, Aaliyah, SZA, Kehlani and H.E.R – has amassed more than 200 million streams across all platforms. She has achieved Top 40 success at rhythmic radio, been appointed by YouTube Music as one of their Foundry Artists (following in the footsteps of ROSALÍA and Dua Lipa), reached No. 11 on iTunes’ R&B charts, No. 16 on Apple Music’s R&B charts, and was named by Complex as one of their top 20 R&B artists to watch in 2023. In addition, iyla has opened for Demi Lovato and headlined her first ever North American tour with sell out shows in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Toronto, to name a few. With 3 EPs under her belt, iyla has received critical acclaim from the likes of FADER, V Magazine, NYLON, MTV, and Vogue.
iyla’s not done yet. More music—and more moments—are on the way. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment