Sorry, I was just having fun alliterating the shit out of that headline.
Sevyn Streeter is a woman of many hats — and by hats, I mean names: Sevyn used to be one-fourth of the very amazing, gone-too-soon girl group RichGirl (of “He Ain’t With Me Now (Tho)” legend) — back when she was going by the name Se7en. And before that, she was Ambee Streeter, a member of the equally short-lived early ’00’s girl group, TG4.
Now she’s Sevyn Streeter, which also happens to be way more SEO-friendly. It’s a win for all of us!
Beyond her own career, Sevyn’s already made quite a name (see — more names!) for herself in the industry by helping to craft some certified smashes for other artists, including Kelly Rowlegend‘s “Keep It Between Us,” Chris Brown‘s “Yeah 3X” and “Fine China,” Fantasia‘s “End of Me” and Ariana Grande‘s “The Way.”
She’s since signed to Chris Brown’s label CBE (I know, just bear with it), and is now working on her full-length debut.
Back in January, Sevyn dropped her impressively solid debut: “I Like It,” a scorching Beyoncé-meets-Ameriie alarm call uptempo, full of breakneck beats made for slick dance breakdowns.
Now, she’s returned with her follow-up track: “It Won’t Stop.”
Unlike her explosive debut, Sevyn’s follow-up is a smooth and subtle electro-R&B production, crafted by Diplo and Free School, the writing team fronted by Jean Baptiste, who also had a hand in producing Kelis‘ Flesh Tone.
And I’m utterly obsessed.
“Every little thing you do got me feeling some type of way/When you give me that thunder, you make my summer rain,” Sevyn purrs, conjuring shades of Aaliyah and Cassie. With its slinky Caribbean pulse (a bit like a slower version of Rihanna “What’s My Name?”), slow snaps and gentle surf guitars strumming in the distance, the song floats along on a summery, feel-good vibe — a perfect companion to Miguel and Mariah‘s “#Beautiful”.
But the song’s real magic lies in its simplicity — it’s those massively catchy, understated melodies cooed in the chorus (“And it won’t stop, OH-ooh-OOH-oh…“). Later on, Sevyn shows off those pipes during the yelping bridge, proving that she’s not just sultry come-ons. And then, it’s right back into the groove.
Melodic, soulful and sexy: This is that kind of R&B I’ve been craving. Forever and ever on repeat, indeed!
“It Won’t Stop” was released on May 22. (iTunes)