US artist, Nia Ray released an EP titled What's Love Anyways, on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020. There are various reasons why the EP is about different phases of a romantic relationship. According to a press release provided by Meikhel Philogene, " 'What's Love Anyways' is a reflection of Nia Ray's experiences with love. The 6-song EP takes listeners on a journey through the mind of someone struggling in their relationship."
The EP seems to be referring to Nia Ray's struggles in a romantic relationship. Therefore, if one wants to understand the different phases of a relationship, it is important to look at the tracklist.
The first track of the EP is titled Sober. As stated by a press release provided by Meikhel Philogene, "The EP commences with the funky, upbeat track, "Sober," which represents the butterflies felt when one first fall in love." This is supported by the song lyrics shown below :
[Chorus]
"Are you sure I'm sober
'Cause I haven't felt this good since last October
So baby come on over
'Cause I just want to get a little closer to you"
The way it seems, this explains the first phase of a romantic relationship. From my point of view, it starts when people get to know each other. One experiences love at first sight and everything seems to be perfect. However, after some time there are bound to be challenges along the way.
The second track of the EP is titled, Too Far Gone. Nia Ray seems to have trust issues because of her previous relationship. This is shown in the first verse where it said :
"Is it me or is it my trust issues
'Cause some shit has been going on lately
I don't know what's wrong
But I can't submit to you...."
The lyrics above show that she is struggling to trust her current lover because of what has happened to her in the past with her ex-boyfriend. The boyfriend could have cheated on her or it is because of long distance. Whatever the reason is, it has tremendously affected her because in the lyrics she said words such as, "Tell me you're not him so that it won't happen again", "Please don't abandon me", "It's the trauma talking", "Am I too much? Too Far Gone", etc. Therefore, the relevance of the title of the song, "Too Far Gone" could mean that she is still affected by her previous relationship. The track probably serves as a lesson that one should not start a new relationship without healing from the previous relationship otherwise there will be problems.
The third track of the EP is titled, Need More. It is probably talking about Nia Ray's lover who seems to be taking advantage of her love for him. Moreover, she seems to notice the signs that something is going on in his life. This is shown in the lyrics below :
"It seems you're too controlling
Questioning me about my time
But if I turn around and ask you questions
You throw it up and start a fight...."
It's there is a sense of irony where he seems guilty because he refuses to answer her questions. Instead, he starts a fight. These are probably the signs Nia Ray was talking about. She is starting to get suspicious. Therefore, she is realising that he got too comfortable in the relationship hence she wants a change in the relationship. It is one of the reasons why in the lyrics she said :
[Chorus]
"You got too comfortable
Seems like we lost control
So what you're trying to do
'Cause I need some more from you.."
The way it seems, there is probably a shift from a happy relationship to a toxic relationship, This is probably because of the dishonesty, lack of effort in the relationship on the man's part and lack of trust in the relationship. The track, "Need More'' talks about one main problem in a romantic relationship which is lack of effort.
The fourth track of the EP is titled, Heat. As the title of the track suggests, it means things just got heated in the relationship. At the beginning of the track, Nia Ray seems to have left an angry voice message to her lover which is probably because of his infidelity. This is shown when she said, "...Lying to my face about who you're texting at 12...". Therefore, she has had enough of the relationship which is why she breaks up with him. This is shown in the lyrics below :
''...I can't take no more of what you're talking about
Please walk out the door, I'm not talking now
I don't want none of what you're doing to me
Let the truth come out..."
Therefore, the lyrics highlighted another issue faced in a romantic relationship which is infidelity.
The fifth track of the EP is titled, Nervous. Nia Ray is explaining how the infidelity has affected her emotionally. This is shown in the lyrics below :
[Verse 1]
"I see you're contemplating
I can see it in your eyes
You don't care for me baby
I don't know why I'm surprised
I understand how I went too far
But you went around and played my heart oh
Oh please why would you do that to me
I'm still nervous
Did you, did you do this on purpose (purpose)..."
From the lyrics above, the infidelity has made her feel nervous. She is probably nervous because she doesn't know how to deal with her feeling which is heartbreak and anger. Moreover, Nia Ray's singing voice seems to be smooth probably to clearly show how she feels about the infidelity. Therefore that is why the EP shows the different phases of a romantic relationship.
The final track of the EP is titled WLA which means What's Love Anyways. This final track serves as Nia Ray's reflections about what is the meaning of love. Moreover, it is more of a debate about the meaning of love. This is shown in the lyrics below :
"Love is what it is
Whatever it is, it got me thinking about
The past and future with you
What we might or we might end up not to do
Take it to the grave, your secrets are safe with me
Call me anytime
I'm not ashamed to say I love you,
More than you love me....."
The lyrics above is showing the meaning behind love. However, she is still wondering what is the meaning behind love which is shown in the lyrics below :
"Call me anytime, I will answer the first ring
Just don't stop calling me
I cannot pretend like I want this to end
But what's love anyways?
If we mess up that's okay..."
The lyrics probably mean that love is a good thing, even though there might be challenges along the way. This is why the EP has shown different phases of a romantic relationship.
Nia Ray has explained why she has released the EP titled, "What's Love Anyways".
On her website, whatsloveanyways.com, she said :
" as we enter this world. Mommy and Daddy love you! You love your family, you love your friends, you love your pets, but at some point, we grow older and meet somebody we really get along with and find ourselves asking “Is this love?” It’s only ever described as a feeling, usually “you’ll just know!” Yet, I don’t know anybody who’s relationships are.. easy? Nobody ever mentions the bad sides, the trials and tribulations, the patience, compassion, and compromise that all come along with maintaining a successful relationship. It’s only up to you to decipher whether what you’re feeling is love. It’s different for each person, yet we all share this longing for this feeling of “love” but I mean.. what’s love, anyways? as we enter this world. Mommy and Daddy love you! You love your family, you love your friends, you love your pets, but at some point, we grow older and meet somebody we really get along with and find ourselves asking “Is this love?” It’s only ever described as a feeling, usually “you’ll just know!” Yet, I don’t know anybody who’s relationships are.. easy? Nobody ever mentions the bad sides, the trials and tribulations, the patience, compassion, and compromise that all come along with maintaining a successful relationship. It’s only up to you to decipher whether what you’re feeling is love. It’s different for each person, yet we all share this longing for this feeling of “love” but I mean.. what’s love, anyway?"
Therefore, that is why she has released an EP that shows the different phases of a romantic relationship. It is not about the positive side of it but also the bad sides, the trials and tribulations, only to mention a few.
To summarise everything, the EP is about the different phases of a romantic relationship in the sense that it starts off as being love at first sight until later on as a relationship progresses, there are some problems. Nia Ray has stated that it's only you who can define what love is because it's different for each person.
More details about the artist and the EP are provided in a press release by Meikhel Philogene :
Nia Ray unleashes her EP, "What's Love Anyways." Nia Ray's inaugural EP builds on the success of her single, and accompanying music video, "Lowkey," which was released earlier this year.
"What's Love Anyways" is a reflection of Nia Ray's experiences with love. The 6-song EP takes listeners on a journey through the mind of someone struggling in their relationship. The EP commences with the funky, upbeat track, "Sober," which represents the butterflies felt when one first falls in love. It then dives past the honeymoon phase and continues down a slippery slope of emotions, ending with the [abbreviated] titular song, "WLA." "Relationships are hard, but people always make love seem so easy." Nia Ray continues, "I’m sure you’ve found yourself wondering, 'I thought love was supposed to be this and that, could this be love that I'm feeling?' Well...what’s love anyways?"
Nia Ray's sultry, mellifluous tone and heartfelt, relatable lyrics make for an EP void of a skippable song. The songstress soon plans to release some visuals to bring the EP to life. Stay tuned for updates. Anyways, be prepared to fall in love with "What's Love Anyways."
Website: https://whatsloveanyways.com/
Press Photos Link: https://we.tl/t-Z1JsXBAgo7
Credit: @ljvxxv
Artist's Bio:
Nia Ray is a singer-songwriter hailing from Miami, FL. She prides herself on not conforming to the norm as evident through her purple locks. The "Purple Hair Princess" cannot be forced into one lane and readily breaks genre lines demonstrating her versatility. Regardless of the sound, Nia Ray wears her heart on her sleeve and isn't shy about being vulnerable with her fans. The soon-to-be superstar's upcoming EP, "What's Love Anyways," is sure to close out 2020 with a bang.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyniaray/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nianotnice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NiaRayOfficial
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/heyniaray
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nia-ray/1472641186
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