Spotify spotlight: Rriley's deeply personal new single reels you in with ASMR bliss

Don't you just hate it when people are not upfront with their feelings and end up leading you on? Well, it happens to the best of us. Just ask pop superstar RRILEY.

"You should have said so" is her first major single as an indie artist and sees the musician open up about her frustrations dealing with dishonesty, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

Not only that, the 30-year-old also explores new sonic boundaries on the unconventional track that redefines her R&B-pop identity forged from her previous solo hits like Burn, mmm bye and Love Me Like A. Move aside Madonna, RRILEY is the new queen of reinvention.

Featuring ASMR elements and everyday items such as keys, water droplets and a dice in the production, "you should have said so" even has a version in Spatial Audio on Apple Music which creates a 3D environment that promises a sensorial, immersive listening experience like no other.

Don't take it from us, download RRILEY's latest song on Apple Music and get yourself ready for an eargasm. RIIDEM, who co-produced "you should have said so", compared the technology to watching a movie on IMAX. It's literally all... around... you.

We caught up with RRILEY during her exclusive listening party, where we chatted about her new single and what we can expect from the soon-to-be-released music video.

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Congratulations on your new single! What was your mindset going into this project and how important was it to differentiate this song from your previous records? 

Thank you so much! Honestly, I just knew I wanted to create art. To say what I want to say. To create experiences for people that listen to my music and watch my music videos to connect with me.

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Tell us about the story behind "you should have said so" and some of the interesting elements present in the production?

"you should have said so" was written out of my frustration and the hurt of feeling betrayed by people you thought that had your back, that strung you along until it was convenient for them. 

I wanted the track to encapsulate my feelings (where I can leave them) in an abstract world of its own. So we added ASMR sounds and decided to have the track in Spatial Audio too, to create a truly immersive experience.

Spatial Audio is a relatively new technology. How was your experience experimenting with it? Do you see it as being the norm in the near future? 

It was all very new to me, which made it very exciting, to be able to experience music in a different way. 100 per cent it’ll become a norm, and become more accessible. There are so many classics that are being re-mixed for Spatial Audio already and I think this is only the start.

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What can fans expect from the music video for "you should have said so"?

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Similar to how I wanted to have the track live in an abstract world of its own, I wanted to do the same with the music video. It showcases the struggle of being "puppeted" and there’re a lot of abstract concepts and metaphors. Ultimately, I’d like the viewer to feel what they feel and interpret it on their own.

Will this single be a sonic precursor for an upcoming EP or will you continue to experiment with different, eclectic sounds going forward? 

Maybe, maybe not. I like to live my life going with the flow, so we’ll see where life takes me and how I continue to express myself in my music. So stay tuned!

This article was published in Geek Culture.