Live Review: SYNEAD drops 'Tropicao' and it's just as summery as you'd expect
It seems like SYNEAD has been building up to this moment her whole life. From perfecting her craft at Laguardia High School - the same school NICKI MINAJ and AZEALIA BANKS attended FYI - to becoming the spearhead in Millions March NYC, which saw 75,000 people rally against police brutality in America, this spunky 25-year-old New Yorker is mixing her art and her activism in the stunning 'Tropicao.'
This is an R&B/pop crossover, released through AMUSE-BOUCHE that is peppered with salt water and sunshine. Very much for fans of SOLANGE and KELELA, SYNEAD's sultry, flawless vocal work drips coolly between every layer of MATT FX and CABO BLANCO's production. The song - which exudes effervescence and positivity - is an homage to SYNEAD's home nation of Trinidad & Tobago, another similarity she has with Minaj. Blanco's history of creating Caribbean and Latin-flavoured dance music shines through on this gorgeous track as the collaborative production between him and Matt FX transport any listener to a realm of white sands, blue sea and the glistening sun cloaking their entire body.
This track, importantly, also represents Synead's re-ignited goal of self-love and returning to her roots after spending so long selflessly focusing on the needs of others. Of this, she says:
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“It was really an opportunity for me to take some time to regroup. I was so focused on playing my part as an activist that I forgot that I needed to take care of me. 'Tropicao' was inspired by that need to love myself, to show appreciation for a culture that’s always kept me grounded, and to show people that it’s okay to be happy and live life.....I think, especially times like this, that it's easy to feel guilt when putting myself first, but in many ways I think that in itself is a form of activism, too.”
No matter which way you spin it, 'Tropicao' is an unashamed and unafraid celebration of everything that makes Synead who she is - her culture, her passion, her talent, her motivation and, above all, her happiness.
Image: Faysal Matin
Words by JACKSON LANGFORD
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