Kiana Ledé, Forfeit. | Track Review 🎵

Filled with attitude (and swear words), rising R&B singer Kiana Ledé proves she’s the total package on slow jam, “Forfeit.,” featuring Lucky Daye.

“I’m givin’ you one, two, three / To back the fuck off of me…” Wow, aggressive Kiana Ledé – aggressive!  If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the rising R&B artist, well, it’s your loss. On the marvelous slow jam “Forfeit.,” the second single from Kiki (April 3, 2020), Ledé shows that she possesses the total package – she’s a star.  Furthermore, she’s assisted by another standout, Lucky Daye.

Why is “Forfeit.” such a gem? First and foremost, she has a terrific instrument to work with – her voice is gorgeous.  Besides being able to sing well technically, she also infuses ample personality into her performance on “Forfeit.” “Forfeit.” is a record that naturally lends itself to personality, given the angry sentiment of the lyrics, exemplified by the aforementioned excerpt from the chorus.  The chorus itself continues:

“…Don’t front when you can’t back it up
It’s about time we wrap this shit up, mmm
Say something now
Say something now, yeah.”

Of course, that doesn’t even tackle the anger Kiana Ledé serves up on the verses.  She’s definitely explicit about things.  “You better forfeit,” she sings on the first verse, adding, “Keep fuckin’ with my vibes / And I can assure you it won’t end how you like.” Day-um! On the second verse, she goes on to sing, “You must be some kinda fucked up / To be talkin’ to me crazy.” Again, day-um, and it doesn’t stop there. And hey, we even failed to mention the guest spot by Grammy-nominated R&B sensation, Lucky Daye.

Final Thoughts

All things seem to be working for Kiana Ledé. Again, you are looking at, rather listening to, a star, particularly on “Forfeit.” In addition to the award-winning aggressive lyricism and top-notch vocal performance, Ledé has a lush backdrop (Boston, Mike Woods, Patrick McManus, and Roark Bailey) to work with, led by the soulful guitars.  Furthermore, that slow tempo further amplifies the aggressiveness. Maybe individual listeners will find a serious rub with “Forfeit.,” or they’re turned off by the profanity, but as for me, this is a superb R&B record.

Kiana Ledé • Kiki • The Heavy Group / Republic • Release: 4.3.20

Photo Credits: The Heavy Group / Republic