The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, Stay | Track Review 🎵

Aussie rapper/singer The Kid LAROI and Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber perform well together on their short but entertaining single, “Stay.”

In 2020, Australian rapper/singer Charlton Howard aka 🎙 The Kid LAROI, had an awesome year.  His mixtape, 💿 F*CK LOVE, performed well on the charts. Still a teen, Howard has already proven his viability as a legitimate melodic rap and pop artist.  He does so once more on his 2021 single, 🎵 “Stay”, collaborating with 🏆 Grammy-winning, mega-popstar 🎙 Justin Bieber.  This short record is pleasant – a vibe.

First things first, worth noting, “Stay” is an expensive track.  How so? Well, besides Howard and Bieber, the songwriting team includes 🎼✍ Blake Slatkin, 🎼✍ Charlie Puth, 🎼✍ Isaac Debon, 🎼✍ Magnus Hoiberg (Cashmere Cat), 🎼✍ Michael Mule, 🎼✍ Omer Fedi, and 🎼✍ Subhaan Rahmaan.  Woo! Four of those – Slatkin, Fedi, Puth, and Cashmere Cat – also produce.  “Stay” is well-produced, and the songwriting is solid, but that’s ‘a lot of cooks in the kitchen’ for a song that doesn’t even reach two-and-a-half-minutes in duration.  Nonetheless, I enjoy the performances by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber on their respective verses.  Vocally, I think they mesh well on this track, with coarser pipes by The Kid and smoother, chiller ones by Bieber.

Thematically, matters of the heart guide both artists.  The Kid LAROI sums it up on the chorus when he asserts, “I know that I can’t find nobody else as good as you / I need you to stay, need you to stay.” Several times, he asserts, “Oh, I’ll be fucked up if you can’t be right here.” Bieber is similarly dedicated, though being older than The Kid and married, his dedication is to his wifey.

Final Thoughts 💭

All in all, The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber ‘come through’ on “Stay.” Despite its brevity and lack of immense depth, it’s a fun listen from two artists that pair well.  Was that many songwriters and producers needed? I’m skeptical, but the results are respectable and well-rounded overall.

🎙 The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber • 🎵 “Stay” • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 7.9.21

[📷: Brent Faulkner, Columbia, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]