In 2016, Jessie Reyez landed at a songwriting camp in Sweden with tears in her eyes. She was in the middle of a brutal breakup, and being thousands of miles away from home wasn't helping. She was completely distraught. Slowly, her writing partners helped her channel her angst into a song called "Figures", built around a desperate chorus:
"I wish I could hurt you back
Love, what would you do if you couldn't get me back
You're the one who's gonna lose
Something so special, something so real
Tell me boy, how in the fuck would you feel?
If you couldn't get me back
That's what I wish that I could do to you"
A standout on Reyez's Kiddo EP, "Figures" has been the backbone of her shows, with audiences screaming the chorus together. It's a weird sensation, when hundreds of people are wailing together, about their pain, resent and desire for vengeance. It's like when everyone's in it together, for a moment, it's not so bad. As Reyez has said many times, the song still feels so fresh that it's tough for her to hold it together, and she welcomes the crowd's help in finishing the lines she can't.
Reyez took this experience one step further recently at the Juno Awards (Canada's Grammys), bringing out Daniel Caesar for a surprise guest verse. You may remember Caesar from his smooth track "Get You" that's also featured on this playlist. On the "Figures" duet, Caesar adds delicate vocals, and another helping voice for when the song gets too real for Reyez.
Listen to the official release: "Figures, a Reprise".
You can learn more about Jessie Reyez here:
About the curator - Cormac McGee
Cormac McGee is a DJ, artist manager and concert promoter based in Toronto, Canada. He’s played in front of crowds from 10 – 1,000 people and has run concerts with some of today’s top hip hop artists, including Drake, Future, Mac Miller, 6lack, Ab-Soul and more. He also runs the Music Den at Ryerson University, a business incubator for entrepreneurs in the music industry.
Latest Posts
Grey Luh – Berhana
19 February 2019
While he was in college in New York, Amain Berhane split his time between three things: class, work and music. Rarely did the three intersect. In the daylight Berhane would go to class and work one of his many part time jobs. At night, he would transform into Berhana (a slight spelling alteration of his last name to make it read how it actually sounded), writing sultry R&B…
Chances – Kaytranada ft Shay Lia
6 February 2019
This week we’re celebrating the fact that we’ve left January in the rearview mirror with the groovy, summer-roller disco jam “Chances”, and hoping it will inspire mother nature to bring the heat back to Canada…
Can’t Believe The Way We Flow – James Blake
22 January 2019
I’ve wanted to fit James Blake into this playlist for a while now. But when I thought about how people might be listening to this playlist (in the car, at work, chilling at home, etc), much of Blake’s catalogue didn’t seem appropriate. It’s not that his subject matter or style didn’t fit the playlist (his obsession with heartbreak actually made him perfect for it), but it’s how he composes his tracks…
