2020 saw the boom of TikTok, providing a welcome form of escapism at the tips of your fingers during the periods of boredom that stretched through isolation. Primarily a video-sharing platform, TikTok has also seen many artists generate momentum through the use of their songs to varying degrees of quality. American singer-songwriter Dreamer Isioma’s ‘Sensitive’ was one of the best, a brilliant blend of R&B, hip-hop, and funk bound together by an attitude. Their second album, Princess Forever, is a transcendent, dreamy piece of pop, the shimmering sound of confidence and empowerment.
In the years since their breakthrough, Isioma has established themselves as a vital queer voice in the music industry, producing a sense of community for young, queer people. Their debut album, Goodnight Dreamer, saw them crafting their own energy and writing their own answers, meditating on love, sex, heartbreak, and isolation. Princess Forever has a touch more swagger, a brilliant confidence reminiscent of Kali Uchis, while the sounds are typically varied, filled with playful pop tendencies.
Despite Isioma’s sense of empowerment and freedom, they aren’t scared to demonstrate their vulnerabilities, singing over a bouncing beat on the opener ‘Ah’: “I wonder how normal people communicate/Words have so much weight/I never know what to say”. But over the sunny melody of ‘Dumb In Love With You’, they sound enraptured in love, a familiar theme of the record. Dante Swan provides some lovely, shredding guitar work on the woozy, psychedelic ‘Why Pray To God’. But over the relaxed riffs of ‘Fuck Tha World’, Isioma unleashes their anger: “It’s all gonna blow up anyways/We’re all gonna float to outer space”. Environmental anxiety is certainly a notion that will ring true with many of their listeners.
‘Technicolour Lover’ is a bubbling hip-hop number that seemingly deals with a toxic relationship: “She is my technicolour lover/She fuckin’ hates me, but I like it”. The jazz-flecked ‘Gimme A Chance’ fuses some Latin-tinged guitars with a funky bassline to create a tight, unyielding rhythm. ‘Touch Your Soul’ is a popping Afrobeat number, with Merlyn Wood providing a neat vocal turn, where Isioma seeks a deeper connection: “Come let me explore you/Fuck the dancefloor”. Isioma searches for themselves over a syncopated drumbeat on ‘Peace and Love’ but also bring some trademark attitude: “Fuck who you are/Fuck social status”. ‘Peace and Love’ is the record’s most experimental moment, bouncing between bopping synth pop and drum and bass breakdowns.
‘Saturn Ring’ is a warm, bubbly effort, while ‘Z’s Lullaby’ is beautifully ethereal, living up to its name as Isioma promises their lover absolute commitment: “I want you to be proud that you’re mine”. The swirling synths give ‘Venus Versus Mars’ a transcendent quality, Isioma caught in the throes of new love, caving to new feelings and the insecurities that come with them. This idea carries over onto ‘Starz’, where Isioma sings: “I’m wishing on the fucking stars/You won’t break my heart”. But ‘Kiss Me’ provides a blissful conclusion, Isioma all loved up.
Isioma’s confidence is as infectious as the warm soundscapes they create, sunny, hazy slices of pop that provide grooves and relaxation in equal measure. Isioma’s languid, soulful tones are mesmeric throughout, and by choosing never to be boxed in by genres, their music remains consistently engaging and exciting. Pop’s newest star continues to shine brightly.