Los Angeles-based artist Sumi X continues to revel in the niche of ecstatic pop that she’s made for herself with her new single “Stay With Me.” It’s the third track she’s shared this year since embarking on a journey to realize her childhood dream of becoming a singer/songwriter and performer. Previous singles like “Electric Baby” and “Bad Decisions” reveal the intersection of melodically and emotionally piercing pop that characterizes her music.
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A heart-wrenching ballad that’s driven by her powerhouse vocals and a clamor of shuddering percussion, “Stay With Me” surges forward as a pained attempt to resist love’s fading. One where Sumi X once again unveils her stunning and electrifying range as a singer. Contorting her luminous words through the disparate lows and crescendoing highs that burst radiantly from her anguished cries.
Through a frayed tangle of blistering electronica and the cold twinkle of piano keys, she gives voice to the exquisite torment of realizing far too late that true love has slipped away. “Tell me that you’ll meet somebody new,” she pleads. “Tell me that she’ll love you like I do.”
With influences that range from John Coltrane to Pink and James Blake — Sumi X has no intention of being pigeonholed into whatever narrow constraints other people have for pop music. Instead, her music crackles with a rapturous clarity generated by her lyricism that seeps into the sonic textures that surround them. On “Stay With Me,” she guides you through the intimate transcendence of a heart that’s breaking in real-time. Splitting the difference between a lovelorn ballad and an agitated expulsion of synths.
Sumi X said of the track on Instagram: “‘Stay with Me’ is all about that raw, gut-wrenching feeling of heartbreak and the bittersweet act of letting someone go. I poured my heart into every lyric and melody and I hope that when you listen to it, you’ll feel it. Music has an incredible power to heal, to unite, and to remind us that we’re never alone in what we feel.”
Visit Sumi X on their website, TikTok, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words: Steven Ward
Listen to “Stay With Me” the new single from Sumi X below!
