It’s been five years since SiR launched a full-length album – and the world is a very different place from what it was back in 2019. More importantly, however, SiR is also a different person.
The Inglewood-bred R&B crooner has kept a relatively low profile over the past half-decade, as he took some time to recalibrate his life following a stint in rehab to reach a place of literal and emotional sobriety. In his efforts to get his life back on track, SiR wrote an abundance of poems that eventually evolved into Heavy – a gritty, fearless look at the flaws and vices that threatened to drown him, and the faith and hope that gifted him a second chance.
The songs on Heavy are wholly immersive. Unflinching looks at unsavory past habits (“Ignorant”) stand alongside poignant love letters to the young Black men of the next generation (“Ricky’s Song”), all wrapped in production that gradually transitions from percussive rock-adjacent R&B to ethereal, melodic gospel stylings. SiR describes his new LP as “dark, ugly, [and] honest in a way that I should have never been,” but songs on the record’s back half — like album closer “Brighter” — signal the arrival of hard-earned optimism for the R&B star.
That level of introspection marks a stark tonal and thematic shift from his previous record, but his malleable voice and evocative tone work as undeniable throughlines in his catalog. Heavy transforms the subtly sultry atmospheric haze of its 2019 predecessor Chasing Summer into a grueling inner dialogue performed squarely in front of a mirror. Here, SiR looks to the pasts of the Black men who raised him to conjure up a sense of healing for his present self — and a future devoid of fear for the young Black men coming up after him.
“It’s all a story of love and how we love,” he explains. “I learned so much from my father’s tragedies. He turned them into testimonies for me, and I use them in my everyday life. I just want to do the same thing… it’s a blessing to have guidance. More men, more black men need that type of guidance.”
In the time since Chasing Summer, SiR has put out a slew of acclaimed singles (including 2022’s slinky “Nothing Even Matters”) and picked up his first career Grammy nominations for his “Back to Love” collaboration with Alex Isley and Robert Glasper (best R&B song and best R&B performance). He hasn’t been absent so much as he’s been carefully biding his time – under the steady guidance of TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith – to properly re-enter the music scene and launch the latest entry in a discography that effortlessly embodies contemporary West Coast soul.
With a new era and tour on the horizon, SiR breaks down his five favorite tracks on Heavy – which hits digital streaming platforms today (March 22).
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“Ignorant” (with Ty Dolla $ign)
“Ignorant” was co-written by [Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter] Jozzy. Me and Jozzy got in the studio, and it was our first session together. I just told her I wanted something fun. I wanted something that was kind of a different form, and she took off running, man. It came together very well.
It has Ty Dolla $ign on it, for sure, but we had a Game version that we ended up taking off because it was too West Coast. With me and Ty’s relationship, I felt it would be better to just have it as something that me and him put out — even if we still use Game’s verse later on down the line. It’s very California-esque. The production may not sound like us, but what we’re talking about, and the vibe of the record and the language we use, it’s just California, man. I’m a huge fan of Ty, [he’s like] a big brother to me. It was special to have this n—a like what I had. It always feels good to have validation.
“Ignorant” is the beginning of my struggles. The album is all about struggle. It’s where my mind was before I got lost in the sauce. I was bored with life — nothing was exciting and everything I did was like I was doing the same things over and over again. I wanted to paint [“Ignorant”] in a way that let people know who I was and where I was at the time. It’s very telling.
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“I’m Not Perfect” (with Ab-Soul)
[“I’m Not Perfect”] is special to me because it was actually one of the first videos that we attempted to shoot for the project. It was going to be a single at one point, and I think it’s some of my most honest writing. I try to stay away from songs that are repetitive, but [with] this one, I stressed the point of me not being perfect in every line.
I love the music. We made some musical changes to it at the very end of the mixing process that [made] it more dynamic — just drops, pull some drums here, add some strings there.
As far as my relationship with Ab-Soul in the realm of the artists of TDE, that’s probably my hands down favorite artist — but that’s like my big brother, you know what I mean? He cares about me in a different way. With any artist that I respect, I don’t want us to force anything, ever. So, when I presented the record to him, I presented it as, “What do you think?” He loved it so much that he wanted to be a part of it. Those kinds of moments are special to me because – f—k music, I love you as a person.
It means so much to me, because I’m a fan first. I’ve always been a fan of TDE, and him being one of the four horsemen, I’ve always admired him and his grind. It’s just special to have him on the record.
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“You”
Man, shoutout to J. White! He produced it. It’s my first time working with him. He’s intense, man! What was he playing when we walked in the studio? He’s playing James Brown. That’s how he said he starts his session every time. He’s grooving, having a good time, getting his body right, getting his mind right. I’ll never forget that day. It was a quick session. You don’t meet producers that are in the writing process like that. A lot of times, they drop the beats off and just hope that you come up with something that works, but [J. White] pushed me. He made me create.
We had a great concept about what the album was and what I wanted, and we landed in the middle of the album with me kind of being in a situationship. The song is just about me in the little situation, and I’m proud of that vocal. It’s going to be tough to sing live, but I’m proud of that vocal! On a lot of these songs, I really challenged myself in the studio and I hope the fans see that. N—as know that I’m not a singer singer, that’s not my thing per se. But I’ve tried over the years to develop my sound and part of that is taking risks vocally. I think this is a big risk vocally, but it paid off.
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“Ricky’s Song”
“Ricky’s Song” is a Black love song. It’s about me and my real nephew Rick. He’s 20 now. It’s an older record, I wrote it a few years ago. It was at the time he was in high school and he was in his transitional stage. I wanted to show him that I loved him, first and foremost. But I also wanted to paint a picture for him to show him that we were still paying attention. He’s doing great in his life now, and I’ve been very instrumental in his development as a young adult.
At that time, writing the song, I wanted to show people that there’s more than just relationship love. Men can love their family. We can love outside of the box. With Rick in particular, he’s such a good kid, but he’s a kid. [There are] so many things he hasn’t experienced or seen that I’ve been through and that he is going to go through whether he likes it or not. It was best for me to have this conversation with him, and putting it on wax makes it all the more better. We talk all the time. I love him to death and he knows that. It’s a special song for me.
What’s really crazy is — and I did this very purposefully — right before “Ricky’s Song” at the end of “Life Is Good,” there’s an interlude where my father is talking about a robbery that he committed back in the day. It’s like he was telling me the story to show me all the mistakes he’s made so that I don’t make the same mistakes. That’s what “Ricky’s Song” is to me. It’s all a story of love and how we love. I learned so much from my father’s tragedies. He turned them into testimonies for me, and I use them in my everyday life. I just want to do the same thing with Ricky. We all live and we learn, and it’s a blessing to have guidance. More men, more black men need that type of guidance.
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“Brighter”
It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, man. I think “Brighter” is indicative of where I was, where I am now and where I’m heading. It shows people that even though you go through all these things, you can make it to the other side. There’s always a chance if you have faith and hope. I was blessed to have a second chance. “Brighter” is probably one of the last records that I wrote. I was in a much better place than I was when I wrote “Ignorance.” It’s going to be a song that I perform all the time. I know it.
I love that my music inspires, and I hope that that song is going to do wonders for so many people that need to hear those lyrics. And it’s an easy song to sing. It’s an easy song to remember. Once you hear those lyrics, it just sits in your soul. Sometimes, I sit back and I have to look at my songs and admire them because it’s not all me, man. I’m connected to God in a different way. And I’m blessed to be able to have the window open when I’m writing certain things. And I feel like God blessed me with “Brighter.”
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