Image via Megan Donnelly //
Enjoy the honey…
Hold up… and let the spirit take your hand. Let the all-mighty rhythm and blues guide you into a world defined by grace, elegance, and enough warmth to convert even the most malignant of detractors. Sydney’s RISSA is here to imbue you with the purity of her heart, and her latest single ‘Hold Up’ ft. Zyad (out today) is the R&B and Neo-Soul revival we’ve been waiting for.
Already attaining the title of ‘Sydney’s Soul Sister’, the young talent has been hard at work building a tight community of supporters, countless fans head-over-heals for her spiritually-cleansing bops like ‘Do Ya Feel It’ and ‘Twisted’. Her art practically invites you into its comforting embrace, assuring you that your feelings are completely valid, and that everything is gonna be okay. ‘Hold Up’ continues in a similar vein, yet drenched in a vibrant smokiness that shows the Sydney songstress isn’t just able to heal the soul, but set it alight as well.
The collage of instrumentation is perfectly balanced, a glowing tapestry of funk-flowing basslines, guitar licks, keys and horns, all of which RISSA perfectly floats on top of, perfectly harnesses. With those honey-infused vocals putting into the words the relational struggles we know, but just don’t know how to articulate, she taps into an unspoken truth often addressed into contemporary music, but in the most refreshing of ways. That hook is so damn satisfying as well, from the sudden pause, to the beautiful harmonies on ‘why you tryna play me like that’. And we gotta give some shine to Sydney MC Zyad, whose verse totally slaps. Staying faithful to the old school vibe of the tune, the young OG spreads lyrical fire bright enough to be seen from the cosmos, ensuring that the tune has “meaning and a story without the comprise of soulful and funky sounds.”
Opening up on the tune, Rissa explains “’Hold Up’ is a modern day love story of two people in a relationship speaking on the ‘love you but hate you’ situation they find themselves in. We wanted to take the frustration of the song’s meaning and make it funky! A track that people can relate to & also have a boogie to at the same time.”
She strikes at the epicentre of relational conflict, letting us know that although she’s more than willing to offer her heart, she knows her worth and won’t accept anything less. It’s a straight up gorgeous bop, and stunning proof that the Sydney R&B scene is thriving more than ever. RISSA’s art sparkles with honesty while shimmering with vulnerability, and it’s absolutely marvellous to watch. Definitely check ‘Hold Up’ out, and be sure to keep up with the celestial queen on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on everything RISSA. Enjoy the honey.
