Critics can’t seem to stop talking about pop singer Ilyah right now, and after taking a look at his new video for the single “Habibi,” I can understand why the buzz has been so grand. Ilyah invites some of the lustiest beats you’ll hear this spring into a melting pot of melodicism both American and Moroccan in tone here, and even if you’ve been following his career for a while, you’re likely to be a little surprised by the striking sonic appeal he has in this latest release. “Habibi” isn’t his first hit, and if it’s just a sample of his future output, it won’t be his last.
URL: https://www.ilyahmusic.com/
There is no getting away from the heavy Moroccan influence over the groove in this track, and personally I think it’s what puts the song over the top in terms of originality. There’s a swing here that you just can’t find anywhere else in pop or R&B at the moment, and that’s not to say that the two genres aren’t offering prime choices this season (the polar opposite is true). It took Ilyah to breathe life into the structure of this single, and I don’t see where anyone else could attain the same results he did.
The lyrics of “Habibi” are a little straightforward compared to the music, but I honestly don’t think they needed to be virtuosic to make an impression on anyone within earshot of the melody in this track. Ilyah’s voice makes the verses here, not the other way around, and I believe he would sound just as charismatic amidst the harmonies here were he singing directions out of a recipe book instead of the poetry he distributes across every unforgettable beat. Overindulgence is never a good look in pop, and that’s even truer among the truly well-rounded players like this one.
Although there was potential for the music video here to devolve into campy stylizations common in the mainstream nowadays, such a fate never befalls “Habibi” (thankfully). The shots in this piece are elegantly reflective of the emotion in the melodies they were inspired by, and there’s never a juncture in its three and a half minute running time where it sounds or looks clichéd. Making a provocative and untried music video in 2020 can be more than a little tough, but for Ilyah, he makes the entire process seem all too simple when he steps to the mic.
I wasn’t listening to nor following the music of Ilyah very closely before getting my hands on a copy of “Habibi” this week, but I won’t be putting his work down anytime soon now that I’ve discovered the depth of his artistry on this front. Boston is home to one of the richest and most diverse music scenes on all of the American east coast, but even though I’ve come across some real gems out of the city in the past fifteen years, it’s always refreshing to hear another underground treasure making his way into the spotlight. Ilyah is the real article, and there will be no debating over his credibility after this.
Levi Colston