“I remember working on this song on my guitar and thinking it needs a feature with a really dope female artist as it reminded me of ‘The Boy Is Mine’ collaboration. I met H.E.R. in 2021 during Covid times and we did some sessions together working on her project at the time. That whole experience changed my life. The first time I played this song for her she immediately got in the booth and so effortlessly made it into the masterpiece it is today. I am forever grateful and can’t wait to share this song with people. This song is one of my proudest moments of my career,” Lila Iké states.
H.E.R. adds, “Lila is an incredible artist and we had fun in the studio! ‘He Loves Us Both’ has so many musical elements. She cannot be boxed into a genre!!!”
Lila Iké’s latest collaboration is the first single from her highly-anticipated debut album coming later this year. The full-length follow up to Lila’s The ExPerience EP is a deeper dive into the singer-songwriter’s anthems about perseverance, love, and relationships. On “He Loves Us Both,” the vintage reggae sound of steady guitar licks are layered with cracking snare drums echoing Jamaican dub. Lila Iké gently reveals her truth, admitting the trials and tribulations of love. H.E.R.’s contribution toes the line between frustration and acceptance. The dramatic tug of war throughout the song, lands both women at an impasse on the chorus, chanting, “I don’t want to lose a good thing just because; I really want it to be good for what it’s worth.” A new soundtrack to the situationship has arrived.
The song comes on the heels of Iké’s U.K. Spring 2024 tour alongside contemporaries Jesse Royal and Protoje and her recent collaboration with Davido for “Flex Your Soul,” an “electrifying Afrobeats-meets-soul, exclusive track” for Honda Stage and Billboard.
Lila Iké will tour this summer with festival dates across Europe and the United States, concluding with a free BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! show in Brower Park on August 17. See dates below and visit lilaikemusic.com for most up-to-date schedule.
Tour Dates:
Jun 30 @ L’atomium (Couleur Cafe Festival) in Brussels, Belgium
Jul 6 @ SummerJam Festival in Cologne, Germany
Aug 3 @ County Line Ranch (Reggae on the River Festival) in Humboldt County, California USA
Aug 17 @ Brower Park (BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!) in Brooklyn, New York, USA
LILA IKÉ:
As one of Jamaica’s most powerful voices right now, Lila Iké is gaining attention at home and abroad with her distinctive delivery, old-school sensibilities, and modern-day swagger. The singer fuses contemporary reggae with soul, hip-hop, and dancehall elements into her genre-bending sound. Raised by her mother and three sisters in the small town of Christiana, Jamaica, Lila started performing at Jamnesia’s open mic nights in Bull Bay, Jamaica. She caught the attention of Grammy-nominated artist Protoje, who signed her to his label and management company In.Digg.Nation Collective. In 2020, Lila Iké released her debut 7-track EP, The ExPerience, to critical acclaim via In.Digg.Nation Collective/RCA Records. She received a nomination for Best Reggae Act at the 2020 British MOBO Awards and landed performances on NPR Tiny Desk and A Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Protoje. She garnered praise from BBC, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Vogue, and The New York Times. Lila has continued to impress with singles like “Thy Will (Remix)” ft. Skillibeng, “True Love,” “Batty Rider Shorts,” “Dinero,” and “Good & Great.” She has collaborated with Jamaican stars like reggae icon Ini Kamozi, newcomer Samory I, dancehall artist Masicka and 2x Grammy nominee Protoje (to name a few) and international artists like Jorja Smith, WSTRN and Davido. Lila’s lyrics emphasize important issues like mental health and government corruption while celebrating love and positivity. With her highly anticipated first full-length album on the horizon, Lila continues to captivate audiences across the globe. |