You ever hear a track and instantly suppose, “Oh yeah, this one’s about to be all over the place?” That’s precisely how I felt the primary time I heard “Neglect About You”, the most recent single from American Idol alums Ajii and Wé Ani. It’s moody, it’s vibey, and it’s acquired that excellent mixture of heartbreak and swagger that makes for a very unforgettable breakup anthem.
Ajii, who wowed audiences on Idol Season 22 along with his genre-blending performances, groups up with Wé Ani, who made waves in Season 21 (and The Voice earlier than that). Collectively, they’ve created one thing particular—a observe that’s catchy, emotional, and stuffed with replay worth.
First issues first, let’s discuss concerning the manufacturing. This track knocks. Producer Alex Poeppel offers us a slick, fashionable beat infused with what Ajii described as a Jersey membership vitality, which makes it not possible to take a seat nonetheless whereas listening. The pulsing rhythm and layered melodies make it a type of tracks that really feel contemporary but additionally timeless—you might hear it taking part in in a dimly lit membership, in a automobile at evening, or by way of your AirPods whereas staring dramatically out the window.
And let’s not ignore the hook. At some point I, I’ll neglect about you… It’s easy, it’s hypnotic, and it’s going to be caught in your head for days. There’s one thing concerning the repetition that feels nearly therapeutic, like chanting it sufficient instances will truly make the heartbreak fade away. (Spoiler: It gained’t, however it will make you’re feeling cooler whereas coping with it.)
Ajii’s verse is available in clean however heavy, setting the tone for the emotional push and pull of the track. His strains—
“I don’t wanna discuss with no one
And stroll with no one
They acquired nothing on you…”
—hit deep as a result of we’ve all been there. That post-breakup stage the place everybody else simply feels meh compared to the one particular person you may’t shake? Yeah, that.
Then Wé Ani is available in and utterly adjustments the vitality. If Ajii’s verse is sulking in heartbreak, Wé’s is straight-up calling it out.
“As I recall, I used to be your Barbie doll
Confirmed me off and all
Blood and all…”
Whew. She snaps on this verse. You’ll be able to really feel the frustration, the exhaustion, the I’m-so-over-this-but-also-maybe-not. Her supply is sharp and exact, including a fiery distinction to Ajii’s smoothness. It’s the form of back-and-forth dynamic that makes you’re feeling such as you’re eavesdropping on a real-life dialog between two exes who nonetheless have a little bit an excessive amount of to say.
After which, simply whenever you suppose the track has mentioned every part it must, that third verse brings each voices collectively in essentially the most obsessive, poisonous, and sincere approach potential:
“Want you after I’m on that rum
You realize I’m one for one
I want you unhealthy like a lung
Child I don’t breathe for enjoyable…”
It’s messy, it’s dramatic, and it’s actual.
It wouldn’t be shocking if this track blows up on TikTok the identical approach different Idol alums like Francisco Martin have leveraged the app-based platform to achieve large audiences. It’s the proper mixture of earworm melodies and relatable feelings that make songs stick in immediately’s streaming-heavy world.
Ajii and Wé Ani are proving that you simply don’t need to win American Idol to win within the music trade. Their voices are dynamic, their chemistry is simple, and Neglect About You is precisely the form of observe that may catapult them to the following degree.
So if you happen to haven’t listened but—what are you ready for? Flip it up, sing alongside, and if you happen to’ve acquired an ex lingering in your head, effectively… this may simply be the track that lastly helps you neglect about them.
Mindy McCall
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