I’ve been following Justine Skye for a while. Not as far back as her Tumblr days, but around the time her Tyga-assisted cut “Collide” began to pick up some steam.
Over the past three years since, Skye has produced a couple of solid records, had some impressive sponsorships and endorsements, and even landed a record deal with Roc Nation. Minor successes aside, there’s been a common note when I’ve mentioned her name in conversation: “She’s not memorable.”
And that criticism is more than valid. As someone who has kept up with her work, I even have trouble remembering most of the tracks from her three EPs (although, admittedly, I’d rather not remember her 8 Ounces EP.) Skye’s musical issues ultimately boil down to two things: artistry and execution.
We all know that every successful recording artist isn’t original or even necessarily talented. However, those types of artists know their market, work within the limits of their artistry, and execute accordingly. It’s been hard for this Brooklyn beauty to pop because we, as consumers, don’t know what sport she’s playing or the arena she’s playing in.
On the artistic side, Skye has always struggled to nail her “sound.” Her singing voice is quite generic—which isn’t a dig, nor a hindrance necessarily—but her lyrics and ad-libs are also somewhat lackluster.
Nothing truly stands out, and because Skye’s artistry hasn’t developed, her music sways with the trends of the and sounds of the time. I expressed these concerns in a series of tweets back in 2016 — which ultimately got me blocked on my old Twitter account by Ms. Skye, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Let’s talk execution. Skye released “U Don’t Know” featuring Nigerian singer WizKid in September 2016, with the accompanying video released the following month. Then, a little over a month after the video release, she releases her 8 Ounces EP without “U Don’t Know.” Yet, in 2018, she included the mid-tempo track on her album and this time without the WizKid feature.
Poor execution.
Sometimes, the first single doesn’t work, so that’s okay. She tried again in July with “Back for More,” featuring Jeremih. Despite the seven-month stretch between singles, the song was an appropriate summer jam. Unfortunately, even with the feature, the song didn’t get past a few adds at urban radio. The video was released in early August, and then it was silence again from Team Skye.
Poor execution.
Skye then releases the third single, “Don’t Think About It,” on December 1. A week later, she announced the release of her debut album with another single — the PARTYNEXTDOOR-penned “Goodlove” and the video for “Don’t Think About It.” By the time the album dropped, she had released another single (“Heaven”), which totaled five tracks from a 10-track album.
Even with all of these musical misfires, I decided to give the album a listen. After listening to the 33-minute project, I was left generally underwhelmed. Although short albums aren’t common, they can definitely work with a strong thematic direction (see: Lalah Hathaway’s honestly. and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic.)
Ultraviolet suffers from a combination of issues, but ultimately the music just fails to hit. I must say, though, that “Goodlove” and “You Got Me” have been on repeat, and guess who penned both of these tracks? PARTYNEXTDOOR.
On a 10-track album, if the two standouts are written by the same person, I think that’s worth noting. Hit-Boy‘s production on “Lil’ Boy” was also a bright spot for me on this otherwise mid-tempo album.
I don’t have anything against Justine Skye or her music, even. She’s given us jams like “Never Leave,” “I’m Yours,” and “Messin’ w/You.” However, if she wants a serious shot at chart success, she’s going to need to find her artistic voice and learn how to properly execute when it comes to visuals, singles, and the art of timing.
Ultraviolet has left me with more questions than answers, but the biggest question of all is still, “Who is Justine Skye?”
