India Shawn’s imagination runs wild on her new song “Exchange,” co-written and co-produced by Oscar and Grammy winner D’Mile.
The production of “Exchange” is tangled in an exotic percussion, a steady guitar line, and a placid piano. Each element evenly blends with her sultry murmurs of give-and-take in a romance that faces its shares of bumps and bruises.
Yet, what makes their love worth fighting through is the bedroom sighs they supply one another after the dust settles.
“Exchange / I said it feels good inside when we trade / It feels good when we trade pleasure / For pleasure / That’s all I want, give me pleasure,” she sings.
Shawn described to Rated R&B that “Exchange” is “by far the sexist song” she’s ever written.
She added, “It’s about love, pleasure, and reciprocity. As I evolve in my career and womanhood, it’s becoming increasingly to show up as my whole self, sexy and sensually included.”
Shawn packaged the new song with a soft, luscious video where she puts her femininity on showcase.
“Exchange” is the first song from Shawn this year. In late 2021, she shared the EP Before We Go. The seven-track project released on Epic Records included the singles “Not Too Deep” featuring 6LACK and “Movin’ On” with Anderson .Paak.
D’Mile had a heavy hand in Before We Go. “There’s a level of friendship and trust that allows for a healthy creative environment,” Shawn told Rated R&B about their teamwork on that EP.
“I think that mutual trust and friendship really resonate. You can hear that in the music. It’s feel-good energy. It’s positive energy.”
Shawn still working on her debut album, which is slated to arrive this year. In the meantime, she is gearing up for a set at Lollapalooza in Chicago later this summer.
Listen to India Shawn’s new song “Exchange” below.
