Rising R&B singer and songwriter LAYA has returned with her new EP, Bet That, on Warner Records.
The seven-track offering includes the previously shared songs “F’d Up” and “Need 2 Know.” Regarding the latter track, LAYA told Rated R&B, “‘Need 2 Know’ was inspired by the all too familiar scenario in which a lover is not being 100% truthful.”
She continued, “I’m a very open-minded and understanding person so for me, just keeping it a buck is the least anyone could do. I feel like a crisis can always be averted if everything can be openly laid out on the table. ‘I ain’t telling you to wear some shoes you can’t fit in, but I’m gonna need the truth so come with it.’ It’s simple, I ‘Need 2 Know.’”
The titular opener is a gritty banger that hears LAYA telling off haters and naysayers while also acknowledging that she’s her own competition.
“I been makin’ you tick / Clockin’ all of my sh*t, b*tch, get off my schedule / Time to let it go / B*tch, back up,” LAYA sings over a hard-hitting production that’s punctuated by a searing electric guitar.
On the bass-heavy “I Ain’t Playin,” LAYA flirtatiously tells her partner that she is all about that action in the bedroom. “Hit me with some backbone, n*gga, sign the lease / Hit you with that dose and the Florida get you weak / Pour it for a toast in hopes you get the cheeks,” she sings.
Bet That is the follow-up to LAYA’s debut EP, Um, Hello. “I hope people feel inspired and motivated from this project and the whole story behind it — my whole story. I hope they realize that there is nothing out of grasp and that you can literally speak into existence what you want and manifest it,” LAYA told Rated R&B about Um, Hello.
She added, “There are a lot of motivational messages in my music. It’s R&B, but it’s not all about the bedroom or being in a club. It’s stuff you could play in a club, but it still motivates you on a different level and makes you proud of yourself.”
Stream LAYA’s Bet That EP below.
