Taken from @iheartnige on Instagram.
Washington D.C.’s Nige has some time under his belt, and time well spent at that. Amassing a sizeable social media presence in his early days of recording and courting a rabid fan base that frequently called after his most impressive snippets, his efforts earned him a record deal with Interscope earlier this year. As many acts do, the opportunity presented a new opportunity, and after wiping the slate clean, we’re getting his second single under the label, and now only the second up on streaming platforms. Here’s why the latest Nige release, “Don’t Cry” has captured our attention.
On “Don’t Cry” Nige Pairs Impactful Production With Expressive Delivery
While throwback songs are all the rage, Nige could be getting in early on a particular vertical of that concept. With the heavy chords and an uber-expressive singing style, it’s hard not to think of late 2000s/early 2010s R&B, with his cadence in particular calling up acts like Chris Brown. The repeated vocalizations that provide a metronome-like pace in the background only strengthen that comparison, perhaps additionally bringing up the likes of Omarion in the process.
If the description of the production here gives off a sense of simplicity, that’d be correct, but don’t mistake that for this track being underwhelming. Instead, the lack of emphasis on the instrumental here, “Finally realized that I’m wasting my time / Finally moving on, I feel stupid … You had so many unrealistic dreams like a fantasy,” he croons on one of a few stream-of-consciousness verse sections, clearly speaking in hindsight regarding a relationship gone wrong in explosive fashion.
Paired with “War In The Trenches,” the incredibly affecting predecessor to “Don’t Cry,” the early returns on this new stage of Nige are beyond promising. But don’t take our word for it—you can find “Don’t Cry” and all of Nige’s work (however sadly limited) wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Chappell Roan has a stronghold over our latest trending charts report.
