It's been nearly three years since we last heard from Shay Lia. The Djiboutian-French singer has been relatively quiet since the 2020 release of her EP Solaris. Her silence didn’t mean she wasn’t working, though. In fact, she’s ready to show the fruits of that labor and she begins with the release of her latest single “Takutá.”
The song is a propulsive jam with production that comes courtesy of Colombian producer/composer Andrés Rebellón. He laces her with a beat that hinges on hand claps, chest-rattling kicks and other elements of percussion that makes this feel like a merging of several musical styles from around the world.
This feels especially true as Shay Lia delivers the lyrics, which flip between English and French with a rhythmic pace that mixes chanting and singing and throws in a little bit of rapping for good measure. The singer spends the majority of the song daring you to dance as she specifies that no one you know is on her level. It’s a boastful lyric that fits the song’s aggressive sound and motivates listeners to show and prove.
The “Takutá” visual has the same effect. It focuses solely on Shay Lia as she steps onto a video set and shows off her skills. She pops, gyrates and shakes all over the place in a way that’s almost hypnotizing to watch. And watch you will as the singer commands your attention with her big hair, inviting eyes and a revealing silver unitard that is sure to make everyone stop and stare.
“‘Takutá’ is a joyful expression of my singularity – of all the facets of myself,” Shay Lia said in a press release. “It’s a fun, freeing song that calls to the influences that have flowed through me throughout the different lifetimes I’ve lived all over the world.”
There’s more to come from Shay Lia in the coming months, but first, get into a stream of “Takutá” and watch its video when you head below.
