It seems that after iyla gave us all the feels with “Blue Eyes,” her heartfelt ode to her late mother, she is ready to let it all go on the dance floor. The singer has consistently given us bangers — from her debut single “Juice” to tracks like “Strings” and “FOH.” Now she is ready to wow as she mixes a bit of disco into the more modern production we’re accustomed to hearing with her new single “Strut.”
“Strut” is yet another collaboration with her frequent musical partner Kadis. The two work well together, and it shows here as Kadis crafts a beat full of warm piano chord progressions and twinkly flourishes. iyla then returns the favor with vocal arrangements that evoke the shiny, happy feel of ’70s-era disco. But when that beat drops, we’re treated to a fusion of that sound and the hard, bass-heavy hip-hop-influenced production of now.
The rough-and-ready combination matches the defiant tone the songstress strikes as she kisses off a man not worth the tears she refuses to cry for him. “Swallow my tears down in the club / (Don’t you know I) / I should’ve kept my heart on tuck,” she sings on the chorus. “Highlight shine like a disco ball / (So you know I) / I strut like I don’t give a f**k.”
After having her say over two verses and choruses, iyla then takes us to another party for the outro. Hard-hitting kicks straight out of the Baltimore club tradition sound off while she emphasizes just how cute she feels. Then, as an extra bit of defiance, she interpolates a bit of Eminem as she chants “Two baddie face queens go ’round the outside, ’round the outside, ’round the outside.”
We like this new pep that iyla has in her step and can’t wait to hear what else she’s got for us while she’s in her bag. Get ready to strut your stuff on the dance floor when you listen to “Strut” and watch its lyric video below.
