Mayer Hawthorne returns with first single in years, "The Game" [Premiere]

Grammy-nominated R&B and soul artist Mayer Hawthorne has released a new single today entitled "The Game." Marking the end of a three year hiatus from making music under his solo project (he's been releasing music under Tuxedo, his funk-R&B duo with producer Jake One, whose album Tuxedo III is due out on July 19), "The Game" is stunning re-entry to the field he knows so well.

"The Game" serves as a reminder as to why Mayer Hawthorne has been so successful at tapping straight into the soul in his work. An artist who came up in early days of the Wild West of music streaming - the days of blogs, merging of genres and a growing democracy in the ability to make music - Hawthorne managed to hone in on a sound that is truly his own. Listening to "The Game," we're reminded of his abilities in songwriting, production and performance through a song that revisits the old trope, "Don't hate the player, hate the game," in a new way that sidesteps the cheap. It's a simple, timeless sound, really, bringing elements of classic Motown, R&B and contemporary pop together in a track that's straight to the point. With Hawthorne, there's no need to think, only an instinct to feel.

"Life is so strange, and music is so magical. Love and sex, pain and pleasure, reality and fantasy. What a trip," Hawthorne says of his latest single. "This one is definitely for my A1s who have been ridin' with me since day 1 - thank you for letting me do this thing that I love in my own strange way."

With the debut of "The Game," the Ann Arbor born and bred artist has made his stamp on his newly launched label Strange Sounds. The single is out now via all major streaming platforms.