Ottawa hip hop artist City Fidelia and Atlanta’s Shelley FKA DRAM team up to salute their ride-or-dies on the nostalgic “Soulmate.” A toast to the day-ones, real ones, lovers, and best friends, “Soulmate” celebrates the type of love that stands the test of time.
Fittingly, the track tempers a smooth, old-school hip hop beat with a contemporary edge to pay tribute to classic values in modern relationships. Produced by Adrian Bellaire, Thabo Publicover, and Alex Ernewein, and sprinkled with violin arrangements from Aaron Paris, its sonics are aged to perfection like fine wine. All about planting roots deeps to build an unshakable foundation, “Soulmate” captures the feeling of growing in love instead of falling in love.
With a special focus on the exploration of love from generation to generation in Black relationships, the music video for Soulmate features real couples from all walks of life finding joy in the ordinary. A beautiful testament that the best things in life aren’t forced, it shows the magic that happens when there’s space left for feelings to unfold naturally. With an eye for the details, the video, directed by Solaris, Filet Mignon, Jabriel Films, plays like a VHS film looking back on old memories. Its vintage aura is complete with a pastel colour palette cast against a gentle sunset and static grain.
Opening up about the inspiration behind the reflective track, City Fidelia shares: “The song is about my experience as a black male that was raised by a single mother trying to explore the concept of love while exploring myself. In the song I acknowledge how my trauma has interrupted my emotional processing, therefore, made it hard for me to articulate and express my feelings properly. However, I also take the time to show appreciation to the person/soulmate that saw the perfection in my imperfections.”
