By Kathleen Leblanc
Imagine it’s a warm sunny day, you’re cruising down the highway with the wind blowing through your hair as you gaze out of the window while hand in hand with the love of your life. That’s what I feel when I listen to “It’s Really Love.” Stichiz had me bobbing my head from side to side once the beat dropped. This mixture of neo-soul, jazz, hip-hop and r&b was skillfully written and mixed. There is an obvious appreciation for music and spoken word. I thoroughly enjoyed Stichiz’s use of literary devices, puns and diction i.e., “winter, spring, you fall I’ll catch you.” Though she was rapping, she linguistically painted the answer to the commonly posed question “how do you know he’s ‘the one’?” (Something usually singers do). She describes the positive qualities that make him so special to her and makes it clear that she wants a future with him. The tambre of her voice and lyrical use of the rhythm reminded me of rapper Eve. Stichiz’s definition of love, based on biblical references, Corinthians 13 “love is patient, love is kind” showed that she found a heavenly love on earth and gives the listener hope to find that love too.
The music video had an overall cool vibe. The slow motion interactions highlighted the warm love Stichiz spoke of. I only wish that the lighting was better in some parts and more cohesive throughout. The all white scene was naturally the brightest, followed by the band scene then the outdoor scene was the most dim. To me, the video was inspired by a mixture of R. Kelly’s “Step in the Name of Love” and Musiq Soul Child’s videos.
I look forward to hearing more from this Canadian-born, Haitian Floridian. She’s already paving her way through the music industry having opened up for music mega-stars, Shawn Mendes, Nick and Joe Jonas, Wyclef Jean, Lil Kim, R.City and Gucci Mane. Kudos to you!