The best, most perfect piece of music on the planet lately. The only song you need to hear. Until tomorrow.
I keep flossin’ like I do… What we’re witnessing with the emergence of Chlöe is actually so rare: An artist getting this incredible, unstoppable push of hype while actually deserving the praise. For an artist to release a much-anticipated debut single is one thing, and for it to be massively praised by critics is another, but it’s difficult to remember a pop star outside of Normani on “Motivation” that hit the mark and stuck the landing like “Have Mercy” does. She completely deserves all the over-the-top incredulity about this track. It’s a perfect 2021 song. It’s got her trilling vocals, some full-on rap verses, a fuck-with-me bass line that never subsides, and the kind of feeling-myself lyrics that Beyonce perfected (and has now apparently helped her protege nail). Even that clipped vowel at the end of “do” balances the rapid-fire rap sections.
If you don’t realize how much this song fucks on first listen, might I suggest checking out the The Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm doing an orchestral version. “Have Mercy” is an epic and it’s only just beginning to unfold, I’m betting other covers and mashups etc will emerge. The structure reminds me so of some of the best songs on Beyonce, moving from the multiple hooks to verses and the way it alternates between staccato rapped lyrics and expertly arranged super pretty vocal harmonies. It’s easy to trace the growth from some of the songs on Ungodly Hour to this single, but it’s also clear thatChlöe can’t be part of a duo anymore than Bey was going to be known as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child. The praise is warranted, and Chlöe is very likely going to be one of the biggest artists in the world.
Listen above or on Spotify here. Cinnamon’s new Song of the Day playlist is on Spotify here.
