In case you haven't noticed by now, Mahalia is bringing the heat on her new album IRL. Led by the singles "Terms And Conditions" and "Cheat" featuring JoJo, there'll be no sophomore slump when the project drops next Friday (July 14th). Before we get IRL in real life, though, she shares another sample from the collection with the song "Ready."
"This one's emotional for me," Mahalia shared on her socials in reference to "Ready." The track is the first one that listeners will hear when they press play on IRL, and it showcases the songstress at her most vulnerable.
"Yeah, you thought I was finished / You thought time was up / Secretly I did, too," she quietly begins the song, reflecting on her career. "Two years I been missing / Left you with an album / Now look at this, I made two," she triumphantly continues. "Trying to stay stable / It's hard when I'm trying to keep my place at the table / No matter how I'm feeling, gotta take a minute to celebrate my winnings," Mahalia ruminates about her mental health while getting things that she's manifested.
The summer soft tune is produced by JD Reid and Hart who provide the singer with a chill sound bed highlighted by guitar, bass and violin. They co-wrote the song with Mahalia and Max Pope who combined their talents on this encouraging track.
"I wanted to give you something for all of the love you've shown me," Mahalia wrote when she announced the song on IG and FB with a snippet of its music video. The clip is a simple black-and-white capture with Mahalia on set in the spotlight. She's seated in front of the camera, and we watch as hair and makeup artists put the finishing touches on her look. Mahalia is caught up in the rapture of "Ready" as she closes her eyes and sings.
There will be much more for Mahalia's fans to get caught up in when IRL is released. The 13-track album features additional guests Joyce Wrice, DESTIN CONRAD, Stormzy and Kojey Radical. View the cover art and complete tracklist below after you listen to "Ready" and view its visual. Pre-order/pre-saveIRL from your preferred digital music provider now.
Photo Credit: Sirui Ma
Mahalia IRL tracklist:
1. Ready 2. In My Bag 3. Terms And Conditions 4. In My Head feat. Joyce Wrice 5. Cheat feat. JoJo 6. November feat. Stormzy 7. Hey Stranger 8. Isn't It Strange? 9. It's Not Me, It's You feat. DESTIN CONRAD 10. Wassup feat. Kojey Radical 11. Lose Lose 12. Goodbyes 13. IRL
