Do you believe in destiny? Are the events in our life predetermined, or do you think we control our fates? Long Beach, CA-based R&B singer-songwriter, HeyDeon’s new EP got me deeply reminiscing on life. Titled “We Were Meant to Be,” I instantly had flashbacks to a time when I thought I had something special but was sadly mistaken. This EP is two years in the making, and it’s a miracle it even got to see the light of day.
“Unlike ‘Emotional Wreck,’ this project went through a series of hoops to get to this point. I’m glad I even had the courage to release this project because, for the past two years, I was destroyed mentally. I felt like I lost a huge piece of myself which resulted in me being stagnant and hope to never return to that state of mind,” HeyDeon shared about the EP. Based on that quote alone, it tells you how miserable HeyDeon was. But he went through the necessary steps to reset his mental state. Now that he’s fully recovered, he’s back making music like he never left. With production from Shon Lawon, Niko Oroc, Chris Keys, and Soopafly, the 4-song EP has a runtime of 12-minutes, and it’s a glimpse of all the hardship he’s endured.
He kicks things off with the intro, “Alright With You.” This smooth and somber track allows HeyDeon’s soft vocals to lead the way, and it’s the perfect introduction to the EP. Repping Long Beach, HeyDeon understands the importance of blending elements of funk & soul in his music. This element sets him apart from other artists because this songwriting shows that his music was molded by actual experiences and not just for entertainment purposes. He takes it slow to express internally how his lover makes him feel when he is in their presence. For me, the standout track on the EP has to be “Light Me Up,” featuring Malaya. I’m a sucker for songs that sound nostalgic, and this is one of them. There is no better way to let someone know how you feel than a song that can describe what having a stomach full of butterflies feels like.
The brief hiatus did something to HeyDeon. Musically, he’s on another level, building off of his last release. He continues to emerge as a musical innovator by exploring new cadences while surfacing his quest to find himself creatively. I know good music takes a while, but hopefully, his next full-length project is around the corner, but in the meantime, check out the new EP below.
