After wrestling through a chaotic phase of life, bai turns raw emotion into powerful sound in new single, "that's on me". The track, a glowing contemporary R&B slow burn that has adult contemporary potential, is more than music, and more about honesty, written up in the privacy of her personal room and served bare to tickle us mercilessly.
Rising from Northern California to the City of Angels, bai has always held a balance of confidence and intimacy in her art. Penned and recorded entirely by herself in her room in the aftermath of a particularly painful break-up, the song distils a feeling of reflection and acceptance that is at once both of the moment and serenely timeless. There's an authenticity in her performance that can't be faked, as if we're all invited into a secret place, sharing highs and lows of emotional payback.
bai strikes a delicate balance between smooth contemporary R&B and a subtle adult contemporary sheen, creating a sound that's at once familiar and pleasingly personal. As captivating as "that's on me" is, what makes it work is the way bai turns her own devastation into everyone's experience. But even as the song comes from a particular period in her life, its themes of self-reflection, accountability, and emotional transparency are universally resonant. You can project your own stories onto her lyrics, and the song simultaneously feels intimate and vast in scope.
bai's perspective as an artist has always been one of taking risks, whether geographically or creatively, choosing openness over clichés. "that's on me" is a testament to that ethos. This song not only demonstrates her vocal chops but also her daring in converting personal ache into art that strikes a nerve. For listeners of something like emotionally charged modern R&B and/or adult contemporary music, this is a potent manifestation of the idea of music as both confession and connection. "that's on me" is out now, inviting us into a moment of unbridled honesty to sit with bai in the pain and come out on the other side a little more understood.