Deja Renee is a pop and R&B singer from San Diego, CA. She was brought up in a musical household and sang in school choirs. She also played clarinet and trumpet and went on to get a degree in classical voice from MiraCosta College, which she also trained in jazz. Since her debut in 2021 she’s built up a fairly consistent back catalogue with the EPs I Can’t Hear You and Starting Over and singles including ‘Jealous’ which hit No. 36 on the UK iTunes chart, ‘Falling (Lose My Mind)’ and ‘Close’ this year.
Obsession
‘Obsession’ is the song for the guy who just won’t take no for an answer. He likes her photos, he’s filling her inbox, he’s calling her non-stop and he’s turning up in all sorts of places where she doesn’t want him. She’s made it very clear she’s not interested and he’s just going on anyway. Deja Renee is all attitude, all humour and utter frustration throughout and the song really builds as his behaviour gets more and more out of hand, from unanswered texts to actually turning up uninvited.
Half way through she throws in a mock apologetic verse before making her boundaries even more explicit. The second half of the piece makes it absolutely clear that her feelings are her own and no amount of persistence is going to change that. One of the cleverest bits is the hook where she spells out the title letter by letter, which is both a great hook and reinforces the message.
The production takes her sound into more moody territory with thick, heavy bass lines providing the foundation, crisp trap style hi-hats keeping things moving and the melodies giving her smooth vocal plenty of space to breathe.
Final Thoughts
What’s so striking about ‘Obsession’ is how much fun Deja Renee has with a really frustrating situation. Rather than play the victim she turns the narrative completely on its head into a very confident, cheeky statement about self respect and the hook is so obviously spelled out you can’t forget it. With the darker, bass heavy production it’s a sharp, memorable single and a clear sign of her growing confidence with each release.
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