In 2017, London singer-songwriter Liv Lovelle emerged with an excellent song called "Won't Say Too Much." It featured what we now understand to be her signature: a combination of soulful, nearly-retro vocals and the ultramodern pop smarts of British girl-group forebears like Sugababes, or before that, Spice Girls. Though the lyrics to "Won't Say Too Much" were about finding love, thrills, and pleasure on the DL, there was nothing secretive about Lovelle's talent.
She followed that up with a string of singles, including last fall's disco-inflected "Special," which, at over 1 million streams and counting, makes a strong case for why Lovelle is definitely a singer to watch.
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Today, she premieres "Do You Get It" with PAPER, and yet again, Lovelle offers up a smash in the making. Over atmospheric production, Lovelle's fluttering vocal takes us to a wistful place. She yearns to be loved, and feels like it's just within her reach, and yet somehow, it floats away. She pleads sweetly with her desired interest in the sticky chorus: "I want you to L-O-V-E me/ Do you, do you, do you get it?"
"This song is about just being completely lost within your feelings for someone," Lovelle tells PAPER. 'Wanting someone to just want you and realize what they have right in front of them."
But Lovelle insists "Do You Get It" also functions as a statement of strength. She's not wanting to be noticed in a needy way, but "more in the way that I know my worth and you should see what you're missing out on," she says, adding, "And being so close to feeling complete but having that one last step that makes you hesitant of truly committing. But it works out in the end, he'll wise up eventually."
Take three minutes to enjoy what's right in front of you and listen to the PAPER premiere of "Do You Get It," below.
Photography: Bella Howard