Ali Gatie may be accepting sadness with his heartbreaking new album Who Hurts you? — but he’s also drawing people to the dance floor with the upbeat vibes of his new single, “The Look,”It features a verse written by Kehlani, the singer-songwriter.
“I’ve been a fan of Kehlani for a while and have been waiting for the right song to send her. [I’m] so happy it ended up being this one,” Gatie tells Rolling Stone. Gatie describes his song as lyrically sexy, just like so much of his music. “But it’s not gonna hit you in the feels,”He elaborates. “It’s going to make you want to dance.”
Gatie is seen partying with Kehlani in the club. She appears wearing white contacts, giving her an extraterrestrial appearance. (Pun intended.) “You gon’ give me that look look look look look/You don’t have to tell me that it’s mine,”They sing together on the chorus.
Kehlani praises the Iraqi-Canadian singer’s music and ability to connect with his audience. “Ali is so talented and really cares about his fans,”She says Rolling Stone. “It was awesome to work with someone so humble and kind.”
Gatie’s new record features the previously released singles “Can’t Give Up,” “Perfect,” “Crying in the Rain.” Who Hurts you?marks the 25 year-old’s third album, following last year’s The Idea of Her and 2019’s YouThis single was his breakthrough hit. “It’s You.”
Kehlani’s collaboration with Gatie comes just weeks after she released her revelatory new album Blue Water Road.
“I’m really grateful that the audience that is sticking with me is sticking with me because I was very nervous. I was super nervous to put this album out because I knew it was a shift,” Kehlani told Rolling StoneRecord. “To be very, very blunt, I was singing about sex and men and toxic stuff and heartbreak and all these things and then I did a complete fucking 180. I knew that the people who want to hear toxic and sexy music about men would no longer have a home on this album.”