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Photo: Malik Ross

First-generation Nigerian-American singer and songwriter Dreamer Isioma makes their highly anticipated return by announcing their new album, StarX Lover, slated for release in Spring 2025. In celebration, they share two new tantalizing singles, "Did You Ever Care" and "Dead End," that usher in a new era for the young artist, sonically and personally.

"Did You Ever Care" opens with scuzzy guitar riffs, rich bass lines, and foreboding, Kill Bill-esque whistling. Dreamer details a one-sided love, describing the most beautiful woman in the world with, "The type of looks that kill / The type of looks that start a war for generations." They express that they've been waiting patiently for death, begging for her to take their breath away and lay next to them. On the hooky chorus, they croon over the retro-futuristic production, "I just wanna fuck then go to sleep / I just wanna fuck then go to sleep / With you in my arms, oh, honey," and are ultimately left to wonder if they ever really cared about them.

Then, everything takes a turn on the second single, "Dead End." The production becomes more haunting and dark as piano lines weave in and out of gothic instrumentation. Dreamer exalts, "The ghost of you still haunts me / I’ve loved, and I’ve lost / I’ve loved, and I’ve lost my mind / It sucks every time." They wrestle with their slipping sanity and the burring memory of their loved one.

Dreamer also shares a striking visual that brings both songs to life and introduces their cosmic new universe at the core of the new StarX Lover album. The visual opens "Death Is An Option," a spoken word that follows the artist as he peers out the window and shields their eyes from a blinding light. Then, the narrative unveils a world that draws from Norman Bates' work and evokes a solar punk, dark sci-fi feel with a mesmerizing duality between a superhero and a villain.

Both songs and the upcoming album StarX Lover were entirely written and primarily produced by Dreamer Isioma, with additional contributions from close collaborators Romello, Brooklynn Skye, and Saint Lewis, who helped shape a few tracks by adding instrumentation and subtle production elements. The young artist has quickly built a cult following and has long received praise and support from some of today's biggest stars, including SZA, Janelle Monae, Steve Lacy, Doja Cat, Lizzo, Foushee, Kali Uchis, and many more through their dynamic art. Fierce and unrelenting in their vision, Dreamer's music has long worked to dismantle genre confines and disrupt social norms to create space for those who don't fit into binaries.

Listen to below:

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