Dramatic, dynamic, and utterly enthralling, Tafari Anthony’s stunning ‘The Way You See Me’ EP presents him at his most passionate, unveiling intimate moments through a soaring immersion of evocative dance pop, R&B, and soul.
for fans of Moses Sumney, MNEK, Sam Smith
Stream: “No Good” – Tafari Anthony
An absorptive, compelling experience from end to end, Tafari Anthony’s third extended player is a stunningly vulnerable and visceral listen. Dramatic, dynamic, and utterly enthralling, The Way You See Me presents the Toronto artist at his most passionate, unveiling intimate moments through a soaring immersion of evocative dance pop, R&B, and soul.
How could I not know that you were obsessed
When you started reciting my texts
Empty hand you knew every word
I guess some would call it absurd
Now I’m standing here
Feeding obsession with crippling fear
But I love it dear
Do I need to explain anymore?
That’s why I had to leave
‘Cause you’re no good for me
That’s why I had to go away
– “No Good,” Tafari Anthony
Independently released November 20, 2020, The Way You See Me invites us all to get up and dance: To close our eyes, let go of whatever stress and tension we’ve been holding tight throughout this treacherous year, and transform our living rooms and bedrooms into our very own club for one.
Since humbly introducing himself to the world in early 2016, singer/songwriter Tafari Anthony (pronounced “Ta-far-eye”) has steadily developed his artistry in and around Toronto’s flourishing music communities. With influences ranging from Prince and Brandy to Khalid and Charlie Puth, Anthony’s smoldering voice and expressive instrumentals have long defied a single genre definition. Nowhere is this more apparent than on his latest record, whose twenty-one minutes dazzle the ears with nuanced, percussive rhythms, full-bodied harmonies, graceful (and jaw-dropping) singing, and instantly catchy hooks.
For someone whose name literally translates into “He Who Inspires Awe” (in Amharic, one of Ethiopia’s principal languages), Tafari Anthony is a standout talent in 2020 – a definitive and exciting artist-to-watch.
Following a creative break in 2018, The Way You See Me is a powerful and representative return not just to the fore, but to a wider audience than any Anthony had previously reached. The new EP presents the artist as he sees himself here and now.
“When it came time to title the EP I was going back and forth on a bunch of names,” Anthony tells Atwood Magazine. “I ended up choosing “The Way You See Me” for two reasons: The first being it is a lyric from the last song on the EP, “Feel the Love” that has really stuck with me. The second being, when I started to think of how this project came together and how I really had to challenge the way people saw me in order to get my vision across, I felt it offered a great double meaning and summed up the overarching theme of not trying to fit into anyone’s box.”
I wish I could see myself the way you see me
In your eyes I’m so damn perfect
So damn worth it
If only I believe
Feel the love
(If only I believed I could feel the love)
– “Feel the Love,” Tafari Anthony
The Way You See Me is a definitive statement: One that balances the sultry with the sleek, the grounded with the effervescent.
Anthony gives as much space to his voice and his instrumental work as he does his lyricism, getting in touch with himself and his feelings while exploring themes of identity, love and loss, connection and disconnect, bravado and humility, and more. Every moment feels specially crafted and full of intent, from the hypnotic opener “Live in a Dream” to the uplifting, sonically feel-good middle-finger-to-an-ex song, “Centerfold”:
You can take that shit to the next one
Tell him how you the victim (ah)
Should’ve known you’re the reason
For the change in your seasons
Ego that is the problem
Thinking every eyes always on ya (ah)
Boy you think you’re Beyoncé
You’re never gonna run me
You think you’re the centerfold
Posted up on my wall
I took it down when your true colours showed
If you and me were a song I wrote
Threw it out long ago
Won’t be revolving around you no more
– “Centerfold,” Tafari Anthony
When it comes to a record such as this, the challenge of highlighting any one song is a seismic, if not impossible task. Every song brings its own color and character to the table – whether it be “No Good” with its calm pulse and heartbreakingly bittersweet reflections, or “When I Come to You” and its grandiose, breathtaking vocal performance. Anthony himself cites a personal affinity for the record’s entrancing closing track “Feel the Love,” a heartfelt and touching surrender that strips away all pretense:
You walk in, light up the room
Eyes off me, eyes on you, Sometimes it’s hard to see the truth
Sometimes it’s hard being here with you
I know how these nights go
Every boy in here wants you
And I know that you know that they do
Pull me in, letting me know
When they push, then you pull, somehow you never let me go
Somehow you never let me go
I know how these nights end
They flock and my eyes close
But I know you want me the most
I wish I could see myself the way you see me
In your eyes I’m so damn perfect
So damn worth it
If only I believe
Feel the love
(If only I believed I could feel the love)
Take some time for yourself this winter, and let Tafari Anthony soundtrack your self-renewal.
The Way You See Me is a moving, refreshing upheaval ready to move your souls and bodies alike. Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Tafari Anthony’s The Way You See Me EP with Atwood Magazine as the artist goes track-by-track through the music and lyrics of his third EP!
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Stream: ‘The Way You See Me’ – Tafari Anthony
:: Inside The Way You See Me ::
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LIVE IN A DREAM
I wanted to do a play on the phrase “Living the dream” and flip it to how sometimes living in that dream can often be dismissed as not good enough because it’s not the end goal. When really, we have to enjoy all those moments in between because that really is the dream.
WHEN I COME TO YOU
I wrote “When I Come to You” after a 3 hour conversation with a friend who was going through a breakup. His partner was convinced he wasn’t attracted to him and didn’t care for him – no matter how my friend reassured him that wasn’t true. I got home and wrote this one in about 20mins. I found I related so much to his partner on this and it was therapeutic putting myself on the other side of it.
CENTERFOLD
Well we call this one “the ultimate fuck you to an ex lover”. “Centerfold” chronicles the bitter end to someone sealing their own fate on any more sympathy from me.
NO GOOD
This one follows “Centerfold” because it was dealing with the same relationship. This was the clarity and realization that maybe I liked the drama and now having to own my own role in the demise of the relationship.
ONE FOR YOU ft. BLUE WILL
This one came to me because I had this guy DMing me trying to get the goodies – not gonna lie, I was tempted. I started to investigate and realized he was basically hitting up anyone that looked similar to me… and that included a friend of mine.
FEEL THE LOVE
Probably my most vulnerable moment writing and singing the lyric “I wish I could see myself the way you see me”. It was a moment of acknowledging my body dysmorphia and being aware of it but still not able to break out of that view of myself.
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© David Fulde
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