Written by Deryck Vanderbilt-Nicholson
(February 24, 2021 – New York, NY) Phenomenally gifted, R&B electric duo, THEY. has returned from 2020, dropping off ‘Count Me In’ featuring Kiana Ledé from their critically acclaimed sophomore album, “The Amanda Tape”. The album that has been a digital fan-favorite includes features from Wale, Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J and Tinashe. The moody and sultry video pans on to Dante, Drew Love and Kiana Ledé, setting the tone on what is a ride or die anthem of 2021. When describing the vibe of the visuals, the pair speaks:
“Count Me In was one of our favorite songs off The Amanda Tape and we always wanted to make a version that had a female response to it. We’ve known Kiana for a minute and have been fans of everything she’s been doing on her own. She sent over her verse and instantly had pushed the record into a whole new light. This song is about finding the right person that’s going to ride with you through thick and thin, no matter what stage you are at in the relationship. We wanted to create a dope visual that could convey that ride or die dynamic.” – THEY.
“I am honored to be on this badass remix, so excited for the fans to see this side of Kiki.” – Kiana Ledé
Heartbreak, happiness, and life lessons gave birth to THEY. ‘s sophomore release of “The Amanda Tape”, that’s been receiving acclaim from COMPLEX, The Fader, ESSENCE, NME, Clash, HNHH, INTERVIEW Magazine, FLAUNT Magazine, Notion, UPROXX, and many other outlets. Stand out tracks such as “Count Me In”, “Play Fight with Tinashe”, “All Mine”, “STCU with Juicy J” and streaming favorite, “Losing Focus with Wale”, have earned the guys over 54 million streams-to-date and excitement, at what seems to be the moment for new music, that’s been healing for many. This has spurned conversations that have transcended Dante and Drew’s coming of age album, an ode to R&B, that dives into the various phases of relationships, break-ups, black love, vulnerability, black intimacy, accountability as black men and purpose. All of this alongside Drew Love’s vocal crooning and Dante’s cozy production, fans and critics alike echo JEZEBEL’s sentiments saying, “ THEY. takes me back to a golden era of R&B when Craig David’s “Fill Me In” was hitting right and Usher was doing that footroll skate dance in videos”.
Even in a quarantine, THEY. has managed to beat isolation, creating an album that feels like it’s narrating the ups, the downs and the in-between of life – during a year of high racial tension and turbulence. The LA pair still managed to leave their footprints on the scene more magnetic than ever, as Billboard beamed, “The R&B duo encapsulates the Black Experience living in America.” This all while still bringing their music to life to help fans get through isolation they’ve stunned with their live acoustic performances recently on their Vevo CTRL, YouTube Acoustic Performance and their next level DIGITAL FADER FORT, performance.
The moral of the story is, of THEY. show no signs of slowing down. Even in a global pandemic, Drew Love and Dante are poised and ready for their breakout year, as the R&B duo to watch for 2021.