YouTube star Queen Naija has been officially pursuing her music career for a little under three years but has made plenty of headway in that relatively short span of time. Later this month, she plans to release her debut album, Missunderstood, on Capitol Records, with her new single “Lie To Me” leading the way. The song, built on a classic DeBarge sample (hip-hop favorite “A Dream”) and featuring Chicago rapper Lil Durk, finds her stressing what sounds like a semi-toxic relationship.
“Love me good and lie to me,” she urges on the chorus. “Don’t want broken promises, don’t want apologies.” Durk reciprocates, “Lowkey I be textin’ all her friends, she told me she don’t care.” In terms of love songs, it’s low on romance but probably relatable to plenty of listeners who are out there overlooking some serious red flags for the promise of good sex. The video, directed by Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor, chronicles the creation of the song as the two artists flirt back and forth on the phone before meeting up in-person to record it.
Naija’s recruitment of Lil Durk comes at an opportune time for the Windy City rapper. He’s in the midst of a career resurgence after a bout of legal battles, getting a huge co-sign from Drake on “Laugh Now, Cry Later” then capitalizing with his own single “The Voice,” and a new album of the same name coming out later this month. He’s also featured on Bia’s “Same Hands” and Nas’ King’s Disease.
Watch Lil Durk and Queen Naija’s “Lie To Me” video above.
Missunderstood is out 10/30 via Capitol Records. Pre-save it here.