Honesty is something that has always shone through Wafia’s music and has connected her with a global audience. But sometime’s speaking your truth instead of singing it is even more vulnerable, and being able to own that sometimes things happen out of your control is easier said than done. Stepping back into the spotlight with her first release in two years, she prefaced it by revealing that she was dropped from her label. It’s something that for a performer holds a lot of stigma and shame, when in reality it shouldn’t. We are all on our own journey’s, and if you look into history you will know that artists like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars were all dropped from major label’s. But instead of re-signing with someone else Wafia has taken the initiative to own her legacy and created her own record label Heartburn Records.
‘In The Honey’ is a direct response to what has happened in her life over the past two years and officially opens a new chapter for the Netherlands-born, Iraqi-Syrian artist. With the phrase ‘they were sleeping in honey’ being translated from the Arabic saying نايم في العسل, she acknowledges the pain and shame she felt but questions if they ever fulfilled their promises to her, and if they were ever in it as much as it she was. Taking this situation and personifying it into a relationship setting, she showcases her storytelling in this honest and beautiful song all about acknowledging your worth and not wanting to be left behind when someone else has already mentally checked out. “Everyone deserves a little warning sometimes” she sings before confessing “I don’t wanna be falling asleep in the honey”.
Sonically putting forth a groovy pop production with a slight RNB injection that was prominent on her last EP ‘Good Things’, she delivers this immaculately smooth and infectious moment where she takes charge. The near three minute track is a blissful listen that feels freeing and hints at the bright future that is to come for Wafia.