"Back in 2015 I was deep down a YouTube rabbit hole for songs that Devante Swing of Jodeci (who is one of my all time favorite producers) had a hand in and came across this unreleased Mya song entitled "Smilin." I was immediately struck by the harmonies, the bassline and slow, deliberate pulse of the track. I searched long and far for a hi-quality version, as the YouTube rip was a bit lacking, but being an unreleased track, I couldn't find one. In lieu of this, I decided it'd be a fun challenge to try and remake it in full quality as a collaboration another vocalist. I reached out to Maribelle, as we had been working on other music at that time, and she was immediately down. She sent me back the entire vocal arrangement, harmonies and all, in about a day or two and I was totally floored. I finished the track and it sat on my computer for a few years before I got the idea to revisit it a few months back. I tweaked a few elements to make it sit better in my current musical home and I'm happy everyone can listen to it now....I hope Mya and Devante approve."
credits
from Smilin',
released June 29, 2018
Original song written by Mya + Devante Swing
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