Imagine being such a dope up-and-coming artist, Diplo has to hunt you down. That’s kind of what happened with Octavian, the French-British rapper and singer who the BBC honored as the Sound of 2019. His latest tune “New Shapes” features Octavian’s low rumble, but it was no easy feat to achieve.
“I met Octavian at a party in London,” Diplo is quoted in a press release. “We took a photo and I never thought I would see the kid again,” Diplo says. “Over the next six months I kept hearing his name and seeing him on great songs. I tried to stay in touch even though he had another twelve phone numbers since we met. Finally, he was stuck in L.A. for a while and it was easy to pull up on him. After a few weeks we nailed this song and I’m glad it gets to finally see the light of day. Big up to Jim-E Stack for producing this with me.”
“New Shapes” is a down-tempo R&B groove that works equally for sensual bedroom playlists or solo sad-kid reflections. Lyrically, Octavian tells the story of one-sided trust, reaching out to someone who can no longer see what’s real and what’s hurting them. It’s a hot, steamy slow burner, the second single from his forthcoming Europa EP, which features a host of European collaborative talent.
Europe is due out Friday, Feb. 22, on Diplo’s label Mad Decent. Watch the lyric video for “New Shapes” featuring Octavian below.