Valentine’s Day is often a time to celebrate love. Many, however, share complicated views on it. Pop singer and songwriter Envi Jordan explores this through his newly released single “Somebody to Love” (not to be confused with the song by Queen, a soul-searching piece about Freddie Mercury’s own struggles with love as a Gay man in the 1970s). Envi’s single could almost be seen as a modern version of the famous A Day at the Races track, however. But in today’s world, where queerness is more normalized and accepted, there are fewer barriers to finding love, but for those Queer people who still struggle to connect with others, it can feel alienating to fall behind their peers.

Envi’s single encapsulates how one's search for their other half can lead many to feel self-doubt, especially those who have invested time into someone, only for things to not work out in the end. The single is a departure from his others lately, which can be grouped as being more upbeat and cheerful, and shying away from darker topics. However, Envi explored darker and more personal themes in his first mixtape, Secrets Vol. 1, in which he explores his early life and how it shaped who he is. In a way, “Somebody to Love” is almost a return to Envi’s roots exploring introspective topics through his music.

While listening to this track, I couldn’t help but notice that the chorus shares similarities to that of a recognizable pop song from the early 2000s. If you listen closely, you can hear Envi’s rendition of the first three notes of “Around the World (La La La La La)” by ATC (A Touch of Class), a Eurodance group from Germany. It is not unheard of for pop musicians to sample and incorporate other songs into their work, but for Envi to take a track from a genre associated with feelings of high-energy and repurpose it for a song with such a raw, melancholy vibe is an interesting choice. 

In Envi’s own words, “it is a song made for crying on the dance floor.” This leads me to believe his choice to reference a hit song that many hold nostalgia for was intentional, to create something that evokes feelings of ease and familiarity while expressing a core message that many can relate to, so as to create a jam that connects to the audience.

Last year, Envi opened up to the SGN about his creative process, which he described as an organic approach to writing, stating that his songs are influenced by “whatever is happening in my life or whatever is going on in my head.” With this in mind and Valentine’s Day around the corner, it wouldn’t be too difficult to speculate on how he has reflected on his views of love and what it means to be Queer in the present day. My overall opinion is that “Somebody to Love” is a deeply personal and relatable track that is easy to listen and dance to.