Today, producer Na’el Shehade and singer/songwriter Via Rosa, the duo known as DRAMA release their highly anticipated EP Don’t Wait Up, the pair’s newest compilation of music since their Dance Without Me album in 2020.
Brilliant masters at intertwining euphoria and melancholy, Don’t Wait Up sees DRAMA channel the wide range of influences, that is seeing them reshape the modern love song. The EP traverses everything from Chicago house, lovesick saxophones, strutting guitars, soft piano chords, luscious soundscapes, and more. After six years working together, the duo have refined their singular style of bittersweet messages for the dance floor.
At the start of the quarantine during the intense isolation of 2020, DRAMA began working on the new EP as a point of reflection and release from loneliness. While fans are familiar with DRAMA’s broody, melancholic approach to music, the duo’s sonic exploration digs deeper and darker on Don’t Wait Up.
Listen to ‘Don’t Wait Up’
DRAMA’s thoughts on the EP – “A lot of what we felt during this time was challenging and the only way to make it count was to express ourselves. We wanted to create lush and heartbreak on every record, so you felt our time.
The title ‘Don’t Wait Up’ was originally inspired by a track on the EP, “Hit My Line,” and the idea of releasing toxicity both from a relationship and from within yourself. ‘Don’t Wait Up’ is vulnerable in that it speaks to the insecurity and destabilization that comes with an imbalanced relationship, but it also is positive as it points to the transformation toward self-love that can come as a result.
Lyrically, this collection of songs is very confident with a certain “put my foot down” energy. It’s about growth, taking back control, telling that someone to not wait up, to not waste their breath, and finally realizing you deserve to love and be loved.”
Don’t Wait Up EP
- 3AM
- Dark Rain
- Monte Carlo
- Don’t Hold Back
- Hit My Line
- I Do
Watch – “3AM” Video
DRAMA opens their EP with recently released single “3AM”, vocalist Rosa’s emotionally resonant lyrics sits atop producer Shehade’s groove laden production. The EP moves to “Dark Rain” which channels throwback synths and lush, futuristic soundscapes while “Don’t Hold Back” shows the clubbier side of the duo with a brooding, yet undeniably danceable approach. The EP rounds out with “Hit My Line” that blends the sophistication of Chicago house and all-too-relatable lyrics about relational toxicity, ending the EP with their heart-stomping track, “I Do”.
DRAMA have captured ears and hearts, notching up 250+ millions of plays for their “happy-sad music.” A quintessential expression of Shehade’s Chicago house icons and Rosa’s soulful influences, their individual musical upbringing has fostered them into a dynamic artists listeners have fallen in love with, the intersection of what lies between electronic music and R&B.
DRAMA’s Don’t Wait Up Tour will strum on the heartstrings of dancers across the US starting February 24, plus DRAMA will be performing at major festivals including Pal Norte, Ceremonia, Movement, and Electric Forest.
Don’t Wait Up Tour 2022
2/24/22 – Austin, TX – Mohawk Austin
2/25/22 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
2/27/22 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
2/28/22 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
3/1/22 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
3/3/22 – Okeechobee, FL – Okeechobee 2022
3/4/22 – Miami, FL – The Ground Miami
3/7/22 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
3/8/22 – Washington DC – Union Stage
3/9/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
3/11/22 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
3/12/22 – Chicago, IL – Metro
4/1/22 – Monterrey, MEX – Pal Norte Music 2022
4/2/22 – Mexico City, MEX – Festival Ceremonia 2022
5/28-30/22 – Detroit, MI – Movement 2022
6/22-26/22 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest 2022
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