Essence Martins unveils new song, "Red Velvet"

"Red Velvet" follows Martins' previous singles "Please, Don't Wake Me" and "Can We All Slow Down", her first releases since her EP Sleeping On It, which dropped last year. Made with producer Jonah Summerfield, the track touches on the experience of becoming strangers after a heartbreak.

"I wrote 'Red Velvet' after my first intense heartbreak," Essence explains. I remember how every little thing I did reminded me of them. I'd stumble across the places we'd go and realise how different and empty everything felt when we weren't together anymore. I realised that some of the things she loved became my favourite things, like sweet chilli sauce with fries and Red Velvet cake. Just like all these little things she favoured, it made me realise that I used to be one of her favourites too, and now I'm not.

"'Red Velvet' is about being with someone that you end up losing," she continues. "It's the classic lovers-to-strangers story, reflecting on a relationship that was good, though not perfect, and the emotions that come with losing that connection, even when it may have been for the best. It's kind of like a grief that you feel even though they're physically still here in the flesh."