Essosa realises “He’s Not All That” on witty, airy new R&B single

Built on decadently light, airy production, “He’s Not All That” navigates boy troubles with a playful self-awareness. Essosa’s soft vocals float over sparkling percussion and delicate R&B textures. Inspired by the comedown that follows a situationship gone wrong, she captures the moment when romantic vulnerability gives way to hard-won clarity.

She explains that the idea for the track arrived almost accidentally during a studio session that quickly turned into a conversation about her dating life. “I was basically just talking about my life,” she says. “I was talking about some guy that I was seeing, and I was like, ‘oh, he’s not even all that.’ Then someone in the room repeated it and we thought… that’s the title of the song.”

What began as a casual relationship gradually revealed itself to be something far more complicated: “There was this boy I was seeing years ago. We weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, but we were going on dates. Then he moved to America out of nowhere for work, but he was still trying to control me, asking for my location.” Eventually, the absurdity of the situation became impossible to ignore. “One day I just thought, ‘what am I doing?’ I’m being micro-stalked by a man in America right now,” she laughs. “He’s not even cute. I can get way better looking guys.”

That sudden moment of reality became the emotional backbone of the track. Whilst “He’s Not All That” shimmers like a melodic R&B record, its lyrics reflect the realisation that sometimes the person you’ve been romanticising simply isn’t who you thought they were. Essosa believes that moment will resonate with many listeners. “Girls will date ugly men who won’t even treat them well,” she says, somewhere between disappointment and disgust. “That’s the crazy thing. If you can come to the ‘he’s not all that’ realisation, you’ve won. But not everyone gets there.”

Despite the reflective subject matter, the song never feels heavy. Its tongue-in-cheek approach makes for an entertaining listen, a tension between sound and story that Essosa has always enjoyed. “I’ve always loved when the sonics and the lyrics are doing different things,” she explains. “Sometimes the lyrics are sad but the track is banging. If I want to make a banger, I’ll make a banger, the story is another thing.”

“He’s Not All That” pulls from varied musical references; namely inspired by Bay Area hyphy music, and gospel. Born to Nigerian parents, Essosa’s sound is an eclectic blend of her upbringing in Canada, teenage years spent in Essex, and her current home of London. Writing songs from as young as seven years old, her rise can be traced to her church gospel choir roots. She cites Prince and Mazarati as major touchpoints. “I’m always listening to Janet Jackson, The Velvet Rope and All For You, and Mariah [Carey’s] The Emancipation of Mimi. Then there’s a lot of 90s, 2000s dancehall and reggae, really cool stuff that’s been the soundtrack to my life.”

By the time the track reaches its closing lines – “You’re gold, you’re fine, you’re bad” – the perspective has shifted entirely, transforming frustration into reassurance. “It was definitely a reminder to myself,” Essosa says. “I felt really terrible about myself in that situation. I have ups and downs in my dating life, honestly, it’s mostly downs. Writing that line was like reminding myself I’ll be okay.”

“It was just therapy. When you’re holding something in and you write it into a song, it’s like letting it out.” Essosa wrote the track months before it was clear it would become one of the defining moments on Crush!: her forthcoming six-track EP, arriving 1 May via United Masters. “At the end of the day,” she says with a shrug, “he’s just a man, bro.” Sometimes, that realisation is the most important thing.

Steadily building momentum over the past year, Essosa's emotionally sharp take on modern R&B has earned her co-signs from major artists including KAYTRANADA and Kali Uchis. There is an undeniable star quality that shrouds the ascending artist. She was even hand-picked by Rochelle Jordan to join her on the US and Europe leg of her global tour. Now, with Crush! on the horizon, Essosa is set to deliver loads more glossy goods.