Debuting his signing to XL Recording record label, Shamir’s single, “On The Regular,” makes a noticeable introduction. A representation of the year he was born in, Shamir brings a ’90s influenced song with style and vibe.
A well-produced track, “On The Regular,” Shamir is only able to show a glimmer of his true talents. “On The Regular” revolves around Shamir rapping over the instrumental until the collision portion of the track that he reveals his singing ability. His voice is very unique, similar to Prince’s but at a higher pitch. While his rapping seems to be a flat tone without highs or lows, it does come at a rapid, clear pace.
He uses his tone to his advantage; as you to let your guard down, you are unsuspecting to his lyrics, “haters get the bird.” Shamir’s innocent demeanor also allows him to get away with lyrics such as “yes, yes, I’m the best.” While he has this characteristic, he does let everyone know “step to me and you will be handled.” Heavy synths, cowbells and a combination of strong confidence through his diction communicate that this is the most blunt he will appear to be.
It possesses everything a single should have: shows vocal diversity, introduces who he is and has an upbeat instrumental. Given that it has all these elements, it is clear that this is meant to push his commercial success. Signing to a record label with a good resume, such as XL, will help him with that.
Interestingly enough, “On The Regular” stands out from the other music he has produced. His EP, “Northtown,” is classified as dance, club, and disco; but the single “On The Regular” has more pop influences. “On The Regular” is unique from his other tracks but Shamir is still able to input his own influences and it does not seem to be something that is forced.
While Shamir may not have the commercial success of the other artist on the record label such as Adele, he will continue to produce impressive tracks due to his individual talents.
“On The Regular” is a gateway song to the rest of his career.
