TOP NEW SONGS: JADE NOVAH - INTUITION

Rising R&B superstar Jade Novah follows her "Intuition" to find her voice on her hot new single!

Jade Novah is best known to Popheads/r&b fanatics for her clever YouTube parodies. The "Slay Bells" video as Keyonce is the best, with Novah emulating her favorite iconic performers in uncanny fashion. If this were a Lip Sync For Your Life battle royale, the catwalk would be littered with fallen competitors.

Novah's chameleonic tendencies shouldn't come as a surprise, considering her background. The rising pop star's written for Big League musicians. She also serves as a coach for rising talent on The Four. For someone with so much insight into Pop Music's whirling machinations, "Intuition" is refreshingly free of trend-hopping.

JADE NOVAH - INTUITION

"Intuition" kicks off with a sneaky Middle Eastern-sounding string sample, setting the mood for a mid-tempo Trap beat. It's epic and mighty while still sounding chill. "Intuition"'s crisp black-and-white video shows Jade Novah lightly levitating over a turbulent ocean, turning her dread-framed face to the heavens, looking for inspiration. You could think of the future Trap beats and slightly sci-fi production as the stellar component while the ocean represents the deep wells of tradition, the subconscious, passion, and personal emotions. They're both in attendance in equal measure, becoming a true classic r&b/future beat hybrid. Perhaps we are ready for a renaissance of '90s r&b/hip-hop?

We Are: The Guard certainly hope so.

"Intuition" was co-produced with Novah's husband Devin Johnson, who's collaborated with the singer from the very beginning. These are the little details that make "Intuition" so personal while still sounding polished enough to be a Top 40 single. Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Charli XCX best make some room. There's a new queen in town!

"Intuition" is the third and final single off of Novah's long-anticipated debut album All Blue, which dropped on July 13. It's one of the most upbeat, energizing tracks in attendance, which should help snare Novah a bunch of devoted new listeners. As well it should, as "Intuition" is truly one of this year's stand-out r&b/hip hop-infused singles of the year. It's a beyond-impressive debut statement, befitting someone who's worked in the industry for years. With "Intuition," and all of All Blue really, we have a sterling new talent emerging fully-formed, like Aphrodite rising from the ocean spray. With a debut album like this, it's crazy to think what Jade Novah might get into. We Are: The Guard can't wait to hear!

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.