YTK first made a real dense splash with his Mariah Carey flip on “Let It Off” but the Maryland native has so much much, including this new single “WOE” as he takes his listeners to church. YTK’s laid-back vocals are reminiscent of TRAPSOUL-era Bryson Tiller, with a unique twist due to his production choices. The selective use of a gospel choir while focusing on the piano for the beat gives YTK plenty of room to operate vocally and his use of autotune in specific moments in the song feels not only intentional, but calculated.
Backed by church organs and the choir, YTK preaches about the challenges of his growing success and the many ‘woes’ associated with personal growth. YTK alludes to the loneliness he experienced while struggling and how that loneliness shifted to conditional companionship now that he is “up”. To drive his point home, YTK samples a minister delivering a sermon about the importance of counting on yourself, especially in our most challenging times, stating that in those times “prayers go unanswered, calls go unanswered.” YTK takes us on a journey of him understanding his own success and based on how he says he’s going for arenas and billions of streams, I suggest you listen to him.