R&B powerhouse Jessie Reyez arrives with fire in her voice and openness in her enclosure on her brand-new album, “PAID IN MEMORIES.” The 21-track emotional odyssey is Reyez’s most ambitious and expansive work since her 2022 album, “Yessie,” it’s already kicking off deep conversations and earning praise for its brutal honesty and genre-fluid nature.
Bathed in fierce intent and unapologetic soul, “PAID IN MEMORIES” is not merely a collection of songs but a confessional, a reckoning, a celebration of self. Over 55 minutes, Reyez plunges soul-first into love, loss, ego, identity, and the muddy lines of fame, all while displaying a vocal range that’s as ragged as it is pristine. The album arrived with a series of intimate North American performances, including a launch concert in Hollywood that offered fans an up-close-and-personal encounter with her truth.
The album also boasts a star-studded list of collaborators, including Sam Smith, Lil Yachty, 6lack, Ari Lennox, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, and Miguel, whose presence is felt but never overshadows Reyez’s intense storytelling. Tracks like “**GOLIATH,**” “**NYB**,” and “**CUDN’T B ME**” smolder with defiance. Songs like “*****FREE*****” and “*****I NEVER SAID I WAS SANE*****” yield moments of emotional surrender that feel too real to listen to without shivering.
On “PAID IN MEMORIES,” Reyez is chronicling her life. Her voice recycles between gritty and graceful, sometimes in a single breath, and her songwriting is poetic but biting. Tracks like “**PALO SANTO,**” “**PSILOCYBIN & DAISIES,**” and “**HEAD AND HEADACHES**” show a woman who has seen it all and has the scars, smarts, and melodies to show for it.
With this bold new chapter, Jessie Reyez continues to cement that she’s in her lane. “PAID IN MEMORIES” is honest, haunting, and healing. And it’s raw, riotous, and positively undeniable.
Follow Jessie Reyez on Spotify
