Smino is back and has announced his new album will be titled Love For Rent. Speaking with Teddy Ray, Smino detailed the inspiration behind the album.
“This album…it’s called Love For Rent. It’s based on different types of love. It can be bad love, petty love, obsessive love…just real good love and family love. It’s just about the different ways I’ve lent out my heart to the point I ain’t have enough left for myself,” he said, according to Def Pen.
“I’m just trying to find the best version of me to put out because I can put out a million songs all day, but I feel like part of me being who I am is not being all in people’s faces. I’m being kind of selfish with emotions and listening to sht, making [music] for me. But once you write something down, it doesn’t belong to you anymore. You don’t have to hold it. It’s the same when I put songs out. I’m putting out the sht that I feel like I don’t want to hold on to anymore. So, I’m just like…those are the songs I put out. Y’all can have that emotion. Now, I’m moving on to another emotion. That’s the whole synopsis of this album.”
In November, Smino officially joined the Motown Records roster. Billboard reports the partnership with Smino, which also includes his independent label and music collective Zero Fatigue, which features singer Ravyn Lenae and producer Monte Booker.
The deal was secured by Motown CEO/chairman Ethiopia Habtemariam and vp A&R Lindsey Lanier. Billboard notes Smino has trust in the creative vision and formed a strong relationship with the two women.
“Smino is one of the most incredible artists in music. His limitless talent, creative vision, ambition, drive and authenticity has prepared him for this new chapter,” Habtemariam said in a statement. “He is ready to compete at the highest levels and we are grateful to be on this journey with Smino and the Zero Fatigue/EQT team to bring his music and vision to the world.”
Smino’s first release under Motown is “I Deserve” featuring Nos, which you can hear below.
“I wrote this song about my little cousin who was killed in St. Louis last summer. I realized I never gave myself time to grieve and get through the emotion of a loss,” Smino says of the “I Deserve” single “I found myself singing ‘I deserve it’ out loud till I cried and recorded it. Album No. 3 on the way, it’s all about love and how you can use/lose your heart in the process.”
