- Jahaan and I, when we were thinking of it,
he was like, "On God"
I was like, "On God" (laughs)
When we were saying that part,
it was like like, "On guard, I'm staying on guard."
It was like, "On God, I'm staying on guard."
I was like, "On God, I'm staying on guard,"
was literally how it happened.
The original inspiration for the track,
I was just contemplating
kind of how I approach relationships.
It's interesting because I tend to fall
into things really quickly.
And I think I was contemplating
what it would be like if I actually protected my heart
and didn't just move so quickly.
It's something that I've been learning more
of is to take my time and to allow myself
to really get to know someone
before I let them in all the way to my heart.
So I wrote this with Jahaan Sweet.
Jahaan produced the track.
And he and I were in the studio and just kind of vibing.
He had the template of the track kind of already.
He had, you know, some of the piano
and like the melodies of the track in place.
And he's an incredible pianist,
so he was just like playing off of the piano
and we were just coming up with it from that point.
It was pretty much from scratch though.
I mean, I knew right when I was writing it,
honestly, the sonics of the song,
like what it was doing melodically
with the instruments we were doing,
was very like watery, R&B kind of feel.
And I think 6lack is just so expressive in his lyrics,
he's such an incredible lyricist.
And I really wanted that,
like someone who was gonna explore the concept
and the theme from their own perspective.
And 6lack is a good friend of mine.
So, yeah, I just hit him up and sent him the track.
Well, my feline instincts
I think have been with me since I was a kid.
I'm very instinctual based.
I follow my gut quite often.
And when I ignore her, I always regret it.
And I've just always had an affinity for cats
and how they move and their sensuality.
I just I really parallel that I feel like.
I really love that.
And then cosmic intuition,
I feel like they're kind of hand in hand,
you know, it's back to that intuitive nature
of just understanding yourself
and getting those downloads from the higher ups.
When you choose to love someone,
you choose what they come with.
You choose the experiences and the pain
that has kind of shaped them into who they are right now.
And I think when you're in the getting to know
process of someone,
exposing those scars can be really, really vulnerable to do.
And that's why I say like,
you have to wait on my permission to open me up,
to take a look under my heart
and run your hands over my scars,
'cause it may be too much.
Before you get in here to the point
where I'm writing about your ass,
like I need to know that you can handle it.
I need to know that--and granted like I'm a firm believer
that your scars should not affect the other person.
You are responsible for your own scars, you know.
But when you're showing them to someone,
they have to be empathetic to the process
it's gonna take sometimes for you
to love them the way that they need to be loved.
But that's something also that I've noticed or learned
as I've grown in relationship with people
is that you might get triggered by stuff,
but you can't allow those triggers
to define the person you're with.
You have to take responsibility for how those triggers
affect you and dig to heal that after the fact.
It's not your partner's responsibility to heal you.
But the love that y'all share
is supposed to be a space where you can heal.
It's like kind of when you're easing back into dating
after having gotten your heartbroken
is really where this song is coming from.
So calm down, there's no need to rush now,
I won't let it go too far.
It's that relax.
Like there's no need to have this extra pressure.
Like don't even worry about it,
'cause I'm probably not even gonna let you that far in.
I don't know yet, so relax.
I really--It's funny that I'm breaking this down,
because this is a lesson for me.
This song is a lesson for me!
I feel like on God,
like it's like a promise.
It's specifically strong of a promise I feel like.
I'm just, I swear.
I'm protecting myself.
God got this, like, God is here with me
protecting me from you potentially, I don't know.
I don't know what you got going on.
I don't think you can ever really know someone.
I just think people are constantly evolving.
Like people are not the same.
People are not stagnant,
and I wouldn't want them to be either.
I think that as we consistently
are getting to know ourselves
throughout this whole lifetime, you know,
until we're literally gone,
just the thought that we're in a constant
evolution of self is really important to me.
You kind of get to a point of healing
where you surpass healing with the person that you're with,
and you can't stay in that, you know?
I guess you never really know someone
'cause people can change their minds.
So I'm really just protecting myself, really.
'My gut up like Floyd, up like North, uptight boy
I can't do it if it don't bring me the upmost joy'
I love that part.
I mean, I thought he bodied it bar for bar personally.
I think that he has a tendency to do that. (laughs)
It's the way he delivered it too, the cadence of it,
I thought was really beautiful.
I also love when we sing together,
I think our voices compliment each other really beautifully.
And I love harmonizing with him
and creating those moments
where we do this together. (laughs)