Tell me you didn’t expect a Jason Derulo song to turn up in the electronic scout and I’ll tell you I didn’t either. LET ME BE is a dance-pop crossover that leans harder on its featured guests than on Derulo himself, which turns out to be the smartest thing about it. Qing Madi is the reason to stay: the young Nigerian singer brings a loose, Afropop phrasing that runs circles around Derulo’s by-the-numbers hook, and every second she’s on the mic the track comes alive. The beat is a glossy Afro-house-lite thing, bright marimba-ish synths over a soft four-four, engineered within an inch of its life for maximum playlist friendliness. It’s fine. It’s professionally, expensively fine. Derulo does his usual trick of all but singing his own name, and the hook is sticky without ever being interesting. I’d happily hear a version with Qing Madi given the whole runway and Derulo politely not invited. As is, it’s a decent summer-radio record wearing a dance costume, and you’ll have caught it in a supermarket within the month.
Not the first time Jason Derulo, The Second Voice, Qing Madi has shown up here: The Second Voice - LET ME BE (Justė Remix)