Verified by Rolling Stone, BBC Asian Network, Colors, BBC 1Xtra, The Line Of Best Fit, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, Annie Mac and Jack Saunders, plus many more global tastemakers, UK artist Asha Gold is stepping into her destiny as one of the most exciting contemporary R&B artists around right now.

Following on from previous singles ‘Too Good’, ‘Passenger’, ‘Debut’ and ‘Oscar’, this thriving London newcomer is sharing her first single of 2021 - ‘Naive’. As ever, it’s backed by a fresh array of modern R&B, mood-setting piano and Asha Gold’s velvety voice.

While ‘Naive’ was written all the way back in 2019, the themes of confusion and being unable to figure a situation, or more likely a person, out is something that’s ever-more relevant. Stepping away from current news, ‘Naive’ is at its core about unrequited love; it’s about leaving the proverbial door open for someone who won’t advance anything. Ever hopeful, the lovelorn protagonist, as portrayed by Gold’s sultry vocals, can’t completely cut the other person off and so their headspace is entirely taken up by over-analysing the situation.

Below Asha Gold, details the creative process behind ‘Naive’:

“I wrote Naive with Mitch Jones at the end of our very first session. The lyrics just fell out and within an hour we had the song — the verses were almost a freestyle when I was recording them. It’s about the ultimate confusion when someone is giving you mixed signals to the point where you begin to wonder whether they’re doing the same thing with somebody else… When a situation is not progressing, efforts are not reciprocated, and it’s all talk and no action, it feels like it’s more headspace than it’s worth.

The beat began as an 808 pattern but we felt it was too conventional, so we replaced everything with these whacky percussion samples which have become integral to my sound and its uniqueness — it’s a song full of surprises.”