Photo: Donnel Garcia

If you’ve been tapped into underground artists on TikTok in the past year, you might already know about Kaleah Lee. The Vancouver-based singer/songwriter has been gaining popularity over the last year, a large part due to her original songs going viral on social media, grabbing the attention of Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Maggie Rogers, and others. One of these original songs was released today, titled “Rotting Fruit”. This release comes after initially debuting it earlier this week in front of a sold out show in San Francisco while supporting Searows.

After discovering Kaleah earlier last year, I knew that she was eventually going to become a star. An immediate standout for her vulnerable and intimate songwriting and soft vocals, “Rotting Fruit” is just another testament to her expertise. With soft vocals, a simple guitar lead, and slightly distorted production, Kaleah allows her voice and songwriting skills to shine in this raw and intimate track. “‘Rotting Fruit’ was emotionally liberating to write,” Kaleah says. “Navigating through my beliefs, disbeliefs, and who I feel I am at my core has been challenging, but more importantly it’s been a very freeing process. I didn’t know how much I needed to release what I was feeling until I did through this song.” This release of emotion is evident when listening to the track and every aspect of it contributes to the understanding the listener feels throughout.

“Rotting Fruit” releases as the second single for her EP releasing later this year. As one of the many fiending for an eventual LP from Kaleah, her upcoming EP is sure to scratch the itch for now. All we have to do is wait.