Welcome to Pass the Aux, where KQED Arts & Culture brings you our favorite new tracks by Bay Area artists. Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage here.
Siaira Shawn shows off her ability to carry a high note on her latest track, “What’s Better.” Produced by Mars Today, the song pairs a simple string melody with Shawn’s soprano vocals for a cozy joint for the cold season. Shawn sings, “My initials around your neck, but you don’t belong to me… But you belong to me.”
Two years after her last full project, Tender, which features the songs “Little Bit” and “Wolf,” Shawn is back to share her gift with the world. The San Francisco-raised artist, who now lives in Los Angeles, says that this is a small sample of what she’s planning on dropping in the new year. For fans of poetic R&B about the nuanced feelings that come along with this thing called love, there’s something to look forward to in 2022.