Tabi Gervis renounces settling for less on “Clearly”

Effortlessly exhibiting her suave, cleansing vocals, Tabi Gervis' has honed a sound that harmoniously blends old school soul and contemporary pop with all its crisp modernity. “Clearly” is the final release from the second EP, Fall Into Me, from the Brighton-based artist; a collection of recently released singles focussed on exploring topics of love and loss.

Talking about her track, Gervis boldly states, “'Clearly' is a reminder to myself to never settle, to never let the bare minimum even be on the scale of the love I deserve. One day I woke up and was like “what the f*** am I doing?” I found myself going on dates for the sake of it, falling for people I barely knew, and not really recognising myself. Like it’s so obvious that it’s not what’s best for you but sometimes you need to have that wake-up call for it to become clear, and when it does you can really reclaim that self-love. I wanted to put my own sassy spin on that, so 'Clearly' was born."

She delivers this message with inspiringly unabashed confidence on the track, "I've been moving backwards / Opening myself up to those who haven't earned me / I've been moving backwards / It was just you that made me realise that I am deserving / Deserving of love." The frank honesty of the lyrics coupled with the slinking ambience of the production lay the perfect stage for her honey-warm vocals, adding to the overall texture of the song.

The track paints from a palette with the holy trinity of jazz, pop, and soul, infusing them together in satisfying harmony much akin to the soundscapes of Olivia Dean and Lianne Le Havas even though Gervis shares that "most of my influences are subconscious." Throughout the EP she dapples and dances in a multitude of genres and voices, giving the record both a timeless nostalgia, but also a contemporary brightness.

Despite exploring weighty topics of empowerment and self-respect as the foundation of "Clearly", the song is abundantly uplifting, with lusciously sassy qualities. Its chic, syncopated drums only serve to compliment the tongue-in-cheek lyrics that give the track its addictively humorous tone. Gervis ends the track with a set of invaluable affirmations: “I will stop pretending that I like being treated like I don’t deserve / I will be my best friend / I will love like you can’t”. It embodies a relatable mantra, oozing with infectious positivity that delights the ears and the soul.

As a “self-proclaimed theatrical jazz-pop princess”, Gervis reimagines the submissive character arc of the fairy-tale princess and ceases to seek validation from her (unremarkable) prince. Instead, she finds validation from within, and reminds the listener to manifest the same for themselves, ultimately giving us the wake-up call we didn’t even know we needed.