Released: 2014
The tune “Someone New” by BANKS is an intense, emotional journey, illustrating a love that’s facing challenges due to the speaker’s need for self-development. It explores themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the internal struggle of leaving someone you genuinely love for your own betterment.
The opening lines show the protagonist’s intense love towards her partner, yet she recognizes that this love isn’t reciprocated with the same depth or substance. She uses lyrics like “I can love you desperately, though your love ain’t guaranteed” and “Oh, I wish you knew the deal” to express this sentiment. The language here underlines a sense of longing, of wishing her feelings were as deeply understood and reciprocated as she desires.
As we dive deeper into the lyrics, her true struggle surfaces – she needs space to grow; space to “be”. In the hip-hop scene, this feeling “to be” often pertains to the freedom to discover oneself, to evolve and realize one’s potential. So when she asks her lover not to fall in love with someone new, she’s emphasising her intention to come back, to return better and more prepared for their love.
When we hit the chorus, the narrative continues to weave this complex picture of love and self-discovery. She pleads for patience, continually reinforces her love and dedication even in her absence, evidenced through the lyrics “Everything I do, I’m gonna think of you”. Despite her love, her need to leave is vital, leading to a painful yet necessary separation.
As the song concludes, BANKS makes a bold assertion in believing that they are “meant to be together”. She tries to reassure that her absence is not permanent but a necessary pause. She’s not only asking her lover to believe in her but also in the person she could become – a testament to growth and maturity that is intrinsically tied to the hip-hop ethos of personal development and authenticity. The finale resonates with a promise that one day she’ll return to this love, a love put on hold not out of loss of feeling, but an overwhelming need for personal evolution.
Ultimately, “Someone New” is a poignant narrative of self-exploration and love’s resilience amidst personal growth. Moving through the verses, you experience the weight of emotional vulnerability, the challenge of self-realization and the complexity of maintaining love in the face of change – elements that are very much etched into the soulful side of hip-hop culture.
