The Kamloops born but now Vancouver based Canadian musician Kenzie Cates spent her formative years fawning over empowering female pop acts like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, P!NK and pretty much anything produced by Max Martin. These musicians became her companions, their words offering her advice when everything around her became too much. The worlds they crafted allowed her to have a brief moment of catharsis before she remerged ready with a new found pep in her step. Their soundscapes fuelled her passion to do the same, create sonic worlds that people could find solace in and find a piece of themselves within the stories she weaves. Her original debut Black Magic started her journey to achieve this, but her spiritual debut Just Ain’t You sets the scene for the land she’ll soon be taking you to.
Just Ain’t You opens as it means to go on, with a melancholia inducing piano, hypnotic rhythmic finger snaps and compelling synth beats all forming an emotionally delicate soundscape that allows her vulnerability to shine. Her heartfelt lyrics emphasise how she won’t settle, she questions why she’s on a date with this man when she could be on a date with someone who treats her better than any lover prior has, making this an undeniable self love anthem. This is a dreamy, romantic, tender and emotionally charged pop ballad that forms an everlasting connection and encourage you to love yourself before you love anybody else.