Everybody loves a song about heartbreak. Though these kinds of works don’t necessarily invoke the happiest of feelings in listeners or even the artists themselves, these crying anthems are meaningful and serve as a fantastic outlet for the things we want to say to that lost love, but can’t. Jordanian singer King Deco takes full advantage of such an outlet in her sad yet island-influenced track “Castaway (Don’t Leave Me).”
From a lyrical standpoint, Deco’s emotions in this ballad are tragic and heavy-hearted. She feels her partner has abandoned her on an island to struggle in harsh isolation and is barely handling it, going as far as to say that she now dreams of drowning and suffocation. These bleak lyrics, however, are granted a completely different vibration by the instrumentals that Deco’s producers utilize. “Castaway” opens itself up with a futuristic and wonky synth accompanied by computerized vocals then jumps head-first into a bumping bassline that takes the song from heartbreak hymn to beach-ready party track. The song is equal parts emotional and danceable.
King Deco is debuting “Castaway” fresh off of working on a Puma campaign. Her collaborators on this track consist of talented musicians/producers such as Larzz Principato (Halsey & Dua Lipa) and rapper Kinetics (B.o.b & Melanie Martinez). Alongside these two are musical minds such as Von Wayne Charles (professionally known as Wayne Wonder), a legend in the reggae fusion scene and singer of the Top 40 hit “No Letting Go.”
Directed by Omar Sawalha, the “Castaway” music video does an amazing job of showing off the natural beauty of King Deco’s native country of Jordan. Viewers are exposed to Deco and accompanying dancers barefoot on the beaches of the gorgeous Middle Eastern nation, but are also brought along for a ride as the video cuts away frequently to the rustic cityscapes of Jordan and King Deco chilling with friends in a topless hot rod.
