Toosii releases Boys Don’t Cry (South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records) – a six-song EP that affirms his ability to turn on a dime, going wherever inspiration and life lead.
The 22-year-old Syracuse-born, Raleigh-based artist – who will be joining Rod Wave on his fall North American arena tour (Purchase tickets here) – had an album ready to go. Then everything changed. He had a baby boy, and suddenly his music began to reflect a different mindset. So Toosii went back into the studio and conjured up Boys Don’t Cry, a mixture of new songs and fan favorites teased on Instagram. But he’s no longer just singing for himself and his adoring fans. He’s singing for his family, too.
“I wanted to give my fans a snapshot of where I’m at, of how much my life has changed with the birth of my son,” Toosii says, acknowledging that fatherhood has caused him to reexamine long-held assumptions. “Growing up as a man, we were always taught to be tough, not to have emotions, and that boys don’t cry. But it’s just not true. It’s alright as a man to tap into that emotional side.”
Boys Don’t Cry depicts Toosii in the rawest, most unfiltered state he’s ever presented. The EP opens with “Hey Now! (Car Freestyle),” an emotionally intense piano ballad. Songs like “Butterfly” and “Date Night” celebrate the bond forged by emotional and physical intimacy. On “Bikini Bottom,” he reflects on his come-up with a twist that shows the impact an absent father can have on the next generation: “There was times I don’t remember where we slept / But I know that we done made it out the ’jects / And my nephew’s daddy locked up in the feds / Couldn’t pick a phone up, we didn’t have enough for collect.”
Download / stream Boys Don’t Cry HERE.
Boys Don’t Cry – Track List
- Hey Now! (Car Freestyle)
- Butterfly
- Bikini Bottom
- Date Night
- Heartaches
- Love Is…
