Debbie may have an unassuming name but she doesn't shy away from the tricky subjects in her songwriting. The London-based vocalist, freshly signed to 0207 Def Jam, is today sharing her debut single, an earnest and heartfelt plea for a connection that goes beyond surface level emotion and social media stunting. "Is This Real Love?" is stripped back, pushing Debbie's tender vocal to the fore as she calls out to know, "Do I finally matter?" and "are you giving me what I need?"
Raised on church music and artists like Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin, Debbie's heartfelt debut is matched by a similarly intimate video in which she sits on the end of her bed and sings straight from her gut. There's no easy answers to her topic of conversation, but happiness lies in the other side of what she has to say.
"I was frustrated with how much the definition of love is fantasised," Debbie tells The FADER via email. "I found myself getting passionate about the subject, and getting lost in research. In my findings, one thing that stood out was to have a stable relationship, it takes more than love."
"Yes, love is important, but at its core it’s just a feeling, and you need more than a feeling to sustain something healthy. Patience, self awareness, compromise, forgiveness, just to name a few… I didn’t like how social media framed love at a surface level - with “couple goals” and “happily ever after” captions. It all just felt misleading."
Check out Debbie's "Is This Real Love?" below.