Posted by Eli Derby first gained attention by sharing covers on social media, where his vocal ability introduced listeners to an artistry that would soon move beyond other people’s songs. That transition began with his 2021 single “Gaslight” and continued through the Left on Read and More Than Friends EPs. During that period, he also established his own label, Polymarth Unit, giving his evolving vision another platform to grow.
His catalog continued to take shape with ‘Lately,’ featuring 6LACK, and ‘Cadillac Dreams,’ built around an interpolation of Etta James’ ‘I’d Rather Go Blind.’ Alongside his other releases, the songs have helped his music accumulate nearly 40 million streams.
Behind that progression is a musical foundation established long before his first release. The Maryland-born singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist began playing drums in church at age two, later adding piano, guitar, and vocals to his musical repertoire. Influences ranging from Prince and Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston inform an approach that connects polished contemporary R&B with the immediacy of live instrumentation.
Derby returns with ‘LOVESHY,’ an EP built around the possibility of believing in romance again. Blending R&B and pop with touches of jazz, the record uses his voice and live musicianship to explore desire, attraction, and the uncertainty of falling for someone new. The opener, ‘Who’s There For You,’ immediately places his vocal delivery at the centre, while ‘What Then’ expands the sonic palette with jazz and pop textures. ‘Fumble,’ the project’s focus track, brings that uncertainty into sharper focus.
On ‘Lose In The Moment,’ Derby opts for brevity, delivering the lyrics without circling the central message. ‘Trigga Happy’ shifts the mood toward frustration. When he sings, ‘Girl, I’m sick of your mind games,’ his delivery captures the exhaustion of emotional games and indirect communication. ‘Feels Like Home’ then eases that tension, bringing the record to a calmer, more reassuring close.
Across the EP, the artist relies on vocal control, direct writing, and an interplay between polished production and live instrumentation to examine attraction alongside doubt and frustration. The movement from the urgency of ‘Trigga Happy’ to the reassurance of ‘Feels Like Home’ gives ‘LOVESHY’ an emotional arc shaped by the shifting stages of a relationship. Its optimism comes from Derby’s willingness to remain emotionally open even when certainty is out of reach.
Photography: Cheryl Fox