Lauren Jauregui’s solo journey has officially begun. Starting from a few weeks ago, she began dropping off cuts like “Scattered” featuring Vic Mensa and “Colors,” both of which are set to appear on her forthcoming debut EP titled PRELUDE. The next offering from the project arrives today (Nov. 3) with her newest single “On Guard” featuring 6lack. Over some beautiful piano chords, Lauren eases listeners in with her alluring vocals:

Feel it with the instinct, cosmic intuition I know the truth before it’s given, I can read it in your feelings/ Take some patience and persistence, timing the precision/ My trust is not easily given, you gotta wait on my permission

To open me up, take a look under my heart/ Run your hands over my scars, maybe too much/ So I gotta see who you are, before you inspire the art/

In a recent interview about her forthcoming PRELUDE project, Lauren got candid about her journey so far as a solo artist, which has been filled with empowerment. “A lot of [artists] are moving in such a way where it’s so formulaic that you can assume how someone’s going to move,” she says. “I’m not trying to do that. This, to me, is another process of expanding as a businesswoman [and] as an artist. When you subject your art to being controlled by others, you lose the connection to why you do art in the first place.”

Her co-star on the track 6lack has been dishing out some other notable assists on tracks this year. He linked up with Lil Tjay for their successful collaboration “Calling My Phone,” he hopped on Melii’s “You Ain’t Worth It,” and also joined Zoe Wees on her new single “That’s How It Goes.”

Be sure to press play on Lauren Jauregui’s brand new single “On Guard” featuring 6lack from her forthcoming PRELUDE EP.