Key Takeaways
- “HookahSmoke” shows SwayvoTwain embracing a more celebratory, club-ready sound.
- The single contrasts with “DoveSoar,” which reflected on the loss of his parents, D’Angelo and Angie Stone.
- Swayvo emphasizes making music that evokes feeling, regardless of genre.
SwayvoTwain is leaning into a night-out mood on his latest single, “HookahSmoke,” which arrived on Saturday (Feb. 14) with Mannie House handling production. Following the heavy reflections that shaped his previous release, “DoveSoar,” the Columbia, South Carolina-bred artist locked into a brighter, celebratory lane built for sections, libations, and a confident flex.
“HookahSmoke” breaks out the “back of the club” vibes from the first moments. Swayvo expresses confidently: “Big ole playa, you can tell it in my pinky ring / Big ole section, man, this right here fit for a king.” On the chorus, he harmonizes about breaking out the Don Julio before turning to potential romance with a simple line: “Baby girl, what you on?”
That switch matters in context. On “DoveSoar,” Swayvo channeled the legacy of his late parents, Angie Stone and D’Angelo, and wrote from a place of loss, faith, and survival. “Promise me one thing, please don't let go of my hand... / How the hell you gon’ leave me all alone?” he lamented throughout the tribute. In contrast, “HookahSmoke” shows that he can still live in the moment without needing to explain himself every bar.
SwayvoTwain explained the mission ahead of “HookahSmoke”
Before the single dropped, Swayvo shared several preview clips on social media, one of which doubled as a birthday tribute to D’Angelo, who would have turned 52 on Wednesday (Feb. 11). He recalled a powerful quote from the Voodoo icon (“I never claimed I do neo-soul... I do black music”) before delivering some poignant words of his own.
“Every interview I do, they ask, ‘What kind of music do you make?’ And I never know what to say. I wouldn’t really put [it] in a genre, but I do make songs that give you a feeling,” he explained. “Whether it’s good, bad, or makes you reflect, the goal is just to make you feel SOMETHING. If you do that, then my job is done.”