Iillaa would like to steal your Boyfriend in her irresistible new single — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Whoever said “Thou shalt not covet” didn’t know much about making hits. Because the reliable old green-eyed monster is the motivating element of this fervent pop plea — delivered to a girl who has the perfect guy, from a girl who wishes he was hers. Laying out her case with an impassioned vocal and halftime rhythm that lend the feel of a grand tragedy, our distraught heroine takes her rival aside and makes it clear just how much she’d prefer it if that fella were on a different arm. Namely, her own.
“Looks like the pic was airbrushed
’Cause he’s that much in love
I’ve never seen someone look the way he looks at you
So what’s it like to see it through your eyes
I can’t deny that I …
Wish that your boyfriend would stare at me like
I was the only girl who mattered in the world
I wish that he was here with me
’Cause we would be inseparable
Wish that your boyfriend could open his eyes a little wider and see
Low key, his girlfriend should be me.”
It’s like Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend as seen in a funhouse mirror, or Jolene told from the point of view of the title character (were she a little less cocksure). In reality, Boyfriend was inspired by a situation Iillaa found herself in at the age 13. Now far wiser at 15, the Vancouver chanteuse can chuckle at the study-hall melodrama. But that doesn’t lessen the genuine emotional heft the track has for listeners who are in a similar predicament (or can recall a time when they were). “The song encapsulates the experience of first love and the emotions associated with it,” Iillaa confirms. “It’s like pouring out all those feelings of wanting someone to notice you. It’s about wishing that the person you like would see you the way you see them.”
The record portends great things for the creative partnership between Iillaa (real name: Priscilla Brown) and her producer / co-writer Adam H (Ne-Yo, Def Leppard, Loverboy). He happened upon her at a talent competition in L.A., a pivotal moment that set the stage for an alliance that only got more exciting with the addition of Don Wolf (White Wolf, Bon Jovi, Poison, Mötley Crüe), who brought his own flair to Boyfriend. “We were going for a vibe of a hot-girl summer while drinking ice coffee with your friends and talking about how you wish he was your boyfriend,” Iillaa says.
As mixed by Orlando Calzada — a Grammy winner whose credits include Lady Gaga, One Direction and Destiny’s Child — the song defies easy categorization, eschewing the expected teen-pop for a more eclectic approach and maturity that belie Iillaa’s years. “I like to sing pop,” Iillaa says. “I like lyrics that make sense… I like songs you can play at night to party and to relax to.” Also, she really likes your boyfriend.
Check out Boyfriend above and below, and follow Iillaa on Instagram and TikTok.
