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Tommy Saint doesn’t dress heartbreak up on 'kalila'

Young man with curly hair in a colorful jacket, holding a phone to his ear. He's sitting on a motorcycle in a dimly lit room.

The feeling I get when I listen to this track is that Tommy Saint doesn’t perform emotion. He doesn’t over-sing it, doesn’t add drama where there isn’t any. He just says what happened and leaves you to sit with it.


'kalila' is the second drop in what feels like a new, softer chapter for him. The first was 'control' back in June. That one already hinted at this shift toward stripped-back R&B. But 'kalila' leans even further in minimal, acoustic-led, a little swing to it but not trying to be smooth. There’s space between the layers. Nothing’s crammed in. It’s not rushed.



He literally says her name. Kalila. Repeats it like he’s still trying to understand it himself. That part hit me straight away. Most people don’t name names on tracks like this they leave it vague enough for playlist placement. Tommy just lays it out.



And that’s kind of his thing. If you’ve been tapped in since Elixir, or even SAINT SEASON, you’ll know he doesn’t move like everyone else. He’s not chasing a wave or trying to sound like the US. He builds the songs himself - writing, producing, mixing, mastering. Start to finish. You can tell. Nothing feels second-guessed.


But 'kalila' is different, even for him. There’s no hook trying to go viral. No “relatable” lyrics written for the timeline. It’s more like… a message that didn’t get sent. Or one that got sent and never got read. He’s not trying to convince you he’s heartbroken. He just sounds like someone who’s already felt it and is now figuring out what to do with the bits that are left.


What I like most is that the song doesn’t force a moment. There’s no emotional climax. It just plays through quietly and ends. But that quiet? It’s loud in a different way. You don’t realise how personal it is until it’s over.


Young man with curly hair stands with arms outstretched in spotlight, wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and red cords in the background. Moody setting.

And if you’ve ever had someone’s name stuck in your head longer than you’d like to admit, you’ll get it. You’ll probably think of your own kalila. That’s what makes this track work.


Just someone saying what they should’ve said when it mattered and pressing record.








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