“So rock your body / No need to say sorry / Baby, it’s our party tonight”
LA-based singer-songwriter AJ Mitchell has just released “STOP,” his second single off his debut album, Skyview, which is named after his hometown, Belleville, IL’s lone drive-in theater. It was where he went every weekend; a place where he found the most inspiration to write his own music. He tells us, “The album brings me back home. It’s important for people to know where I came from. That’s why I’ve got to put Belleville on the map.”
His first single off of Skyview, “CAMERAS ON,” released a month ago, and within the lyrics, he spoke of his personal struggles as a young influencer and how social media skews everyone’s perception of reality. His latest single, “STOP,” is more upbeat and playful, a perfect dance track for the summer. It’s all about wanting to take it to the next level with someone you’re interested in and not wanting to wait or play games. Lyrics to “STOP” include, “Out of patience / Tired of waiting all night long / Why are we hesitating? / Maybe we could move it on.”
The track was produced by Mike Dean, who has worked with artists like Travis Scott and Kanye West. Dean joined Mitchell’s team as the executive producer for the album after their success with Mitchell’s popular single “Used to Be.” For Mitchell, Dean knew exactly what he wanted to do with his music, which was to create one cohesive sound and make it feel like a journey.
Mitchell began releasing music in 2018 when he was just 17 years old with hit after hit single that proved he was on his way to becoming a massive pop star. Amassing millions of streams over the years, it didn’t take him long to hit the 1 billion mark. While working on his upcoming album, Mitchell has collaborated with artists like Elle Henderson, Steve Aoki, Rich the Kid, and more, in addition to the collaborative single with Cheat Codes called “Hate You + Love You” that dropped earlier this year. When listening to this album that Mitchell created while in quarantine, fans can expect to see growth, introspection, and authenticity.