Hot off the heels of one of the most electric performances at Coachella this year, British singer Labrinth surprised listeners with his third collaboration with actress Zendaya on the track “The Feels,” from his latest album Ends & Begins.
The song dives into the addictive nature of love and infatuation, with haunting vocals from both Labrinth and Zendaya that complement one another throughout the song. The music itself evokes the euphoric and chaotic emotions and perfectly describes the fine line between the happiness of finding someone new and the anxiety of getting hurt again. In the beginning of the song, Labrinth’s first verse describes the pain of losing love as like getting hit by a truck and how “It drove off and left me here for dead / Alone lyin’ here, cryin’ in the rain.” The song then leans into the fear of getting hurt again, describing how “I got touched by God and it fucked me up / Like an electrical current coursin’ through my veins.”
But despite that pain and suffering of losing love, he finds himself back in his feels, “Way up in the clouds somewhere now,” and embracing the possibility of new love. When Zendaya’s chorus begins, she describes being lost in emotion and admits that “I’m in love with you.” In the pre-chorus, Labrinth and Zendaya come back together to describe the anxiety of getting hurt again, but despite that, beg for “Lightning [to] come and hit me again.”
Along with the new track, Labrinth also released a visualizer that matches the vibe that’s most prominent throughout the track as well. While Zendaya doesn’t make an appearance in the video, her hypnotic vocals complement the colorful displays and lights present throughout the video.
Zendaya and Labrinth have worked closely, especially during the first two seasons of HBO’s massive hit Euphoria, where she plays high school teen and recovering drug addict Rue. They previously collaborated on “All For Us” and “I’m Tired,” which both served as key tracks through Rue’s character journey throughout both seasons. Labrinth even brought out Zendaya as a surprise performer during his Coachella performance on Weekend Two, her first in seven years, where they performed both tracks together.
Zendaya makes her comeback to the stage for the first time in 7 years to perform ‘All For Us’ with Labrinth at Coachella. pic.twitter.com/mmf0woZGso
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 23, 2023
In her 2022 tweet about “I’m Tired,” Zendaya explained that while she stepped away from music awhile back, she still finds joy in collaboration and making music, especially with Labrinth. “The kindness and support I’ve received the past few days just for a little tiny toe dip back into some music means the absolute world to me.”
I stepped away from music quite a while ago, for a number of reasons, but I still really love it, so the kindness and support I’ve received the past few days just for a little tiny toe dip back into some music means the absolute world to me..thanks<3
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) March 4, 2022
“The Feels” is now available along with other tracks from Ends & Begins across all streaming platforms.