Before introducing fans to Lauren with her visual EP, Keke Palmer breaks down the five-track project exclusively with Rap-Up.
Going on what she calls “a journey,” Lauren (her birth name) is set to explore various topics around relationship struggles, including vulnerability, jealousy, and pressure.
The intro “Doubtful” deals with internal conflict over love that helped her come to a realization. “As much as I think I’m ready for love and these things,” she says, “I’m ultimately not because I’m not ready to be vulnerable with somebody and really allow them to penetrate me.”
Next up is “GMFU (Got Me Fucked Up)” featuring Dreezy. “It’s definitely about a situation with me and a dude but it’s not exclusive to just me,” she explains. “It’s to everybody. You always be like, ‘I’ve got my stuff going on. I’m a nice young lady. Why these dudes out here actin’ foolish?’ It’s like, girl, they just got you fucked up and it’s got nothing to do with you.”
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You can’t talk about relationships without mentioning jealousy and Keke doesn’t shy away from that on the Lil Yachty-assisted “Jealous.” “It’s a story of where I come from,” she explains. “When a situation like this go down, this how I would handle it. But you know what? I’m better than I used to be. So I really wanted to show my world, Chicago, where I grew up.”
After taking a trip down memory lane, Keke jumps back into relationship talk with “Pressure.” “‘Pressure’ is really talking about somebody putting that pressure on you to the point where you’re feeling like you want to take that extra step to open up,” she says. “It talks about what it means when you are ready to grow and it’s time to and how you deal with it.”
Lauren ends with the dance-ready “Hands Free.” “I love ‘Hands Free’ because I love to dance,” she says. “It’s got that island feel to it, but it’s still got that throwback. I really feel like that influence is there throughout the whole EP, giving that old school ’90s type of vibe.”
Lauren arrives Friday, Nov. 4.