In the influences playlist duendita made to accompany their stellar new album Existential Thottie, the Queens-based artist asks a question of Summer Walker. In describing the R&B star’s single “Closure,” they ask: “How does a breakup song feel this warm, present, and full?” Much of Existential Thottie tries to answer this question, tries to center feelings of longing, heartbreak, and desire against the backdrop of long nights in NYC and days spent reckoning with those memories that are only hazily recalled.
These songs are slices of life, but bubble and pop with precise details. In this way, duendita fits in nicely on her label home of 10K. They’re a storyteller, crafting a world built from the conversation between their observations and warm, nearly melted production. “Super Sad!” pulses along with rapid-fire hi hats and warbling synths as duendita moves from the club to the beach, looking for any friends to comfort them. “I’m super sad,” they plainly sing. It’s not a cry for help, just a moment they’re forced to live through.
Below, duendita explains some of the other “thottie bangers” that played a role in the way Existential Thottie sounds. Listen to the playlist and read their thoughts on each track.
Rihanna, “Watch n’ Learn”
Such a flirtatious, thottie banger that centers women’s pleasure and sexual reciprocity without being too explicit. I always want to do this at karaoke but they never have it.
Betty Carter, “Tight”
I love how she captures the paranoia of losing her man, searching for him all over town—from the lyrics to the rhythm section.
Nelly Furtado, “Floodgate”
This was my favorite song while making Existential Thottie. Catch me riding my bike to the studio, feeling a little delusional, thinking about my last kiss with my crush.
Janet Jackson, “Someone to Call My Lover”
This one’s just badass. It speaks to my feminine fantasies of someone new sweeping me off my feet. I have really great memories of dancing to this with my girls, drinking wine and cyphing.
Ariana Grande, “pete davidson”
I love the length of this track and the way it embraces brevity and precision.
Coi Leray, “No More Parties”
Very necessary fuck-the-world attitude shaped by emotional fatigue and self-protection.
Summer Walker, “Closure”
How does a breakup song feel this warm, present, and full? I love her command of storytelling.
Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald, “Close to You”
“Close to You” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and has been recorded by The Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, and Frank Ocean—but the Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald version is the one I hold close, especially when I’m feeling affectionate.
Sylvia Rexach, “En Mis Sueños”
One of the greatest composers to come out of Puerto Rico, writing about deep emotional pain and longing. Learning about her life and work makes me feel seen. This one is about a love that lives vividly in dreams. Her music is for the real, championship yearners.
Miley Cyrus, “7 Things”
I love how direct and confessional this is. Centering repair and asking for change in a relationship. So powerful.
