At first glance, it’s easy to mistake VQnC’s new tune “Hot ’N Healthy” for a workout tape banger. All the right elements are present: A throbbing beat, motivational bellows in VQnC’s sultry tone, cover art speckled with cheetah print against an eye-popping pink backdrop.
Yet the Somerville-based funk and R&B singer has created an anthem not for working out, but for working it out between two people — in impeccable style, of course. The new track with producer fCD dropped today (March 14) and explores the intricacies of two people becoming a “we” without sacrificing any key parts of their personalities, priorities, or projects.
“Totally, and frankly, I didn’t always think that the type of mental work surrounding vulnerability, unlearning past behaviors, and working through your inner fears could be fun or sexy and in converse, it always felt daunting, impossible and honestly, intimidating,” VQnC tells Vanyaland. But a pandemic will make you reassess almost anything, and two years tainted by COVID-19 forced the singer to better examine — and nurture — her mental and physical well-being.
As a result, the message driving “Hot ’N Healthy” boils down to a simple decision-making tactic that she and her partner developed together. When dicey conversations arise, VQnC asks: “What is the hottest and healthiest thing to do?” Once she realized the efficiency of such a simple question, “Hot ’N Healthy” graduated from musing to musical mantra. (Jessie Ware’s tune “Hot N Heavy” might have given her some inspiration, too.)
“I think right now, I’ve seen more of a conversation around how setting and sharing boundaries are an act of love and how therapy is a strong and powerful tool and I’m excited about seeing that shift in the cultural landscape,” VQnC concludes. “I want this song to be a testament to that very thing — overcoming the fear of being vulnerable can create beauty, communicating your needs and boundaries are hot, and while there is a high risk to that, the reward is even greater.”
And hey, in case things don’t work out for any listeners at home, in the immortal words of Ariana Grande, at “least this song is a smash”. Start sweatin’ to “Hot ‘N Healthy” below.