Au is the sound of Houston R&B artist Peyton stepping into her power, shaped in tight collaboration with visionary producer Shafiq Husayn (Bilal, Erykah Badu, Free Nationals, Robert Glasper).
Au (the chemical symbol for gold) doesn’t just stand for value; it’s a pledge to stay golden in a world that often tries to dull your shine. As Peyton entered her mid-twenties, she began writing about her experiences and relationships from a place of peace. “I’m not someone who believes in hurting [people] back,” she says. “I believe in taking the high road, in being golden.”
On Au, Peyton navigates betrayal, confusion, and disappointment. Her new track ‘Not Your Girl’ is a reclamation of power in the wake of being gaslit and cheated on, not by dramatizing pain but by calling it plainly: “If I was really your girl, you’d never treat me this way.” The song follows her single “Red Flags” and comes with a video which follows Peyton through Houston with a man she realizes isn’t capable of meeting her standards.
“I used to think I had to beg to be loved,” Peyton says. “Now I know that real love, romantic or not, feels natural and freeing. You don’t have to force it, and you definitely don’t have to shrink for it.” Being honest with yourself may be painful, but it’s also the most liberating thing you can do.
Au features co-production and instrumentation across the record from Om’Mas Keith (Frank Ocean, John Legend, Jay-Z), along with guests including Brian Alexander Morgan, Didda Joe and Sunni Colon. The album follows Peyton’s debut PSA in 2021, and her past collaborations with Steve Lacy, MadeinTYO and Sango. Her music has also featured on the TV shows Insecure, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Generations and Everything is Trash.
Au:
- Eye Love (feat. Brian Alexander Morgan)
- Answers
- Genesis
- Red Flags
- I Can’t Stay Away (feat. Didda Joe)
- New Leaves
- Hard To Say
- Love Your Signs
- Fly High
- Not Your Girl
- Get Out Of Your Hair (feat. Sunni Colon)
