Chocc: Would U Leave

Some artists’ impact on music is undeniable and really, undebatable. Take Prince for example, his music lives on everywhere in modern music from the rockstar showmanship of Bruno Mars to the production of singer-songwriters like Chocc. Her latest EP, Would U Leave, evokes an essence of the ‘80s without being a complete throwback to the days of music on MTV while also allowing a peak inside of the war raging in the depths of her mind.

With only a few songs, Would U Leave isn’t a long listen but it’s a quick one that makes an impact right away with “Pretty.” This week marks 25 years since TLC dropped FanMail, which means it’s been that long since “Unpretty. “A few years later Christina Aguilera would deliver the anthemic “Beautiful.” Despite both of those tracks hitting millennials like a ton of bricks, and an uprising in body positivity online over the past quarter of a century…women still feel less than due to many factors, including social media. The latter is something Chocc points out at the press of play on “Pretty” as she mentions the 21st-century self-esteem decrease-activity of scroll-and-compare. It’s a shame these types of songs are still being written, but on the flip side, there is an audience for it that is going to be able to attach themselves to it and find a sense of comfort the same way people once did with “Unpretty” all them years ago.

The title track also showcases some of Chocc’s insecurities, only with relationships as she states, “I want you to need me like I need you.” “Would U Leave” and “The Most” didn’t hit me lyrically as much as “Pretty” but with those, it was really the vocals that did much of the heavy lifting with “The Most” feeling like the end of Wicked; it just got started and I wanted more, and more by the end of the anchor track that fell right under a minute and a half.

If SZA was an artist in the midst of the ‘80s and found herself in Minneapolis in the presence of a man in purple, the result would be Chocc’s Would U Leave. It’s an album that music heads are going to drool over due to the work put into the overall sound, but it’s also an EP that does have the ability to introduce more people to Chocc who’ve yet to get to know her style and sound.

Chocc Would U Leave
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Genre: R&B
Reasons to Sing Along: “Pretty”