Joy Nesbitt Allows Her Unguarded Feelings to Flow on “Waiting Game” [Single]

A wise man once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. If you’re asking yourself why in the hell I decided to begin this write-up with a quote from former boxer and current cartoon mystery solver Mike Tyson, then let me explain my thought process. When you’re in a relationship, the benefit of being open and honest quickly becomes apparent. If you’re planning on having a long-term relationship, then you should also plan on being honest in your dealings with your loved one. But there are moments when giving or receiving some unvarnished honesty can leave you feeling as if you’ve been “punched in the mouth” by a coked-out Iron Mike in his prime. Your desire to be with someone who always tells you the truth might waver a little when a seemingly harmless (yet honest) remark about your weight or thinning hair cuts you to the core. Or you may find yourself thinking twice about getting those grievances off your chest when you see pain quietly welling up behind your lover’s eyes after you tell him or her that their bedroom game could use some work. In the end, it’s for the best. But over time, you’re probably going to find yourself filtering more and more of your honesty for the sake of sparing your partner’s feelings. Which brings us to the single “Waiting Game” from singer/songwriter/Harvard researcher Joy Nesbitt – an unguarded and classically laid out R&B outing that shines a light on how hard it can be to be honest with someone that you care for while also not ignoring your own need to be heard.

Opening with the revealing line “I’m bottled up/This is not how we should love/My emotions are eating me…”, Joy gently opens herself up to her audience from the start. In a mindful way, our young songstress uses a conversational singing style that sounds vulnerable and tender over a sweetly simple arrangement. The overall sound seems to give a knowing nod to the sophisticated style of 60’s soul without being overly nostalgic or cloying. She describes her struggles to communicate honestly with her lover and the catchy yet intimate chorus falls on our attentive ears in a very natural way. While her voice never rises towards the stratosphere or wades in the deep end of bluesier waters, she is able to clearly get across the image of a woman who is suffering in silence and wrestling with the right way to tell her partner just how unhappy she is with certain aspects of their relationship. When asked about what prompted her to write such a confessional tune, Nesbitt offers “I wrote waiting game after having a conversation with someone who was repeatedly disappointing me, and I had been building up a lot of issues without expressing myself, so I felt silenced in that relationship. In this conversation, I finally got the chance to tell them what they had been doing to me, and I couldn’t find the words to tell them because I was like- how could you not know?” Being a non-artist, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s hard to put yourself out there to the world in such an exposed way. The soon-to-be Harvard grad responded “Because of this conversation, it really wasn’t difficult to be so honest, because I wrote this song in about an hour. It was kinda like a huge exhale for me where I knew that relationship was in the past.”

Joy Nesbitt is a striking songwriter and a lithe performer who clearly recognizes the power of nuance and poise when it comes to making soulful music. Judging from this song, her ability to find relatable moments with her audience is strong during quieter, heartfelt moments and it will be interesting to hear where she take her music from this point. You can show your support by purchasing the “Waiting Game” single from your favorite online music service below as well as by checking out more from Ms. Nesbitt when you connect with her online via the links listed.

vibes – confessional, revealing, yearning, sensitive, telling, being self-conscious, mindfulness, can’t stop thinking about you, endearing, vulnerability, feeling exposed, unguarded, earnest, straight from the heart, soft, tender, lovesome, warmhearted

Stream & buy Joy Nesbitt’s music on…
( Amazon | Bandcamp | Deezer | Google Play | iTunes | Spotify | Tidal )

https://joynesbitt.bandcamp.com/track/waiting-game

https://open.spotify.com/track/20Roypenm97k6Ab3PXwdL4

https://listen.tidal.com/track/155551772

Connect with Joy Nesbitt on…
( Facebook | Instagram | Official Site | ReverbNation | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube )