Singer-songwriter Mashonda has returned with her new single “Positive Distraction,” which she co-wrote and co-produced with The Millennials.
Over a mellow production, Mashonda sings about a partner who has restored hope and love in her heart. It’s a song for that special someone who makes you forget about any past heartache. “Out of the blue / I feel a new light as the moonlight / I got a view / Way overdue / Love at the first sight / Turn this world upside down / With every sound of words that ease through your lips,” Mashonda sings.
Of her new track, Mashonda says, “I wanted this song to be about someone connecting with a person that makes them completely forget about anyone or anything that has ever hurt them. Nothing else matters because this person gives you a whole new life, they rewrite what love means for you, what romance means for you.”
“Positive Distraction” arrives with an accompanying video directed by Push and Pull Media. “I wanted the visual to feel ethereal, sultry and passionate,” she explains. “It presents those intimate and private moments that exist as one daydreams of lovemaking.”
“Positive Distraction” is the follow-up to “Forbidden Fruit,” which dropped in July. Both songs will appear on Mashonda’s forthcoming EP, Note to Self.
Sonically, the former track was inspired by The Police’s 1981 song “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”
“I’m an ‘80s baby at heart,” says Mashonda. “I was on my way to the studio and ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ came on. It’s one of my favorite songs. I was singing it in my car, and when I got to the studio, I couldn’t get the melody of the hook out of my head. So, I played it for the producer. I said, ‘Give me a track.’ I started singing what became my version of that song.”
Mashonda’s upcoming EP is said to be inspired by her relationships over the last five years. “I’ve learned so much from my relationships,” she says. “There’s always a lesson in love or pain.”
Note to Self will mark Mashonda’s first project release since her 2012 mixtape, Love, Mashonda. She released her debut album, January Joy, in 2005 via J Records/Full Surface Records. The album featured appearances from Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Snoop Dogg and Jadakiss.
Listen to “Positive Distraction” by Mashonda below.