Reiyo The Giant Turns Self-Protection Into Song
After a loss, suffering can feel inevitable. Pain cannot simply be avoided, but there comes a point when living with it also means deciding what to do next. On her latest single, “Can’t Call Me,” Reiyo The Giant sings about the moment when, despite still hurting, we decide to take back control without pretending the process is over.
This is not a song about absolute independence, nor does Reiyo need to present herself as someone who has completely recovered. “Can’t Call Me” works more as a warning directed at someone else, a reminder that they can no longer call and no longer have the same access to her.
However, the phrase also allows for another interpretation. Reiyo could be distancing herself from a previous version of herself, one who remained available even when doing so meant exposing herself to pain again.
Produced by Anwar Sawyer, the track moves between alternative R&B, soul, and ambient electronica, surrounding Reiyo’s voice without overpowering it. She sings calmly and remains restrained for most of the song, a decision that feels consistent with what she is expressing. The confidence is there, although it still feels new, as if she needs to repeat it before she can begin to believe it.
Reiyo describes the song as both a shift and a choice. “I could’ve let the grief rip my heart out of my chest, but I chose to keep it,” she explains. Rather than denying vulnerability, the statement shows that feeling deeply doesn't mean giving yourself away completely every time.
Musically, the song moves forward without any major twists. It maintains a hazy atmosphere and avoids the explosive moment that might have provided an obvious sense of release in another single. Here, that moment never arrives.
“Can’t Call Me” will appear on Reiyo’s debut album, due in November. Her previous singles have revealed different stages of that journey. “Nu World” begins with the disorientation caused by loss; “The Show Must Go On” addresses the pressure to keep functioning while suffering; “How to Get Nowhere Fast” approaches the desire to escape, and “Get It Together” questions the expectation that we should endure pain without allowing it to transform us.
Born in the Bronx and currently based in Atlanta, the singer released her first EP, “Romeo,” in 2021. Since then, she has built songs around relationships, identity, and the emotions that rarely arrive in any orderly way. She describes herself as a “ten-foot lesbian genie from the Bronx,” a fitting introduction to an artist who has never seemed interested in keeping her imagination within conventional boundaries.
When you listen to “Can’t Call Me,” keep in mind that it is not a song about resolving grief. It is about allowing yourself to feel it, move through it, and trust that, with time, it will begin to loosen its hold.
Follow Reiyo’s journey toward her debut album on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.