Picture yourself on a beach. You lay down towels and sneak a swig from the unmarked sunscreen bottle that has something stronger than SPF. Some guy is a couple feet away, sitting in the sand, leering into the water, strumming a guitar while singing some gut wrenching lyrics about the one that got away. That right there is the feeling that encapsulates you in the first few seconds of BOKN’S “WON’T BE LONG”. The sun sets over paradise, but you’re not quite ready to leave. You want the cool breeze bouncing off the ocean to graze your cheeks; you want the sand to turn cold as ice as you wrap yourself in a blanket; your mind can’t help but travel back in time to when you were here with your person; you’d give anything to have them back in your arms, and you realize, there is nothing stopping you from going and getting them back. It’s now or never, and you know it won’t be long now until the world turns upside down, colors seem brighter, songs sound better, and love is yours again.
The song starts with a somber RNB tune that matches the heartbroken lyrics, as BOKN gets more hopeful for a reunion, the tune gradually changes to electro-pop, as if your heart is beating faster along with the hope that reconciliation is not only plausible, but inevitable. As the saying as old as time goes, you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. This is the overwhelming message of the song. It’s that little voice you can’t get out of your head saying you could’ve tried harder; you could’ve done better; you shouldn’t have let them walk away so easy. Those words will haunt you if you let them, but BOKN turns that soul-stirring into action. If you want to try harder, try again. If you wish you did better, do better. If you shouldn’t have let them walk away, go search til the ends of the earth until you find them. You can certifiably feel the power in this song through the soulful melodies and escalating backing track. You are on a journey from the moment it begins, til much after it ends when you’re in your car hours later wondering if he got her back, and contemplating your own shortcomings in past relationships. This song innately gives you that ‘I won’t give up’ attitude that’s hard to come by. I will fight for myself, for what I want, and for what has always been meant to be mine. When BOKN says, “I hear you somewhere singing the same song,” you instantly know she’s been searching for him too. Too often in life, we are afraid to say what we really mean, or go after what we really want, due to fear of rejection, but you never know if you don’t try, and you could be rewarded with the highest level of everything you’ve ever dreamed of. It could all be your reality, you just have to jump, let yourself free fall, and hopefully someone’s there to catch you.
BOKN is comprised of two former classmates, Anthony “Breakaway” White and Jodi Ray Tolomieri. They are a Pop/Hip-Hop duo who both have their own unique talents that make their collaboration so effective and their works so addicting. Anthony is a producer/ songwriter, and Jodi is a singer/songwriter. Their name, BOKN, pays tribute to the great Hoboken, New Jersey, a special place for the duo where all of their songs are written and recorded. BOKN started to rise to stardom after “WON’T BE LONG” was featured in the global phenomenon that is NBA 2K21. The duo was greatly influenced by pop legend Michael Jackson and notorious punk group Blink-182. You can feel the inspiration transcend through their captivating songs. Their melodies are sure to get stuck in your head, and they have the type of music you’d be remiss if you didn’t put on repeat. This duo has much in store for the future, and we are lucky bystanders to get to be a part of their journey, and watch them soar.
Written By Grace Chapman
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