Aaron Page dives into love and vulnerability on ‘Before I Go’
After crafting the viral sensation of “Lord Knows,” rising R&B singer Aaron Page is paving his own path in the genre with his new EP Before I Go. The eight-track EP begins with the single “Pretty Girls Like R&B,” which gives a shoutout to Page’s ever-growing fan base while paying homage to R&B acts such as Jodeci, Drake, and SWV.
“It's the foundation that has been set for people like me,” Page told Beyond The Record about why he decides to name-drop R&B acts in his music. “These are pieces of not just my life musically, but my life in general. A lot of these songs, a lot of these things that I pay homage to are parts of the soundtrack of my life so they're very pivotal moments.”
In Before I Go, Page shares the message behind the offering, delving into the confused emotions of love, heartbreak, and trust. Page shared that the meaning behind the title acts as a conversation between partners to get answers about major life decisions.
“Pretty much is a conversation in a relationship to make this change in life. I'm about to do something that I've never done before and that we've never done before, and I just want to make sure, ‘Are we good before I go?’” he asks.
He touches upon the main theme in his second song, “T’d Up.”
Page sings, “I pray that there’s never a last time, you’ll still be mine in the next life.”
In “Sympathy,” Page enlists Atlanta-bred rapper Domani, where the artists yearn for a relationship with a woman and are no longer intrigued by being single. After the three tracks, Page shares his interlude titled “Scorpio’s Interlude,” named after the singer’s zodiac sign. The interlude is a classic slow jam tempo where Page declares his passion for one woman as he sings, “Promise I don’t want nobody.”
Page spoke about having Drake comparisons as well as PARTYNEXTDOOR and Bryson Tiller similarities — whom he opened for the latter two on tour in 2024 — in how he meshes hip-hop and R&B elements flawlessly. On the track “Foreal,” he showcases why the allegations are true. Produced by NINETYSEVN and NXGHTS, he teases a jazz-influenced R&B track before the beat switch, where he displays his braggadocious bars with lines like:
“Who the f— giving out Louis, Gucci, Chanel?/These n—- hate me for real/
Them b—- f— with me still so/D— some s— I gotta do, I'm poppin' s— I got it though,” he raps.
On “Foreal,” he brings confidence and mystique that’s unlike any other song on the project.
Page shared that “Foreal” is one of his favorite tracks off the EP, “I think that I was able to get that off, like that thought process and that energy off in that one.”
He added the following track, “On The Low,” which is a sultry late-night track.
“I just love the R&B, love the story of it,” he says. “I'm actually impressed with myself.”
The EP closes with breakout hit “Lord Knows,” before concluding with the fun dance track “CLRS.”
When speaking of R&B EPs by male artists released this year, Before I Go includes several relatable themes as well as popular tones of today’s music. As Page proves to experiment with production styles, lyricism, and tone, he crafts his own outlook on not only what makes his fans come back but also expands his musical palette.
Before I Go is out now on all platforms.