Power’s Reflection On Love, Addiction, And Authenticity In “Is It True”

In our interview, rising hip-hop artist, Power, delves deep into the inspiration and meaning behind his new release “Is It True.” The song, ignited by his own romantic experiences, encapsulates the intense, consuming nature of modern relationships. The rapper advises listeners to establish boundaries, advocating for self-reliance and intuition as the tools to navigate the uncertain terrains of love and infatuation. 

Visually, the music video is adorned with rich Egyptian motifs, symbolic of historical passionate love stories, weaving a narrative that oscillates between the intoxicating allure and the potentially destructive nature of love. Power stresses the importance of mindfulness and self-protection from materialism and superficiality rampant in today’s era, underscoring the song’s exploration of addiction to both love and potentially harmful substances. 

His candid reflection on vulnerability and the complexities of navigating these in the public eye reveals an artist deeply connected to authentic expression and the well-being of his audience.

“Is It True” has an interesting take on the raw emotions and complexities of modern relationships. Can you share a specific moment that inspired you to pen down these feelings in the song? 

I can share many moments that inspired and stimulated me to write this song! One of the specific ones I channeled would be when I remembered a time when I was in a relationship with my ex, and I was spiraling out of control in life, because of the mesmerizing grip we had on each other. We pretty much were neglecting all other responsibilities and aspects of early adult life, only to escape and spend days on end with each other, and basically block out the rest of the world. 

I specifically remember when we would wake up next to each other and both call in sick to work, just to go through the same hypnotic trance getting lost within each other’s worlds for days, only to recontinue the destructive cycle over and over again.

Lines like ‘spending all my time with you’ and questioning the authenticity of love strike a chord with many listeners. What advice would you give to someone struggling with the same hesitations and uncertainties? 

My advice to my listeners would be that I recommend you always remain mindful of yourself, your thoughts, emotions and actions. If you recognize that you are giving all of your energy to someone, you are setting yourself up for pain and suffering, because your happiness, overall mood, and state of mind will depend upon them, and that is a recipe for disaster, because you cannot control anyone but yourself. 

My recommendation would be to set healthy boundaries for yourself, towards any infatuation or dependency on people, places, and things. Don’t depend on anything outside yourself to make you happy or bring you a certain feeling, you should be able to do that on your own with or without anyone. If you are uncertain and hesitant, then you have to trust your intuition; the heart never lies…so don’t think it through, feel it, and you’ll know what to do.

The visuals are beautiful with a rich narrative. How did Egyptian hieroglyphs, rose petals, and triangular motifs fit into your vision of illustrating the dilemma between love and lust? 

If you study Egyptian history, you’ll know that there are many verified tales of unconditional love, passion, and lust…. One of them being between Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. I have Queen Cleopatra tattooed on my right butt cheek, and Julius Caesar tattooed on my right thigh as you can clearly see in the videos of “Hookup” and “You’re The One” (Remix). 

Another passionate love story was between Queen Nefertiti and her husband Akhenaten, both of whom I have tattooed on the front of my right leg sleeve, also shown in a lot of my music videos. I have both queens and both kings’ tattoos on my right sleeve, so you can say I am a walking and talking ancient love story! 

Egyptian history and their pantheon of gods are chock-full and rich of unrivaled tales of pure passion and love. I highly recommend that listeners look up these two love affairs and they will know exactly why we chose this theme and aesthetic. I wrote the film treatment and produced it myself, so I had the vision in my mind already of how I was going to tie everything together.

The imagery of a snake and the shifting lighting between darkness and light in the video seem symbolic. Could you unpack their significance in the context of the song’s theme? 

Absolutely….the snake represents so many things in many of our videos, but for this specific video and interview, let’s just say it represents the suffocating squeeze that a toxic relationship can have on one’s mind body and spirit, similar to a boa constrictor slowly squeezing the life out of its prey. Negative emotions will do that to you and eventually squeeze the life out of you too, over the course of a toxic relationship, so be wary of the company you keep. Relationships in general come with negative and positive experiences, but intimate relationships between lovers, especially, come with heightened emotions and experiences of negative and positive experience, hence the darkness and light.

In today’s era, where fame and materialism can often blur genuine feelings, how do you personally discern the line between love and infatuation? 

Like I was saying before, you really have to be mindful and present of your inner world in terms of your thoughts and emotions, to be able to discern the difference between anything in this life….. Love should feel like peace, harmony and true bliss. It should be a feeling and thought of reassurance, trust and faith, so you can tend to other responsibilities, and still know that it will always be there waiting for you, always having your best intention and  eternally staying true to you. 

Infatuation should feel like an uncontrollable impulse that you have no self mastery over, and you simply can’t help yourself; it’s like you’re a slave to whatever you are infatuated with; you have no control over it, rather it controls you and runs your life. Love is an empowering feeling and state of being, infatuation is a disempowering state of existence where that thing you are infatuated with drains all of your vital life energy and holds your attention ransom; love is the opposite of that.

Your lyrics point to insecurities and potential superficial intentions. How do you navigate such vulnerabilities in the public eye, especially with the pressures of the music industry? 

Simply put, I protect my energy! I have a good intuitive third eye and sense of toxic and negative people, so I only keep a close circle of highly positive people that uplift and inspire me and that add energy and value to my life, and not take away from it. If I sense any big egos, drama, narcissism, materialism, or superficiality emanating from someone, then I know to steer clear of them. 

I’m not judging them, I just know that type of energy doesn’t jive well with my consciousness, so I got a pretty good head on my shoulders when it comes to these formalities of the entertainment industry and being in the public eye. I’m laser-focused on being the greatest and best version of myself, so I can create and give back value to all of my fans, and to this world as a whole, so I’m not easily distracted by anything these days, outside of my vision and goals, which I refer to as my PURPOSE. 

I’m a highly sensitive, empathic individual; that’s why I can create such great art, because I am my authentic self in every one of my songs and videos; I’m not trying to be something that I’m not… Being vulnerable and empathic is a gift, so I use the positive advantages of that, and I don’t let it handicap me, it’s my superpower. I don’t fall into the trap of glitz and glamor of the Hollywood music industry, I stay on point…so I need not worry how I am perceived in the public eye. Oh yeah, and daily meditation helps out big time!

The theme of addiction, both to love and potentially harmful substances, runs strongly through “Is It True.” How do you hope your audience will interpret or reflect upon this theme, and is there a specific message you aim to convey?

Yes, there is a highly specific message! Don’t take in anything harmful to your mind, body, and spirit. This especially goes towards drugs and alcohol and all other harmful and poisonous chemicals, including what you eat, the music you listen to, and the information you digest. But when it comes to addiction to love and your heart, be careful, and protect yourself! Love is a beautiful thing, but only when in balance and harmony with everything else in life…it shouldn’t become your entire life! Addiction to love is a slippery slope, because you’re setting yourself up to get hurt. I know my audience will get the message that addiction is eventually going to lead to ultimate pain and suffering; addiction eventually leads to self self-destruction, period.

Watch the official music video for the song below:

Listen to “Is It True” here: