Star2 is back, he didn't "Run Away"

The last time we talked about Star2, we were digging his take on "Real Life" featuring Jacksonville rapper Lil' Poppa. The song used all the harsh and often bizarre twists and turns that his life took as a Thai Refugee escaping decades-long civil war and into America's inner-city concrete jungle, where he refuge once again -this time in music- to escape the realities of poverty, racial discrimination and street violence that surrounded him.

Though "Run Away" isn't a departure in any regard from his previous work, but I do feel like Star2 has actually outdone himself in every department. From the lyrical component to his flow and delivery as well as the melodic backing, everything feels more refined, catchier, more mature, and developed, it's really something else to witness how much an artist can grow in such a short time frame.

More than a little credit goes to the producer as well though. Chico Bennett has had his talents as a writer, producer, and mixer by artists of such caliber as Madonna, The Killers, Prince, Lady Gaga, and Hillary Duff. I think "Run Away" is a shining testament to how much further can the talent and vision of an artist be taken to with the right producer backing them up. It's clear that Star2 and Bennett took to each other right away, and I'm already looking forwards to seeing them work together again.

This great single wouldn’t really be complete without an illustrative music video for effect, of course:

Ultimately, "Run Away" is a release valve for the frustration one can feel when looking at the state of the world today. And as we talked about in our previous look at him, Start2's tale is one of survival and resilience, of taking things as they are and coming out the other side stronger, but even people as resilient as Star2 can feel overwhelmed at times. His own experience as a Ka-ren refugee certainly resurfaces in the lyrics as he reflects upon the suffering and misery we can all witness. From the deaths of the pandemic to the casualties of war, he takes a moment to fall back on his faith as asks people to pray for peace. "pray for my Ka-ren people who continue to experience genocide," he says "for the Ukrainian people, and for everyone suffering injustice – pray for peace.” He finalizes.

Not everything is doom and gloom, however. Far from being a gritty and cynical song, "Run Away" is instead filled with sweet guitar chords that evoke a sense of peace and beauty amidst the chaos. His own R&B sensibilities give us an almost meditative soundtrack to the unfolding tragedy, but one that lifts up the spirit rather than drowning it in sorrow, something that no doubt relates very personally to his trajectory and values.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.