She’s not really sorry – but she’s saying it anyway, Tempest Releases Short Film of “Sorry to Say” OUT NOW!!
Written By | Leyan Bitar
On “Sorry to Say,” Tatiyana Bello (aka Tempest) shows how heartbroken she is over breaking someone’s heart. A true story, “Sorry to Say” moves with immense passion and regret. The song’s first verse begins with Tempest’s authentic yet equally vulnerable narration. Her charming R&B/soul/pop aesthetic combined with her personal anecdotes makes the three minute forty-five second track soulful and moving.
Like her other 2020 singles, “Not The Same” and “Young Playa Footage,” this track gives us Tempest’s elegance and fragility, which reaches a peak during the chorus. In a self-villainizing way, Tempest says, “You were everything that I wanted, ‘Til I got everything I wanted from you.” At first, it seems that Tempest is painting a very manipulative, and somewhat condescending protagonist. And she is, but seconds after, she follows up with an apology saying, “Ooh, I’m sorry to say, Broke your heart today, You gave me everything.” Yet her delivery (as with her high note runs) is striking and her apology isn’t sincere. Tempest has her mind set and she shows this in her second verse when she concludes it with, “There was nothing you could do, I felt this way right from the start.”
“Sorry to Say” isn’t your typical breakup song. Although Tempest paints a heartbroken protagonist, she makes no effort to comment on that character’s future. All she says is that “timing is through,” leaving the listener wondering whether or not the character will love or be loved again, and soon.
A natural at creativity, Tempest is released a short four-minute film by the same name on March 9th , 2021. Composed by Lakewood Mall and starring Tempest (as the protagonist) and Uncle Patti (as the protagonist’s partner), “Sorry to Say” the film gives the viewers a raw and emotional Tempest. The visual has a split screen of her and her partner, through and through, highlighting the sense of duality in this song.
Without a doubt, Tempest has a unique and mesmerizing sound. If you hear her once, you’ll remember her and if you hear her twice, you won’t get her out of your mind and your playlist. Tempest’s simple yet sophisticated vocals leave you craving more. Commenting on “Sorry to Say”, Joe Budden in episode 416 “Ronnie Romance” of his podcast, “[It’s] that feeling, that as a music lover, there is no feeling like it. It’s like your first time getting high. It’s that feeling you search for when a new song, or a song you’ve never heard does it for you, hits your chords.”
And he didn’t stop there. Commenting on her range, Budden said, “That song [referring to “Sorry to Say”] is just so great by itself but the person that can do that song and do this [plays a bit of Tempest’s “Not the Same”] I wanna hear more from.”