Skylar Simone Releases New Single 'Gasoline' With Music Video

LA-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Skylar Simone has released her retro-tinged new single 'Gasoline,' a blend of R&B sensuality with pop appeal. She also shared the song's accompanying music video, directed by Kanya Iwana.

Skylar is known for blending raw authenticity with vocal control to create a sound that mixes pop and R&B. A self-taught instrumentalist, she released her debut album at age 13 and has continued developing her sound since.

That evolution comes through on 'Gasoline,' which finds Skylar experimenting with '80s-inspired alt-R&B production while pushing her artistry in a new direction.

About the song, Skylar said, 'Gasoline' is about that feeling when jealousy almost becomes part of the attraction. Seeing someone else show interest in the person you're with can make you want them even more. I love that there's something a little juxtaposed about it..instead of jealousy pushing you away, it kinda turns you on. Sonically, I wanted the production to match that lyrical playfulness but still has this tension underneath it. I really wanted the song to feel like it's playing with the jealousy rather than taking it too seriously.'

For Skylar Simone, reinvention has always been second nature. Born in Tampa with Wisconsin roots, the singer-songwriter and instrumentalist spent her childhood moving from New Orleans to Los Angeles because of her father's career. While some might view such a mobile upbringing as an obstacle to stability, Skylar sees it differently: it taught her how to adapt, evolve, and find her footing wherever she landed, qualities that now shape both her artistry and her path in music. That ability to move through life's experiences without losing sight of who she is would become essential to navigating the storied, ever-changing entertainment industry — a testament to the Taurean's unwavering sense of self. But now, she's Ready to Play by her own rules.

Since then, Skylar has experienced the music scene from multiple perspectives: both as a major-label act and as an independent artist. Her sophomore album, 2019's Redemption, serves as a coming-of-age album that finds her speaking her vulnerable truth, marked by the motivating title track and the introspective 'Let It Pour.' In May 2024, Skylar made her debut under Def Jam Recordings, releasing her EP SHIVER months later. The 5-song effort tackles more mature subject matter such as adult relationships and desire, heard in tracks like the funky 'Permission' and the album's percolating lead single 'Shiver.'

These days, the now 24-year-old is less concerned about what she should be making musically, and more focused on what fuels her artistic instincts. This is evidenced by 'Gasoline,' which finds her cool vocal tone cutting through the track's sultry retro production.

There's a newfound self-assuredness in the way Skylar Simone approaches her music, free from the expectations of how she 'needs' to show up.

Photo Credit: Blue (Anthony Sandoval)