Armani White is a vessel, a sound that croons long-winded narratives of pain in the lowest octave and joy at the highest register. He states, “Armani White is my voice.” For the Philly native, only he can tell his story — which includes overcoming one of the hardest things anyone has to ever endure in life.  

In 2016, he lost his father Lee Tolbert (aka Touché) to prostate cancer out of nowhere. While music is his biggest passion in life, the traumatic experience took a toll on his creativity and desire to live, period. He quickly ran from what he knew was reality, completely shutting himself off from reality. It was at his father’s funeral that they encouraged attendees “not mourn the death, but to celebrate life.”

Now, he unleashes the official music for his latest single “Black Oak Park,” found on his album, Keep In Touch, which was released today. The project serves as a celebration of both his life and story.

Speaking on the record, White states, “Any time I write music, I try my hardest to detach from the physical world and let the circumstances inspire my imagination. Being that this storyline was based on the whole ‘Save Me From Myself’ concept: I created an angel sent down to save my character from his own destruction. The angel’s attempts to make the man fall for her in order to gain his trust backfired when she fell in love with him as well. This resulted in her losing her wings and becoming equally mortal.”

The visual itself is a visual representation of their initial bond, eventually falling head over heels for each other — but still being careful in distancing themselves thanks to murphy’s law. Armani is seen crooning the lyrics to the record in the middle of a prairie, surrounded by grass and trees backed by the sunset.

The eight-track project begins with sonically pleasing instrumentals, which is something we can all appreciate in the oversaturated music industry. The intro track “Onederful” will have you praising the Lord while the closing track “Thanksgiving” brings it all the way home with Armani who spilled his heartfelt truth over a jazz-infused beat.

In regards to Keep In Touch, Armani states it “was made to immortalize my father along with the stories I grew up hearing from my family. The point of this album is to celebrate pain, rather than run from it! Celebrate fear, passion, and every other trait that makes us uniquely human.”