After gaining traction with her COLORS-supported single “My Turn”, British soul-R&B artist Geo Baddoo returns with “Look At Me,” a track that exchanges surface polish for psychological depth. Written in the aftermath of a trip to Los Angeles, the single dissects how identity is performed—online, in industry circles, and in everyday social exchanges—while building on the lineage of artists like Cleo Sol and Raveena, who have carved out space for introspective, slow-burn soul in a crowded digital age.
Produced by Tytanium, “Look At Me” lets confidence simmer. The house-inflected arrangement provides propulsion, but it’s Baddoo’s restraint—vocally and lyrically—that defines the track. In conversation with us, Geo Baddoo speaks candidly about building trust in her own voice, navigating performance culture without losing selfhood, and the discipline it takes to stay grounded when noise is the norm.
“Look At Me” feels like both a personal journal and a public statement. What moment or emotion sparked the very first lyric of the song?
‘Everybody’s talking loud. If I speak, you know I mean it.’ I’d just gotten back from LA, where I was doing a lot of ‘networking.’ I’ve been in these situations a fair amount, and as time goes on, I understand more and more about how I communicate and present myself authentically in everyday life. It’s interesting to observe everyone’s approach to an environment like that. I’m introverted, but I’m not shy, so this first lyric was written from a place of personal security and acceptance of myself in that environment. I was feeling very level-headed.
You describe the track as capturing the feeling of being in “full bloom.” What does that state mean to you right now?
Right now, it’s about resilience. I have to work to maintain my ability to find the light in life and keep everything moving onwards. That’s what being in full bloom is to me at the moment. Life is extremely brutal, but nurturing my resilience makes me feel like I can take anything on.
The line “I’d shine like a star if you let me” — do you think people in your life were holding you back, or were you doing that to yourself?
It’s interesting you picked this line out because I also think about it a lot. I think it has been the latter in the past. But I do think some people are resistant to seeing you for what you are. That could be for many reasons—an insecurity, a lack of understanding. So I think this line is more addressed to that. I don’t think I could say that anyone has actually ‘held me back’—they’ve tried!
What was different about the songwriting process for “Look At Me” compared to your earlier work, like “My Turn”?
“Look At Me” is a different kind of song from what I usually write; it’s more electronic, and the house textures steer it in a new direction for me. So it was quite a different approach in terms of timing. I tried out other ways of placing the lines, and this one clicked for me. I didn’t deliberate for ages over the words, I didn’t go back to my writing archives to piece together new and old like I often do. The rhythm and energy of the instrumental really helped to bring this feeling and these sentiments out of me and onto paper with ease.
You mentioned the feeling of being “safe in your own hands.” How did you learn to trust yourself as both the maker and the protector of your work?
I can totally slip into doubt, but I’ve developed a reflex where I recognize what my brain is letting in and stop it. I know it’s a destructive pattern, and it can’t lead to anything good for me and my music. With the internet constantly evolving and the pressure on artists to be a million different things, there’s always going to be external forces working to distract you or make you feel like you’re not enough or too much. I just have to get offline in those moments.
It’s a web of anxiety and shame, and I am not the one. When I sing, write, paint my picture, and weave my tapestry, I trust in what continues to flow from me and take new forms. My only competition is myself, and the best is always yet to come.
This song feels really personal. Did you feel nervous to release it, or was it more like, “Finally!”?
I didn’t feel nervous; I felt exactly as the title says—Look at Me! I’m excited to be showing versatility by sharing something new sonically. This is definitely marking a new era of collaboration for me. It’s the perfect time of year for the song, too, with the sun up and summer rolling in.
How did working with Tytanium help shape the sonic direction of “Look At Me”? What did he bring to the emotional landscape you were building?
I first heard the original instrumental when I was in LA and was freestyling a load of ideas over it. I love the soundscape he created—it has a lot of warmth, subtle dynamics, but also a bustling energy. It gave me a lot of space to work with, which I love, and the feeling in the music helped me to carry the Californian sun and spirit back to the UK with me and write the song.
When you listen back to the song now, what part hits you the hardest?
My favorite part is “Oh, I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I’m going.” It’s a comforting line and comes back to what I was saying earlier about resilience. I get setbacks, I get existential (regularly), but I’m not buckling. I like the feeling of that part of the song, the repetition leading into the chorus. Feels like an affirmation and a mantra.
After putting this song into the worldwhat are you looking at differently?
I’m definitely keen to experiment more with collaboration and production—I’m vibing with the house/dance undertones a lot. I really enjoyed the experience of writing in this way and also of interpreting the song with musicians for a live show recently.
I want to get on that stage more, man. This song needs to be performed! So, definitely looking at opportunities for more of that. In my psyche, I’m just keeping the message of the song alive day to day. For me, “Look At Me” is a great reminder not to shrink myself and not to require permission or understanding to move forward. The more I put my work out into the world, the more I understand my own intentions. This song is a mirror that’s showing me where I am now, but also all the places I could go.
Listen to “Look At Me” below:
