Singer Stacy Barthe—a songwriter to the stars turned successful artist in her own right—is gearing up for the release of her debut album, BEcoming, out this spring via Motown Records. Executive produced by John Legend, the project will, in her own words, explore "everything from why I am the way I am–dealing with my father issues, with being overweight—at the end of the day, everything boiled back down to me vs. me." In other words, it will be laden with feeling and driven by soul—and "War IV Love" is no exception. Over the pitter-patter of warlike-drums, the song finds Barthe setting high stakes for herself: I would suffer war if the victory was love, she sings, punctuating with an air of hope.
In the song's accompanying video, she brings her vision of victory to life. "I'm basically playing a voodoo priestess presiding over a marriage. I pretty much have suffered a war my entire life, me battling myself and the world, and then to end up with somebody that just absolutely adores you—I would suffer a war if it meant victory," she tells FADER. "I'm trying to get to the better place."