Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Palm Beach, Florida, Elijah was surrounded by talent. His mother and father were no strangers to music, being avid participants in church and his childhood friends all boasted either singing or dancing abilities beyond their years. “Everybody wanted to make it. Everybody wanted to be somebody special.” In an area riddled with crime, Elijah, with guidance from his mother, struggled to stay out of trouble. Soon, his talent would find him a way out of trouble and onto a stage.
Seeing a great opportunity to keep her son on the right track, Elijah’s mother got him involved in church. It was here singing in the choir, that his talent was first discovered. “The choir director would sing something and expect me to sing it back. He took it up the scale to higher notes and I was able to stay with it. I didn’t even know what vocal range was at the time, but that day, I found out I had it.” Elijah continued singing in the choir, often doing solos and helping with arrangements.
Singing wasn’t the only talent Elijah excelled at. Dancing became another way for him to not only express himself, but entertain. Elijah formed a group with a few friends from Palm Beach. Heavily focused on dancing, the group honed his choreography skills early on. Eventually, he made his way onto competitive stages across the city, impressing judges and crowds with his vocal, dancing and poetry performances.
Elijah’s father noticed the determination he was putting into performing and after realizing he was serious, decided to help his son reach his dreams. An incredible piano player himself, Elijah’s father began practicing with him and producing songs for Elijah to sing. “My dad was like Matthew Knowles or Joe Jackson—he wanted me to be great just as bad as I did. Most kids played games and hung out after school… I practiced. He made sure of it.”
All of that hard work paid off. In 2008, after recording several songs with his father and uploading them to Myspace, Elijah amassed an enormous fan following, drawn from across the world to listen to Elijah’s songs. Elijah began preparing his first project for sale independently and sold thousands of units.
Later that year and thanks to Myspace, Elijah met Troy Taylor, the person responsible for the career of R&B superstar Trey Songz. Taylor recognized Elijah’s potential and not long after, Elijah was working on his music alongside Troy and Trey Songz, who began guiding and supporting him. “I never saw myself writing songs for other people, but one day Trey asked if I would mind writing a song to fit him. Initially, I was unsure, but once I heard the track I started humming melodies and coming up with words. That’s how ‘Jupiter Love’ came about.” This would prove to be just the beginning of Elijah’s songwriting for others.
Before long, Elijah had worked with some of the industry’s biggest stars including Usher, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Kanye West, Bono, Keyshia Cole Mary J. Blige, Nas and Alicia Keys. Gaining friends who are veterans in music is a perk of being a much sought after songwriter, and whose advice is more ‘veteran’ than Usher? “It’s crazy because he’s one of my influences and the fact that I’ve not only worked with him, but can call him a friend is amazing.” Soon after co-writing the song “Climax,” (which went on to be a #1 hit) Elijah sat down with Usher to talk about how he maintained longevity as an artist. It was during this conversation that Usher inspired to him to begin on his own music again.
Elijah went into the studio in October of 2011 and finished a mixtape (still unreleased) that put him in meetings with the industry’s top record labels to discuss signing. With various deals being contemplated, there was only one thing he could do. “I prayed about it... Any major decision can become an easy one with prayer.” That prayer was answered just two months later by music producer and Def Jam VP, No I.D. who signed Elijah to a deal with Def Jam through his Artium imprint. “To know that the label supports me like it does is a blessing. At this stage in my career everything is coming together—I’m ready.” Elijah began working on his debut album in January of 2012, collaborating with hit producers No I.D., Salaam Remi, T-Minus, Diplo, Stargate, Fuego, Q-Tip, Don Cannon, Jerry Wonder, Pop & Oak, and the Fisticuffs. You can also look forward to some very impressive features with new music set to drop in the Summer of 2012. The album will release soon after.
Elijah Blake discusses the project with enthusiasm. “Music is therapy. For me, doing a song is about leaving everything you have there in those 3 minutes. I have so much to say that I know people can relate to. We, as men, don’t always have to talk down to women or only speak about love in a prideful way. Guys have emotions too, we may be better at hiding it, but we do. If my music helps to start a conversation, then I’m happy.” With all the buzz surrounding Elijah Blake’s debut album, his music is sure to do more than just start conversation; Elijah Blake is poised to define a musical generation
Satisfied
Elijah Blake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
What I gotta do to subtract from this divide?
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
Put up that drink for you (For you)
I even stopped textin' exes for you (Yeah)
I read my DMs for you (All of them)
Call you on a Monday 'cause I miss you ('Cause I miss you)
But you be on that bullshit, what's the issue? Shade
Kill that attitude 'cause it don't
Fit you (It don't fit you, yeah yeah)
Oh, but I ain't tryna fix you, no
What I gotta do to make you stay the night?
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
What I gotta do to subtract from this divide?
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
They don't love the way we love
Ain't nothin' 'bout it regular
It's just human nature
They don't wanna see you doin' better
Ain't your girlfriends miserable?
Be careful of the company that you choose
Are you gonna let 'em come between us?
When they ain't ever really found love, love, love
What I gotta do to make you stay the night?
(What I got to do to make you stay?)
'Cause you ain't never satisfied (Ain't never satisfied)
You ain't never satisfied (No, you ain't never satisfied)
What I gotta do to subtract from this divide? (Whoo)
(My confusion multiplied)
'Cause you ain't never satisfied (You ain't never satisfied)
You ain't never satisfied (No, you ain't never satisfied)
You ain't satisfied, no
You ain't satisfied, oh no
Even if I gave you my life
You probably still wouldn't be satisfied
The lyrics of Elijah Blake's song "Satisfied" talk about a relationship that is plagued by one partner's constant dissatisfaction. The singer tries to go above and beyond to please the other person, putting up their drink, stopping contact with exes, and ignoring messages from others. Yet, despite all this effort, the other person is still dissatisfied, leading to a divide between them. The singer confronts the other person's behavior, asking them to change their attitude to fit the relationship better. However, they are not trying to change or "fix" the other person - they simply want to find a way to bridge the divide between them.
The song also discusses the pressure that external factors - such as friends and societal expectations - can bring to a relationship. The singer acknowledges that people around them do not love the way they love each other. They warn their partner to be cautious of who they let influence their decisions and not to let others come between them. Overall, the song paints a picture of a relationship that has become toxic due to one partner's never-ending dissatisfaction and the external pressures that have been placed on them.
Line by Line Meaning
What I gotta do to make you stay the night?
Asking what he has to do to make her spend the whole night with him
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
She is not satisfied and happy with him
What I gotta do to subtract from this divide?
Asking what he can do to close the gap between them
'Cause you ain't never satisfied, you ain't never satisfied
She is not satisfied and keeps expecting more
Put up that drink for you (For you)
He does things for her and puts in effort for their relationship
I even stopped textin' exes for you (Yeah)
He is faithful and is committed only to her
I read my DMs for you (All of them)
He is transparent and honest, reading all messages for her
It's all about us, forget them for you (Yeah yeah)
Their relationship is more important than others in their lives
Call you on a Monday 'cause I miss you ('Cause I miss you)
He misses her and wants to communicate with her regularly
But you be on that bullshit, what's the issue? Shade
She is not satisfied and is causing tension in their relationship
Kill that attitude 'cause it don't Fit you (It don't fit you, yeah yeah)
She needs to let go of her attitude as it doesn't suit her well
Oh, but I ain't tryna fix you, no
He accepts her flaws and does not want to change her
They don't love the way we love
Their love is unique and different from others
Ain't nothin' 'bout it regular
Their love is unconventional and extraordinary
It's just human nature
Their love is just part of being human
They don't wanna see you doin' better
Others may feel insecure and uncomfortable seeing them happy and doing well
Ain't your girlfriends miserable?
Her friends might be unhappy and feel left out because of their relationship
Be careful of the company that you choose
She needs to choose friends who genuinely support and care for her
Are you gonna let 'em come between us?
She should not allow others to interfere with their relationship
When they ain't ever really found love, love, love
Their friends may not have experienced true love before
You ain't satisfied, no
She is not content and fulfilled in their relationship
You ain't satisfied, oh no
She is unhappy and unfulfilled in their relationship
Even if I gave you my life
Giving her everything might not make her happy and satisfied
You probably still wouldn't be satisfied
She is always expecting more and not content with what she has
Writer(s): Sean Fenton
Contributed by Ian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.