88-Keys has returned for his first single as the lead artist in eight years, and the producer has employed the late Mac Miller and Sia as features to his contemplative track, "That's Life." Saying a few things about the track, Keys shared: "'That’s Life' is a song which sums up the sentiments of the music I’ve been working on over the past few years. We all have to forge through the good, the bad and the ugly. Mac came up with the concept for the song stemming from a conversation we had in the studio about relationships as we shared with each other what made the ones we were in at the time special." The duo worked on the song in NYC, with Keys later showing it to Sia who "personally identified with the sentiments of the song and felt strongly about contributing her own thoughts on the subject matter." Back in May, Keys took to Instagram to explain how his track had been leaked under the working title "Benji the Dog." The Grammy-winning producer urged his fans to "check back in for the finished version," and reminded fans to keep Mac in their heart.
As for the song itself, Mac carries most of it, as he weaves in and out of his verses and takes upon the cathartic chorus "everybody live a little, everybody die//That's life." Sia's husky powerhouse vocals are the perfect complement to the mellowed out track, and the two (with Keys' serene production) lead the song to a place of tranquility and self analysis alike. "At the end of it all, my dear friend Mac and my newfound friend Sia helped me make a song to touch the world and help many deal with adversities we’re faced with, but 'That’s Life,'” says Keys.
Quotable Lyrics:
A hundred naked bitches in my dressing room waiting
We lost a lot of blood for this fucked up nation
But me, I'm getting high, making love in that spaceship
So what are the basics? Tell me your problems
You losin' your job or, even worse, you don't got one