Being honest about your feeling is hard.
Damn hard.
If you’re like most people, you fear being judged or misunderstood or seen as weak or immature; the truth of the matter though is that there is a freedom in baring your soul and asking whether anyone else feels like you do as these five artists beautifully demonstrate.
They are all proof positive that being honest about who you are and what your feeling and what matters to you can have a profound effect on you, those around you and society as a whole.
Listen and realise once again that laying it all out there, especially in songs as catchy as these songs are, might just be the very best thing you ever do.
“don’t be sad” by Tate McRae
There are songs that are emotional … and then there is “Don’t Be Sad” by Canadian singer/songwriter Tate McRae which is all heart-bursting, intensely-affecting emotion, a song that feels like it really means something to the singer.
Which indeed it does as this quote from Line of Best Fit makes clear:
“… in the clip’s opening credits McRae explains that ‘don’t be sad’ is ‘basically talking about someone who will never understand [and] therefore ‘mocks’ you for being dramatic or too sad, or too depressed, not making sense etc’ before adding that “this is a [really] personal one to me.'”
As heart-on-the-sleeve as any song can get and rewardingly listenable as a result, “don’t be sad” is a ballad that cuts to the heart of the matter and stays there, rewarding you with one of the most emotive tracks you’ll hear all year.
“Envious” by Aluna
Dancing is often associated with endless euphoria, and while that’s often true, the reality is that all kinds of emotions can hit you when you step away from being an everyday person and surrender yourself to nothing but lights, heaving bodies and an insistent beat.
It’s something that British singer Aluna, once half of AlunaGeorge and its frontwoman, knows all about as she explains in a quote from DIY:
“I think people really need this song right now because I believe it’s my best ‘cry dance’ song; a style I coined to describe that exquisite feeling when all your emotions are released while dancing so you cry at the same time … I feel like in these times people need that at least once a day!”
The powerfully upbeat track might sound light and bright and breezy, a musical jaunt to somewhere escapist and wonderful, but the lyrics are in there, intense and meaningful and calling life exactly as it is.
“Marilyn Monroe” by Astrid S
Norwegian artist Astrid S, who has a knack for crafting enticingly catchy songs and marrying them with brilliantly imaginative videos, is back with another track “Marilyn Monroe” which features the star dancing her way through all kinds of cool places and empowering women while she does so:
“‘To me, an empowered woman is a woman who lives their life the way she desires to, that aligns with her chosen purpose in life, who is grateful for the possibilities she’s been given. She takes responsibility for staying educated, stands up for herself and for others. To me, the most empowering feeling is to be kind to myself and the people around me.
‘I felt empowered making ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and I want anyone who’s listening to it to feel like they can be whoever they want to be without the fear of being judged… I wanted to make a song that you can sing and dance along to but also makes you feel strong, confident and proud.'” (NME)
Set to a playfully danceable piece of music, the track is not only an infectious dancing and listening experience, it also aims to get the world thinking about how it resorts to censorious judgement instead of encouraging and empowering women to be gloriously themselves.
“never say ily again” by Alex Porat
“never say ily again” is a perfect pop tune.
As Wonderland magazine observes, the track by Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Porat, “effortlessly [combines] mesmerising melodies with a fresh electronic production’, delivering up a song that delivers a fairly serious message in an upbeat, fun song.
“It felt like the right thing to pair this sad feeling with a fun upbeat song. I usually use humour to cope with pain and sadness so it felt very real the way the track is the opposite of what I’m trying to say. I’m a dramatic person at times especially when it feels like the end of the world so this song is a great reminder that any negative feelings that I’ve felt in the past are temporary and they do go away. What’s life without a couple ups and downs, you know?”
Anyone who can mix together meaningful lyrics with a piece of perfectly-executed pop is one to watch and indeed, as Wonderland again notes, Porat was given the honour of being included on the Amazon Music 2020 Artist to Watch list.
“Wish It Would Rain” by Londin Thompson
Sporting an introspective, emotionally resonant acoustic vibe, “I Just Wish It Would Rain” is an achingly beautiful song that captures your heart.
You can’t help but feel for someone like Cleveland-born Londin Thompson who opens up her soul so completely how life can often get to you when it’s just you and no one else.
“The weather never changes
And every sunny day
Reminds me I’m not happy
I just wish it would rain
I need someone familiar
When I walk through that door
Somebody who knows me
And who I was before.”
What makes her songs so movingly heartfelt is the way she doesn’t seem like she’s just singing the song; she is LIVING it, every last thoughtfully-penned word cutting to the quick making you wonder how much better the world would be if we were all this honest.