London-pop commercial pop singer, Rafaèlla, is feeling darker and moodier than ever with her latest single “WOMAN”.
Heavily inspired by current events surrounding women’s rights in the last couple of years, the song channels a sense of simultaneous tenderness, strength, and resilience. There’s a cinematic sense of scale to the song’s ethereal build that feels expansive and epic. With the addition of some traditional Greek/Middle Eastern vibrations provided by bouzouki, there’s an old mysticism that echoes through the song’s core as well.
But alongside the more traditional elements are plenty of modern touches in the mixing and backbeat. At key moments Rafaèlla channels theatricality as much as she does subtlety – the verse especially feels this way while the chorus takes on a rhythmic chanting of “I am / I am / I am / A woman”. The final note crescendos to a beautiful balance between shout and melody – a liminal space where she finds one last moment of power and resilience.
To round out the release of this new single, Rafaèlla also treats us to a moving music video that furthers the intermixing of traditional and modern elements of womanhood. At the forefront is the matter of education and reading of famous portrayals of women throughout history. The mystic qualities shift more into the territory of witch imagery, which make for powerful commentary on power, resolution, and identity.
“WOMAN” is available now on major streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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