Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Rae Lou
THE RELEASE
Rae Lou invites us into her own musical world with her debut song, 'Suffocate'. With a unique perspective that sees songs in color and word paints on a musical canvas, she creates "art for the ears." 'Suffocate' is a bold and brooding composition, delving into themes of mental health and anxiety. Inspired by the evocative film title and image of the upcoming UK feature film 'Watching Goldfish Suffocate,' Rae Lou crafted a whole storyline for a song that captures the essence of struggling with oneself. The song's production, a collaboration with UK-based producer George Fitzgibbon, strikes a perfect balance between drama and intimacy. Stripped back keys and Rae Lou's emotional vocals create a charged and dramatic sound, drawing listeners into the journey of the song. It's a powerful call to action, imploring individuals not to merely watch but to actively help themselves when trapped in a dark place.
Rae Lou is excited about the release of 'Suffocate,' having had unwavering faith in the song since its inception. She hopes that listeners can connect with the lyrics on a deep level, sparking meaningful discussions about mental health. Recognizing that suffering is not inherently beautiful, Rae Lou believes in the transformative power of music to connect us with our emotions. As her dear friend and vocal coach, Lorraine Harris-Roche, aptly puts it, "Let's face it, nobody suffers beautifully." However, 'Suffocate' possesses the ability to engage listeners and evoke emotions, contributing to a greater understanding of the complexities of mental health. Rae Lou's debut single is an impressive display of her artistic vision and a promising introduction to her captivating musical world.
THE INTERVIEW
What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
I’d have to attribute my love of singing to growing up listening to the musical West Side Story. I loved how the music and lyrics moved the story along and I’d act out the musical scenes with my sister.
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
What an interesting way to ask this question! I feel like I would need more than just four heads, but if I had to narrow it down, I would have to include Stephen Sondheim because of my early love of West Side Story and his magical lyrics. Alicia Keys was the first artist I went to see live when I was a young girl and I instantly fell for her style, voice and artistry. Songs in A Minor was the soundtrack to my younger years. So she would definitely feature. Jeff Buckley has always been a favourite artist of mine. His album Grace is one of my favourite albums for its musicality and Buckley’s emotionally raw vocal performance, so he’d definitely be up there. Lastly, I’d have to say Norah Jones. I just love her voice and her beautiful music. I never tire of listening to her songs. It’s as simple as that! I’m amazed I’ve narrowed that down!
Nina Simone, Karen Carpenter, Maya Angelou, Eva Cassidy, Carol King and Florence Welch have also offered a mountain of inspiration to me, as well!
How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?
My creative process is a bit like a puzzle. I’ll take pieces of inspiration from all different places and assemble them into a composition and make them fit together. For Suffocate, I started with a clear sound of an alarm bell in mind. With just the first two notes I imagined this as an alarm bell ringing, much like anxiety and worries ring in your head and I developed the melody further from those two initial notes.
I knew I had lyrics that I’d written about 6 years earlier, based on my own experiences of anxiety and I knew these words would fit perfectly into the song, so I pieced them all together, until it felt like it made sense to me.
As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?
George Fitzgibbon mixed, mastered and produced Suffocate. George has such a knack for knowing how to bring everything together and create the sound you want. When we first started working on this song, I sent George a simple phone recording of me singing the song on piano and he instantly knew what to do to create a beautiful musical track for me to sing over. I was so moved by what he’d done with the instrumentation. He’s really gifted in listening to what you want and translating that into beautiful, high quality productions.
When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?
There’s a very clear message in this song: mental health awareness. My song lyrics come, not just from the heart but from a place of sensitivity and compassion about a topic everyone can relate to in their own way. I think that when we talk more openly about our fears and anxieties then we help to break down those worries together.
It’s like the plea “don’t just watch me suffocate” in the chorus, I think it’s so important to take action if you’re struggling in a dark place and that might simply be by reaching out and talking to someone. I’ve had faith in this song since I first wrote it, so I hope that listeners can connect with the lyrics and that it might deepen the discussion on mental health. To quote my dear friend and vocal coach, Lorraine Harris-Roche, “Let’s face it, nobody suffers beautifully”, but I think music holds the beautiful power of connecting us more with our emotions, so I like to think that’s what this song can do.
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