Songs You Should Hear: Emotions Are Running High
Love and loss are addressed in this week’s edition of Songs You Should Hear.
We begin with a tender, beautiful reminder of the legacies we carry with us as we pursue our passions. Then, things take a hard left turn into the land of toxic relationship dynamics, addressed expertly by a couple of Nashville’s emerging pop artists.
Artist: Amber Westerman
Song: Sunflowers
Genre: Pop/Folk
Why You Should Hear It: The soothing single was written in 2019 alongside Scott Buchholz at the Hawai’i Songwriting Festival. Recently, however, “Sunflowers” has taken on an entirely new meaning after the passing of Westerman’s beloved grandfather, Bobby Northcutt.
Two weeks before Bobby’s passing, Amber flew to Texas to visit him in the hospital, guitar in-hand. The last song she played that day was “Sunflowers.” As soon as she finished, Bobby looked to Amber and asked…
“Is that song about going to heaven?”
Westerman notes, “When I sing it, I feel like the lyrics are him speaking to me, continuing to encourage me. It makes me feel so special to have him with me, guiding my every step of the way. I feel his support now more than ever before with my music pursuits. I feel him every moment I am creating or performing my music, and I feel so lucky for that.”
We’ll give you a few minutes to dry your eyes…
Artist: Colaine
Song: SUCKS TO BE YOU!
Genre: Pop
Why You Should Hear It: Because it’s well-deserved savagery! The Nashville-based pop artist wrote “SUCKS TO BE YOU!” after getting coffee with another girl with whom she shared common ground: they were getting played by the same guy.
“This song is the final chapter of a situatonship that taught me so many things,” Colaine said. “It captures the feeling of closure, while also still getting out that final urge to be a little bit petty.”
Artist: Zoie X
Song: love u 2 death
Genre: Pop
Why You Should Hear It: Although the Matt Harris-crafted soundscape suggests an upbeat, bubbly love song, “love u 2 death” is anything but that when you dive into the lyrics. At that point, you’ll discover that the cheeriness of the instrumental is brilliantly tongue-in-cheek.
“‘love u 2 death’ is about staying by someone’s side no matter what they do to you,” Zoie said. “It’s about toxic relationships, and how the bad parts of them can so easily be confused as love.”
What do you think we should hear? You’re always welcome to let us know! And, if you’re an artist (or represent an artist), you can fill out one of these forms to put your music on our radar!