Pop artist Lisa Danaë is back with a new empowering single “Weigh Me Down.”

Pop artist Lisa Danaë is back with a new empowering single “Weigh Me Down.” The song was inspired by the phrase “it is what it is” — an exhausted statement that steadily traveled amongst conversations between friends and family in quarantine. Throughout lockdown, this sentiment was continually expressed in regards to the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and its dire effects. In this period of isolation, many find themselves struggling more than ever with mental health, depression, and anxiety.

 Danaë drew from her personal experience and the challenges she has faced as an independent Filipino-American female artist. The piano line she created in the composition represents the threat of a ticking time bomb that is waiting in the stillness - ready to detonate once you’re in the negative state where you find yourself heavily dwelling upon something, especially that which is out of your control.

This upbeat, infectious track challenges insecurity and offers an optimistic perspective through a brighter lens — the narrative expresses the constant struggle of comparing yourself to others and navigating the harsh conditions on the battleground of social media: “You’re a hit. / You didn’t mean to brag. / But I want what you have, I admit.”

Lisa exhibits vulnerability, while intricately blending positive lyrics with darker tones and melodies. A foundation of electronic synths layer around Lisa’s sugary vocals, as she sings with honesty and self-awareness, “I won’t let these thoughts own me. / I won’t blame someone else. / I’m the one that controls how I’m feeling myself.”

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of social media, where everything is painted with vibrant hues, leading you to conclude that everything is “sunshine and rainbows.” You steadily find yourself comparing your journey to others in this digital era that’s so transfixed with the number of likes, views, streams, and followers. Profile feeds bombard you with picture perfect imagery; everything’s “perfect” in this person’s life — just scroll through the sea of photos and look at all of the bright, smiling faces — leaving you to make the assumption that they’ve made it, that they ‘have it all together’ and are living the dream..

However, in reality, what you’re actually viewing is a distorted image that’s set up to trick you with its grand illusions of smoke and mirrors. You’re only seeing what people choose to share across their social platforms — a very small fraction of their life that they decide to post publicly. You’re not being exposed to the hard times and intense emotions, filled with pain, heartache, tears, and self-doubt.

The life of an artist is a tumultuous path, with many pressures weighing on your shoulders — the fear of failure, the struggle to achieve some defined level of success, and that deprecating feeling of being placed under a microscope for others to closely evaluate and dissect — it severely drains your life force and the lingering question if all of this effort is a waste of time. The truth is, though, that it’s worth it. It is worth every obstacle and every ounce of suffering when creativity is the passion that wholly consumes you and drives you to wake up every day and pursue your craft. Your art is worth the fight and the battle scars that accompany it.

With the release of her single, Lisa shines an illuminating light on these issues and strongly declares that she will no longer let this internal conflict “Weigh Me Down.”


Connect with Lisa Danaë on her social media platforms:

Website: https://www.lisadanae.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisadanaemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisadanaemusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisadanaemusic
 
Review by: Bri Rodriguez
Image by: Chris Rodarte
Artwork by: Tribe Unltd