Berlin based singer/songwriter, Lisa Akuah, introduces the world to what she calls “intro-folk,” a modern take on folk music that is created by introverts for introverts. Following up from the psychedelic sounds of ‘Dancing Trees,’ her brand new release, ‘We Will Pass,’ is an exquisite and haunting tune that allows us into the artist’s deeply personal space. An eerie, spacey song about our tiny planet and whether its existence is meaningful or not, Akuah is able to turn a brooding and sombre thought into a reassuring and comforting one. “Regardless where you stand, on mountain high or land, we’re just a grain of sand, trick’ling from universe’s hand.”
Enwrapped in thoughts of impermanence, her message is actually a rather simple one; don’t take yourself too seriously, live for the moment and enjoy your time whilst you’re here. A valuable lesson that we could all remind ourselves of once in a while.
‘We Will Pass’ is a captivating and reflective journey from start to finish. It’s more than just a song!
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
The song was inspired by an astronomical tour in the desert of Chile. I learned how long it would take for the light of the stars to reach our eyes and was hit with the fact that compared to most other planets, our earth is very, very small and if we stopped existing tomorrow, nobody would care. Somehow, rather than making me anxious, this thought had a very reassuring and calming effect on me and encouraged me to just live life to the fullest. As the song says, “When you gaze into the stars, and look into the past, then you might start to see: whatever shall will be”. We shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously and forget that the person we are is the person we have to live with for the rest of our lives so we might as well make the best of it because one day, everything will just end.
Tell us about your creative process and how the song came to be?
I wrote the song last year in Chile. We had just found out that for the foreseeable future, we would not be able to return home due to the pandemic. Just before, we had participated in an astronomical tour and all the thoughts were running through my head, on how small the world is compared to the rest and somehow, it made complete sense to me, that we were in this situation with the pandemic. Sometimes, songs come from a very faint idea, sometimes it’s more concrete. With ‘We Will Pass’ it was very specific that I wanted to write the song about how the starlight we see at a particular point in time, doesn’t actually exist like that any more. We see an image of the past. ‘We Will Pass’ probably is the quickest song I ever wrote. I think it took me two hours. Once I had the first line down, it just started pouring out of me, as if a valve had been opened. Sometimes it takes longer or I start with the guitar. But more often than not, a song comes from a single word or phrase that keeps turning around in my head.
What are your favourite lyrics in the song?
I think the second verse: “Regardless where you stand, on mountain high or land, we’re just a grain of sand, trick’ling from Universe’s hand”.
No matter where we are, if we’re small or tall, loud or quiet, powerful or weak, in the end, we’re all the same tiny, insignificant specs floating through the universe. I love this verse especially because it encourages me to believe in myself more somehow.
What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months with your music?
I have just finished recording my debut album! It’s called ‘Outgrowing Nymph’ and it’s about the constant growth process one goes through during their life. Of course, it features all the previously released singles and ‘We Will Pass’ but there are some newer songs on it too that take my music to an even more personal level. I’m hoping to release the album late 2021 or early 2022 and have a bigger release concert for it. I’d also like to take the album on tour so if any of that was to happen in the next year, I would be incredibly happy! I think ‘Outgrowing Nymph’ will resonate with a lot of people out there who are struggling with their own insecurities and hopefully help them deal with them a little better, as I have learnt to deal with mine.
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Make sure to connect with Lisa Akuah on Facebook » Instagram
Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
