- 2022-11-15
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ Realma Returns With New Song “Ashgrey Butterfly”
Serbian-Chinese singer-songwriter Realma returned with a new song “Ashgrey Butterfly” alongside an animated music video on November 11, 2022.
The song is her third single, following “Wandering” released last May.
The track was written by Realma and tackles social burnout through a Dickinson-esque nature motif and a subtle taste of irony.
On the surface, the twinkly music exudes a dreamy, euphoric nostalgia in the psychedelic mix of orchestral and synth textures, the ambiguous lyrics are poignant in their sobering slice of irony.
“It's an interesting song, since it emanates a kind of Disney vibe, especially in my instrumentation and singing style, yet there is also a bit of that teen-witchy 90s Charmed aura,” Realma explained of the song. “Some might even recognize the single's grandiose touches as a nod to Enya. Fundamentally though, the lyrics depict a very personal, endlessly uncertain struggle on how to find one's place when always feeling out of place. Perhaps the metaphorical juxtaposition between the ashen butterfly and colour-obsessed bees found here is somewhat Dickinson-esque. In the sense that the poet utilized similar nature motifs with tones of melancholy in her ever-questioning poetic space of solitude.”- She continued, “Because the original track is so complex, I ended up creating three variations for performance, each with a unique sonic flavour. There is a kind of 'classical' score I've written for oboe and string quartet, more delicate and exotic comparing to the playful acapella arrangement for six vocals. Finally, the band version is reminiscent of the indie style heard in teen flicks.”
The accompanying video was animated by Mihajlo Dragaš.
Mihajlo Dragaš said, "My main aim for the 2D animation was to emphesize the feelings of nostalgia and youthfulness underlined by the music. And so, I tried to simulate the old-school ink and watercolor art styles to help cast the same wistful appeal heard in the song. With the addition of sparkling colors, which contrast the darker, plaintive blues of the lonely fairy, the audience will discover how the colourful vistas the character is hypnotised by might be deceiving." -
Photo by Milica Staletovic - source : Apple Music
