Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

Exzenya – Captivity (2025)

Proving that it’s never too late to follow a dream, build a life, and find your passion, singer-songwriter Exzenya is a 56-year-old singer-songwriter expressing timeless themes with intriguing music. Should you take a fancy to the likes of Fiona Apple and Billie Eilish, then the chances are this gorgeous granny will turn your head. With years of lived experience, dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Communications, currently completing a Master’s in Applied Behaviour Analysis, persevering through numerous milestones, and coming out on the other side wanting to draw significance to wellness, mental health issues, and reaching goals – well, Exzenya is a pretty cool package. The latest addition to her discography is the single, ‘Captivity’.

Following her well-received single ‘V.I.P.’ and the instrumental ‘Scansion’, ‘Captivity’ enters a realm of dark-pop with the obscurity of Amanda Palmer and The Dresden Dolls; however, a flush of soothing clips at the edgy pop element, with a rock-infused breath of acoustic guitar joining the percussive backing. As with her previous material, Exzenya’s ‘Captivity’ is genre-fluid, inserting a somewhat avant-garde, experimental mentality to the track… then again, there’s that off-kilter Amanda Palmer reminiscence that I can’t seem to shake.

Well-layered and textured, ‘Captivity’ is a haunting ballad where the vocals simultaneously break through with the guitar, yet remain lost in the winding bind of percussion. A fascinating expression of trauma and confusion within a restrictive wall – ideal considering the track explores the theory of Stockholm Syndrome. A fascinating topic where the victim identifies with the captor “…erasing autonomy, and dependency cultivated until the captive cannot imagine escape… loyalty is forced, love can be conditioned, and silence becomes survival…”

I’m unsure if I can consider ‘Captivity’ a sincere or sentimental song, but it oozes with raw honesty, genuineness and a deeper understanding and acknowledgement of the trauma of toxic situations. If ‘Captivity’ is anything to go by, I’m certain Exzenya has more exciting material yet to come (and already available).


In addition to the single, Exzenya’s ‘Captivity’ can be found on YouTube. Exzenya released an audio video on her YouTube channel, while a lyric video can be seen on Euphoric Sounds. You can view the Euphoric Sounds video below and/or on their YouTube channel.



Find out more about Exzenya on her official website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify.

This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator


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