SERENA – Ophelia (2021)
Struggles with mental health can often be hard to put into words. SERENA has taken an interesting approach as she describes her own struggles through the devastation of hurricane ‘Ophelia’ which hit London in 2017. As her emotional turmoil is transferred to the battering of the hurricane, her heartfelt lyrics call to something deep within you.
SERENA’s ability to bring emotions to light has been honed over the years since she embraced music at a young age. After a hiatus in the US, she moved to the UK and studied at the British Institute for Modern Music. Drawing on the vibrant and multi-cultural music scene of London, she started producing her own music. She has also co-written a club anthem with Andrea Di Giovanni.
The soft waves of sound in the opening of ‘Ophelia’ have a building feeling to them. While light and almost dreamy, the tones make you think that they are leading you to something much bigger like the calm before a storm. It is an interesting approach that perfectly leads you to the tender threads that warble through the soundscape. The darker beats that start to rise from the depths of the track add to the building feeling. These tones are met with an almost glitch style shuffling that gets your senses shivering in anticipation for the gentle burst that comes. This is like light breaking through the dark clouds of a storm.
SERENA’S vocals have a wonderful dark wave vibe to them as she draws you into the movement of the single. The lyrics are descriptive in their portrayal of a storm but when paired with the melody you can easily see them reflecting an emotional state. This is really a masterful portrayal of emotions as her vocals gain power as the melody builds. There is a delicacy to the emotional turmoil portrayed in the single but this is woven over strength and resilience.
SERENA wraps emotional turmoil around the movements of a hurricane in the soft yet powerful tones of ‘Ophelia’. Through the melody, she builds the tension of the storm only to break through with a brilliant light. Her vocals match the movement of the melody while filling you with the emotions of the struggles she has gone through.
Find out more about SERENA on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
