Rosalie James - ISLAND
Rosalie James gives us a peek into the inner workings of her racing mind in ISLAND and it is as though she holds a mirror to the world. The track was built in collaboration with Storefront Church. Rosalie brings in the wisdom and slowness of music that stand out in the current landscape of music. Rosalie has a strong desire to bring awareness and reduce stigma around neurodiversity, domestic abuse, addiction, and mental health through her music. What Rosalie does in ISLAND is that she earnestly showcases the vulnerability of ageing while still mapping out one's youth. I imagine she is talking about the great feat of parenting. We see indications of this in her lyrics as well: “How can you teach them what you don’t know? I made you in the confidence of reckless youth.”. Her vocals are neatly folded between serene instrumentals—hazy drums that are elevated by the strings. The echo she has incorporated only adds to the immersive quality of the song. Much like in the video, her voice comes at us like a wave, only to cleanse us and make us feel seen and held. The process of helping someone else navigate life while you yourself are still figuring things out is pretty hard. We see this exact quality in Amour, a french film about an ageing couple with Alzheimer's who need to be taken care of by their daughter. ISLAND would work beautifully in this 2012 film that won several awards. Rosalie James has a gentle yet strong quality to her song, which is a unique style of storytelling through music. She is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. Click on the links attached above and give her work a peep.
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