THE CATHARTIC TRACK EXAMINES FINDING YOURSELF AMONG THE CHAOS |
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SAFIYAH HERNANDEZ BY HANA SIDDIQI |
15-year-old newcomer Safiyah Hernandez has released her debut single “9pm” via BMG/Young Forever. Wise beyond her years, Safiyah has found songwriting as a form of catharsis in dealing with the overwhelming grief, loss, and confusion that is the current state of the world. The moody, intimate “9pm” asks how the world can move on so quickly from acts of violence and crisis, calling out the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and bringing attention to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza through urgent, percussive swells and poignantly-rich harmonies. By focusing on civil and human rights–rather than trying to ignore them–Safiyah crafts a refreshingly compelling narrative that examines the disorientating task of trying to find yourself among the chaos through her music. “I wrote this in my Grandma’s closet a few days before I moved from the Bay Area to the East Coast. I was in a very vulnerable state, leaving home, during Covid’s peak and a lot of depressing and violent things were happening in America as well as the rest of the world, including Palestine,” shares Safiyah who is of Pakistani and Mexican descent. “I feel almost obligated to say something, especially through my art, because that’s the way that I’m able to process,” she adds. “I hope to be someone who can help heal or impact people positively, but also remind them of all the important things going on in the world.” |
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