SPOTLIGHT: ALY NAVARRO IS HOPEFUL IN HER HEARTBREAK
SPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT
☆ BY CAMRYN FINN ☆
IN THE STAGES OF GRIEF, ALY NAVARRO HAS ARRIVED AT ACCEPTANCE—The LA-based singer-songwriter has never shied away from the personal in her music. Many of her tracks have heart-wrenching lyrics stemming from painful pasts. This isn’t something she shrinks away from—it’s something she embraces.
“Honestly, the more intimate and open you're willing to be, the better the music comes out,” the self-described sad song fanatic said in an interview.
Her debut EP released earlier this summer entitled DNR is a prime example of this sentiment in action. The EP is reflective, each track a vulnerable, grieving snapshot of the end of a long-term relationship. Each song was originally written separately and then later grouped together to serve as a sort of time capsule of emotion.
Breadcrumbs of all the stages of grief can be found littered throughout the six tracks. The heartbreaking realization of it all being over in DNR, the bargaining and what if’s in “soft place to land,” and the anger and betrayal of “You’re just a man.” Not only was each song cathartic but in a sense the release of the songs themselves was symbolic.
“It ended up being like each song was a different grieving process,” she said. “Releasing that EP felt like moving on from that really heavy part of my life.”
The EP eventually lands on acceptance: acceptance that the relationship can’t be saved. The delicate delivery of that message feels like speaking strongly even if on shaky ground.
This summer, after months of being reminded of the sad parts, something shifted.
“After a relationship, I go through the really crappy parts and I feel it so hard and it hits so heavy. Then, I usually just have one day where I'm like, ‘well, I have to be over this. It is what it is,’” she said. “I feel like one day I literally woke up and I was like, ‘yeah, this just isn't it.’”
That’s where her newest single. “If I Were A Man” comes in. Released on September 10, the upbeat track is a celebration. Written with the same team and about the same situation as her EP, the vibes could not be more different. Whereas the declaration of acceptance and moving on was tender in her EP, it is triumphant in her single.
“I wrote this from a healthier point of view and kind of just like a more confident, mature version of myself,” Navarro said. “...as soon as we wrote it, I was like, ‘this is perfect.’ I want this to be the first song after the EP.”
The song also has an extended edition released under the title “...i learned from the best.” What began as a background recording session with some of Navarro’s friends turned into a raw, live track which feels like singing along at a concert. Navarro knew it had to be included in some way.
“If I Were A Man” may stray from Navarro’s usual genre with its energetic setting but its foundation inherently fits in with the rest of the catalog with its expressive lyrics. In her interview Navarro joked that her circle had long requested a more upbeat song and she was happy to oblige… in her own way.
“I'm not gonna be quite there, but it'll feel really happy,” she said with a laugh.
