We’re seeing a real moment of threaded themes of intention and social consciousness across several musical genres at present. In the ilk of pioneers like Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), Solange, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, there is a groundswell of emerging artists making music with purpose above all else. Chicago-based Soul singer Jamila Woods elevates Black womanhood, while Londoner Lemzi has earned a name for himself for rapping about knife crime. This strong motif of purpose fuels London-based New Yorker, Amyra, and is the thread that ties her several art forms together.
Singer, author, playwright, educator and activist, Amyra is a multifaceted artist who uses her voice as an instrument for change. 26 year-old Amyra’s work is conscious without being preachy, a pure voice using her experiences as a call for change. Describing her work as ‘catharsis’, Amyra expresses her experiences as a Black woman through her artistry. And she’s turning pain to action. Currently writing a book, performing a play titled VASELINE in London about the intricacies of Black womanhood. Amyra has now released her latest single GLOW ahead of her upcoming album WITNESS. This talented New Yorker is one to look out for.
GLOW: A siren-sound
GLOW is an emotional anthem that stemmed from an incident Amyra witnessed at 13 of the shooting of a 16-year-old boy across the street from her. The police took 4 hours to arrive on the scene, by which time the boy sadly passed. ‘’[This experience led me to question] how I, as a child, could build trust for the systems that have been built to protect me if I’ve constantly witnessed them let us down or let us die. GLOW speaks to that and asks where do we go from here, when our brothers are literally dying constantly and we are constantly being faced with the reality that we may not die of natural causes?’’. GLOW is dedicated to the boy, his mother, and all of the other lives lost due to senseless violence who don’t make the headlines.
“It’s really special to me because the album is called WITNESS and it’s all about my experience being raised in Harlem and navigating all the different tensions that came with being Black in my neighbourhood, in the world and being a woman everywhere. So Glow was the first song that made me say we need to make an album as well.’’
The siren sound on GLOW resonates throughout the track and was improvised by Amyra and her friend, ATELLER, into the track’s background. The sirens are assisted by a heavy bopping beat and rhyming sequence throughout.
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