Spotlight: Storytelling at its most vulnerable, Saïna’s neo-soul music speaks from her heart.
THE SINGER/SONGWRITER FROM NORTH-WEST LONDON effortlessly blends neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop into her own style. Her emotions, talent and understanding of theory oozes into her music, resulting in passionate and interesting songs. They grab your interest with her powerful voice, maintain it with a subtle jazz influence, and finally make you fall in love when you delve into their emotive lyrics (which are derived from personal experiences). Saïna prioritizes the narrative of her lyrics when songwriting; she shared, “I like to always say something. I feel there is no point in writing a song if you haven’t got a message. I like to be very clear with my message.” The clarity of the message is what makes her songs so accessible to a listener.
Her first single, “Wrong Love,” is written from the perspective of someone who is realizing and accepting that they are in a toxic relationship that must end. Its lyrics show a self-awareness that Saïna hopes to inspire others with:“and maybe I’ll miss our secret shower spliffs, but I know it’s not healthy to live like this.” Saïna explained, “I wanted it to have that strong, independent woman persona,” so people could be inspired and relate to it.
When writing “Wrong Love” Saïna took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli - Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack. She learned the chords and fell in love with the jazz influence of the song. Repositioning the chords into her own style, Saïna then found the basis for her own track. The demo was sent on to friends who she had met at Brit school who could play bass, trumpet and drums for them to add their parts to the song, with Saïna bringing it all together. Having finished the composition, “Wrong Love” was then on SoundCloud for a few years before being refined by a producer to form the final release version.
The other songs in her upcoming EP will similarly have observational lyrics with messages to help the listener. The song “Thank You” is based on the feeling of being grateful and was written to allow you to make it your own. “8 Minutes” is the story of only getting 8 minutes to talk to someone on the phone in prison and if that is enough time to feel loved. All these songs tie into the central theme of the EP, which centers around the experiences of a cosmopolitan girl, living in London.
Musically, Saïna has a very developed sound, due to honing it for several years. She first started to play instruments at the age of 7, and song-writing began when she was 12, so her skill and understanding is deep-rooted. This is due in part to having creative parents who inspired and encouraged her to pursue music. These years of training have also given Saïna time to study and understand artists who inspire her such as Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse. This has all resulted in well-constructed songs that are balanced and already in Saïna’s ‘sound’, which is rare for a first release.
When writing “Wrong Love” Saïna took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli - Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack. She learned the chords and fell in love with the jazz influence of the song. Repositioning the chords into her own style, Saïna then found the basis for her own track. The demo was sent on to friends who she had met at Brit school who could play bass, trumpet and drums for them to add their parts to the song, with Saïna bringing it all together. Having finished the composition, “Wrong Love” was then on SoundCloud for a few years before being refined by a producer to form the final release version. (option to move paragraph between 2 and 3 (‘Her first single….’ and ‘The other songs in her upcoming EP’)
Saïna’s first EP is an exciting project to follow, and more releases will occur during 2022. “Wrong Love” is a great song on its own, but as part of a collection it tells a powerful and beautiful story.
Saïna is also playing a handful of shows around London, so make sure to follow her socials to keep an eye out for updates.
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