Jenny Räisänen – Breathe (2024)
Music can be cathartic, it can be a place of solace, it can explore raw emotions from loss, love, and tragedy to healing, empowerment and optimism. For singer-songwriter Jenny Räisänen, music is a way of dealing with challenges, finding comfort and feeling accepted. We came across Ireland-based Räisänen with her single ‘A Bird’, and a year later we still have her in our hearts. Her calming nature, charming melody and profound intimacy are not merely intriguing but unforgettable. The latest addition to her discography is the single ‘Breathe’.
Not one to be pigeonholed, Räisänen’s eclectic style pushes folk and indie music to the brink with an experimental shove to the unconventional. Her previous singles, ‘The Past Don’t Exist Anymore’ and ‘The Rain Is Not Far’ have Räisänen entering 2024 with diversity; however, ‘Breathe’ showcases her obscurity. Lingering along the line of folk music with its acoustic haunting, darkness descends on the track with an avant-garde meets indie-pop tone.
Recorded and produced with Juhani Konttinen, and mastered by Jaakko Viitaläde, ‘Breathe’ seems a nostalgic whisper of dark-pop similar to the likes of Amanda Palmer – although not entirely like Palmer. In its off-kilter design, Räisänen keyboard meets Eilidh Pope’s viola in a swoop of spine-tingling music. A rollercoaster of sound, its shimmering tone carries your heart on a soul-stirring melody; however, just as there is a rise and fall, a soothing stability keeps listeners grounded.
The melody itself can lift your soul in a breathtaking rush, but it is the lyricism that adds profoundness. Räisänen’s mystifying vocals are a mere whisper in the background, but its subdued hush perfectly expresses the theme of the track – to breathe. Räisänen explains:
“The… ballad ‘Breathe’… can give hope in challenging situations by encouraging to focus on the most important thing: breathing. A certainty that they are not alone, offering a way to go through difficult emotions… It’s not a single story, but it focuses on a universal theme: surviving in the darkest moment. When we are going through the most difficult moments in our lives, nothing else matters but breathing…”
In addition to the single Jenny Räisänen released an official music video for ‘Breathe’. You can view the video below or on her YouTube channel.
Find out more about Jenny Räisänen on her official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Discover more indie-folk music on The Other Side Reviews Indie Folk playlist:
