martina – cloud nine (2022)
Grief is something most people try to avoid when possible, but there are times when something beautiful can come from this emotion. ‘cloud nine’, the debut single by martina, uses a tentative optimism to consider the good that comes from grief. Fusing a subculture of trap and RnB to chilled and uplifting pop sensibilities, she celebrates the grieving process and reflects on the melancholic, yet hopeful, feelings that signify the journey of losing someone in your close circle.
Adding a touch of dreaminess to the single, she draws on a diverse range of influences for the reflective intimacy of the track. While this is the first step of her musical career, it is also a part of a much larger picture that showcases the innovation of her sound. With a diverse background that has taken her from Milan to London, she fuses the creativity she has encountered with her own intrinsic musicality.
‘cloud nine’ shimmers with a lo-fi pop vibe that ripples into shivering trap beats. The glitter of the opening dives into the richness of RnB, creating a warm sound that settles on your skin like the sun on a spring day. There is a delicate balance of forward momentum from the beats and a hazy relaxation in the higher pop flows of the melody. This has been handled beautifully, as the softness of the verses has you sinking into the track, while the chorus rises with a swell of upliftment. Through all of this, the rich fusion of sound remains and gets you rather hooked to its smoothness.
As you sink into the richness and warmth of the melody, martina’s vocals are an emotive thread of grief and hope. Through the opening verse, she pulls you into the intimacy of the grieving process and the feeling of missing someone. This slowly turns into something lighter and more hopeful as you head into the chorus. The darkness of loss slowly slides off your shoulders as the brighter tones of the chorus lift your spirits. Her performance is as slick and smooth as the melody, while packing the emotions of the track into your veins. You can feel the journey through loss and grief into knowing that you can be strong without the person. The spoken word section of the track cements this journey perfectly.
Using a fusion of lo-fi pop, RnB and trap, martina considers grief in a different way as she journeys through sadness, into strength, in ‘cloud nine’. The melody is a warm and slightly hazy flow that you can easily sink into. Her vocals bring intimacy to the track as she details her journey and fills you with the emotions of the single.
Find out more about martina on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
