'The Weight' - NANA Single Review For WHISPER Magazine

It's two am, the night is drowsy and you have just had a feud with your significant other. You scramble to get some shoes on with tears fogging your eyes, you push the door, step out into the pouring rain and start to walk away with the muffled screams of your significant other trailing behind you but you continue on walking. This is exactly the narrative my brain imagined when the first few chords of NANA’s new song ‘The Weight’ transpired into my ears. I immediately thought this song would fit perfectly into a scene from a romance/break up novel, simply astounding. 

She continues to surprise us with the soft and dreamy accompaniment marrying her soulful melody lines right from the start. Her honeyed harmonies peppered throughout the track are such a solace to her defying lyrics. The piano carries the modern soul and jazz in its chords, the guitar in this track is more prominent with the glorious riff  situated in the second verse being the icing on the cake. Credit to Jack O’Hea (Kirk Francis, Long Tonic, Hexposuer, Strsome,) again for producing such an amazing mix. The solidarity of the whole song as an entity is a comfort blanket to those who believe they are alone in their suffering of heartbreak. 
Raw, heartfelt and vulnerable are the themes that are attentive in the exploration of the song. The songwriting is simply spellbinding. She asks questions ‘Do you need me to carry your pain?’ and ‘Do you know quite the danger you are?’ The boldness in her energy is very much at the forefront of her lyrical expression. ‘I'm still shedding the weight’ is a staple of her honesty. 

“This song was maybe the hardest one to write yet, but once I cracked it open, the music poured out of me. It was healing to write about such a difficult experience, but that’s what music is for right? And I hope that anyone listening to it who connects to that feeling of catharsis knows I’m with them. It’s a reminder to allow yourself to feel hurt for a moment without self-judgement and patiently heal because you owe it to yourself to start living confidently again with a whole lot of self-love and self-belief.” – NANA

With a successful debut with ‘W Hotel’ grabbing the recognition of radio stations from across the UK, NANA has fabricated her return which forever perpetuates her evolution as an artist. With the unpredictability of the global pandemic giving us time to reflect upon ourselves, I believe it is in this time that we be honest with our emotions and our wellbeing. With NANA being an empowering lead within herself and her artistry, she is someone to look up to and embrace wholeheartedly. 
‘The Weight’ is out now.