The latest single from Edie Yvonne, “15 (When I Leave),” is a recollection of feelings surrounding young transformation and the bittersweet activity of growing up. From the first moment, you are plunged headlong into the world of Edie as the raw power, maniacal from the distorted guitars, finds an easy bedfellow with a driving drum rhythm. This sets the forceful introduction backcloth for Edie’s signature commanding vocal delivery.
A native of Los Angeles, this fifteen-year-old songstress has written a track that feels so deep with an experience that everyone is accustomed to: leaving everything they know and taking that step into the unknown. The song relates to an experience of Edie’s own life about switching schools and coming to the end of her comfort zone to start fresh in high school. These were words in the following lyrics that beautifully express the sad truth of leaving and the mechanisms we throw up to make it hurt a little bit less: “I’m leaving. I know it’s not your fault. You never cared at all. At least I tell myself, so it hurts less when I leave.”
“15 (When I Leave)” is not about leaving so much as it is about self-discovery and the kind of wars within as one tries very hard to fit in. “Looking in mirrors and I see through myself, been trying to look like everyone else,” go the deep Edie lyrics, speaking of identity and acceptance levels that struggle, all too familiar to anyone who has ever felt pressured into conformity.
The song’s dramatic climax built, and Edie’s crescendo vocals hit you like a ton of bricks: “I know you can’t hear me screaming out.” The emotional rawness to the crescendo of this track leaves a resonance that time forgot—a portrayal of frustration and silent screams as a generation battles with a voice to be heard and understood.
Uptempo and hooky, “15 (When I Leave)” carries an emotional punch that belies any infectiousness in its hummability. Edie Yvonne is a great storyteller using music; she paints it as a canvas, with stark pictures filled in through experience and emotion. Indeed this sensitive feeling does the magic of many wonders at such a tender age.
“15 (When I Leave)” is a must-hear for those passing through the stormy sea of youth or if you’re looking for a vibrant track to get your energy flowing.
You can find more of Edie Yvonne at:
You can listen to ’15 (When I Leave)’ below:
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.