We all have that one person in our life who can make the dark moments of our life seem a bit brighter just by entering a room and for the emerging British Arabic artist Hemes that person is her mum, someone who she always saw and had by her side. During the pandemic however regularly visiting her became an issue and after a while all she wanted to do was drive to her, this sentiment is one I can fully support. When the world around you becomes too much and every moment feels like someone is screaming in your ears with nothing but ferocity and vulgar, you just need that special person in your life to make you feel a bit closer to reality once again.
Breathe artfully depicts this feeling through the metaphorical wordplay forming an image in your mind as each individual lyric adds a brushstroke until the very end where you’re left with your very own personal Hemes work of art. The vivid imagery she outlines are elegantly delivered by her honey drizzled vocal over an array of somber, yet simultaneously euphoric, synth beats and uplifting moments of sonic bliss. This track is the definition of saudade, a beautiful blend of happy and sad that has me washed away in swirling pool of shifting emotions.
“I wanted Breathe to capture the feeling of needing that one person in your life who can relieve your anxieties, for me it’s my mum. I finished the song during the pandemic because it was the longest time that I had ever been away from her, through tough times I really wished that I could just drive to see her, and that’s how Breathe was born,” Hemes remembers about writing it. “I wanted the track to feel relatable, so that people can think of whoever makes them feel better, whether it’s a family member, a lover or a friend”