Now based in Dubai, the former background vocalist for Canadian Grammy Award winner Melanie Fiona is back with a new single, “Weary,” a “mystifyingly beautiful examination of the struggles that people go through in our day and age.”
Written by Kwame Busia, the single will be out at the end of March and is the follow-up to “Higher,” released last year and also taken from her new album Cheers to Life.
“I’ve recently been promoting Cheers to Life, which was released on February 2,” notes the talented singer/songwriter. “Cheers to Life is a celebration of life’s checks and balances. We have to endure the tough times to truly appreciate the good times. It’s really a testimony of my three-year journey of self-discovery.”
“‘Weary’ is inspired by recent global and social issues that have fuelled worldwide protests and demonstrations,” she continues, going into more detail regarding the new single. “It’s essentially a song for the times. Through the hard times, we find that the good times mean so much more.
“The music video portrays a common human theme of finding solace in the simple things, while pushing through during the difficult parts of life. For the lead character in the music video, his moment of content came when he bought a new pair of shoes with his salary after working so hard at his seemingly uninteresting job.
“For a lot of us, this translates on an emotional level because we all have these uncomfortable feelings during difficult stages of life. They often bring us down to low points that we have to choose to overcome.
“These could be feelings of dissatisfaction from the monotony of everyday life, ridicule from an overbearing boss, the feeling of emptiness after losing someone or something, being lied to, being cheated on, or even becoming jaded after a long-time struggle to reach a goal.
“Often times, we stay the course and find comfort in sparks of clarity. These small moments are meant to motivate us. They’re indicative of better days ahead of us and are small victories that we need to keep going.”
As mentioned already, Ms. Franklin’s new album, Cheers to Life, came out last month. “I want all my supporters to know that I wrote seven of the eight songs on Cheers to Life,” she states proudly. “Each song is an expression of my life through a journey of self-discovery.
“I want people to listen to it with an open mind. I want them to understand that when I was writing the album, I experienced tremendous joy as well as loss – just like most of them. After listening to the album, I hope they pick a few favourite songs and play them over and over again.
“I hope they share them with someone special. If they’re in pain, I hope this album heals them in some way. I also hope that it lifts their spirits and fills their hearts with joy.”
“It’s funny because I remember little from that time as I was so young… I do remember rehearsing at a home in Houston. Beyonce and Tamar Davis were the lead singers. There is one specific song called ‘Sunshine’ that I remember singing in harmony with the girls in the group.
“With the proper management, business savvy and professional guidance, I’m sure that anyone in Beyonce’s position would have gone on to become a superstar. She’s been very blessed in that way, but it also takes someone with tenacity and guts to keep navigating through the music industry as Beyonce has. I’m so happy that she has become an international pop star and represents Texas.”
“Weary” is out on March 26.
Cheers to Life is available now and can be downloaded from iTunes.
