South London-born singer-songwriter OURAA is not new to the music industry and has been releasing music since 2016. Armed with a distinctively powerful vocal tone and knack for fusing multiple genres she is definitely charting her own path and in her new single "Just Breathe", she explores the ever-delicate topic surrounding mental health and depression. In bringing her ideas to life, she recruits her longtime collaborator producer/rapper TEE who crafts a warm and nostalgia-inducing backdrop for OURAA's ear-grabbing melodic runs and sultry harmonies. Here she takes us through the emotional rollercoaster of dealing with anxiety, self-doubt and melancholy. Lines like "I'm not trying to make this a big deal/Should I go with my brain or keep on acting just the same as usual/Would it be beautiful?" show her trying to balance the emotional strain tearing her from inside while "It's alright to feel not ok sometimes, it's ok sometimes/Just breathe and inhale, exhale" sees her finding an outlet to cushion the pain. Joining her on the track is the producer TEE who adds his own 2 cents with an uplifting verse that dwells on being resilient despite the walls closing in.
To accompany the track, OURAA makes use of a DIY music video featuring other creatives lip-syncing to the song. She got other creatives she knew personally or on social media to be a part of the music video and the result is a collection of voices that speak the same language. The underlying theme here is everyone is going through similar situations and it only takes one or two people to speak out in order to amplify the voices that would normally be silent. As the saying goes, there is power in numbers.
OURAA also announces her first full band Sofar Session show on the 4th of October at an epic secret venue, where she will be performing her newest release as well as some unreleased music. Ticket info here.