‘Ocean’ was arguably the single the kicked off Toronto artist Adria Kain’s career and since then the artist has done so much personal growth, becoming more aligned with her identity as a mas-presenting queer black woman and musician.
The newly reimagined ‘Ocean (Reprise)’ sounds like a cosmic connection embedded within this soulful R&B track, especially Kain’s authentically passionate voice which moves from powerful outbursts to wistful backing vocals to thoughtful spoken-word phrases. Comparing the two versions of ‘Ocean’, you can physically hear just how much this artist has evolved as an artist and as a human being.
“It’s beyond me how this song came full circle. I remember where I was in life when I first wrote it years ago. I knew it was a good song, not quite my favourite, but it had an important message that I think even went over my own head. I wrote it from a place of sadness. I wanted to create a voice for myself. One that I could run to whenever there was no one else. One that would create a platform big enough for me to exist in without boundaries, like the Ocean, because what’s bigger than that really.”
Alongside her celebration of the beauty of black women in ‘Classic’, ‘Ocean (Reprise)’ will feature on Adria Kain’s landmark album, When Flowers Bloom, out on 28th January 2021.
Here, the emerging Canadian talent reflects on why ‘Ocean (Reprise)’ is one of the most important songs on her forthcoming album:
“I never imagined it would grow to bring me here. I manifested the idea for my album When Flowers Bloom five years ago with a completely different concept in mind, but it ultimately turned into a journey of growth, and through that I was given a real opportunity to share my story, exactly the way I experienced it. With each song came a lesson and a shift, without me even realizing until now. Ocean was the beginning. It’s the first song that brought me recognition in places I’d only ever dreamt of visiting and now it’s become my platform. The experience that came with the creation of this song has been one of the most difficult, but the end result makes it all worth it. With a perfect reminder of one of the most important themes of my entire album, Ocean depicts vulnerability & accountability. A story on running away from an old love to find a new, without closure or full healing. This is me taking the first step toward renewal. An open opportunity for me to take accountability for the things in my life I felt I had no sense of understanding or control over in the moment.”
Topping international music lists of Artists You Need To Know, Adria Kain has been touted by The Fader, Complex, HYPEBAE and more, and opened for the likes of Grammy award-winning and platinum-selling recording artists such as ?uestlove, BJ The Chicago Kid, Miguel & Ari Lennox, while her vocals have been sprinkled throughout various projects like PARTYNEXTDOOR and Allan Rayman.
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