Hemes, who is based in South Wales, was born to Arab parents and grew up listening to a mix of western and middle eastern music. She draws inspiration from her personal experiences of growing up, mental health, and self-discovery.
“Calm” is the second track from her first EP Matters Of The Mind, which will be released later this year and was financed by the BBC Horizons Wales Launchpad scheme and the Help Musicians Do It Differently scheme.
This dark pop melody on her new track “Calm” gives the listener a glimpse inside the thoughts of someone searching for peace in the midst of chaos.
Speaking about the track, Hemes says “I wrote Calm about the feeling of wanting inner peace, we all have times of chaos in our lives so I wanted to write an anthem that specifically addresses the longing for calm through the racing thoughts and overthinking that I felt.
It was one of those songs that were unplanned, I always found it hard to talk about what I was feeling so I decided to write about it instead, and the feelings just poured out, I wrote it in my bedroom and then took it to the studio about a week later”.
“It’s not a trophy, so I don’t display to you” Hemes sings in the first line, alluding to the current state of society and how we only post our finest parts and wins on social media. The chorus, where the words convey a sense of desperation and longing for a sense of quiet and peace from inside, is the song’s key breaking point.
Produced by Grammy Award nominee LVR (John Legend, Amy Wadge), “Calm” is sonically melancholy, combining modern and electronic textures with choir-like harmonies in the chorus to give the listener a euphoric feeling of bittersweet nostalgia for better days. Fans of Julia Micheals and Griff will recognise the synthetic harmonies.
Listen to “Calm” here:
#Peace.Love.Calm
